The affordability problem is real. But it is not the full story.

For many young Australians, buying a home feels further away than it did for their parents.

Living costs are higher. Property prices have moved faster than wages. And the gap has compounded over time.

According to research by Deloitte Access Economics, average home prices increased 67 percent in the decade to 2023, rising from $548,000 to $915,000. Over the same period, average incomes for Australians aged 21 to 34 grew by just 20 percent.

That imbalance has consequences.

People are staying at home longer. Family formation is being delayed. In 1981, around one third of Australians aged 20 to 24 lived with their parents. By 2021, that number had climbed to nearly two thirds. Among 25 to 34 year olds, around 40 percent now rely on some form of family support to enter the housing market.

So yes, affordability matters.

But what often gets missed in the public conversation is this point.

Most first home buyers do not fail because they lack effort.
They fail because they start without a strategy.