New research debunks home building hurdles

Australian property research conducted by Houseandland.com.au has found Australians are succumbing to myths surrounding building a home and choosing to buy a move-in-ready property instead. This research has debunked Australians’ perceived challenges around building, reporting that most issues are far less likely to occur than thought.

The most commonly expected and actually faced hurdle for Australian home builders is time delays; however, the research proves expectations are in fact worse than reality. Almost 37 per cent expected to face time delays compared with 23 per cent who actually experienced them.

The research found that besides time delays, the top road blocks home builders expected to face versus what they actually experienced were budget blowouts (expected 23 per cent vs actual 16 per cent), finding a house and land package to meet their needs (expected 18 per cent vs actual 7 per cent), trouble gaining planning permission (expected 17 per cent vs actual 11 per cent) and access to home loans (expected 17 per cent vs actual 9 per cent).

Founder of Houseandland.com.au, Dean Kyros, explains that although building is at its highest point in recent history (35 per cent of people who purchased in the last two years have built), it is becoming apparent there is a lack of understanding around the building process in the younger generation as they step into home ownership.

“Even though the number of Australians building their homes is at an all-time high, many younger people who can now afford to get into the market are put off by how confusing the building process seems to be, when in fact it’s the opposite,” he says.

The research indicates many misconceptions around the issues home builders face. Importantly, it highlights that home buyers also face issues that can push out timelines and budgets. Despite the equally weighted hurdles both home builders and buyers face, 84 per cent of home owners and intending home buyers agree that building their own home allows the flexibility to build their dream home.

“Although building takes a number of months to complete, the research proves that Australians are happy to wait to ensure they have a complete, dream home. The current market is seeing fewer Australians moving as frequently as seen in previous generations, so they want to ensure the house they are going to spend the next 30 years in is perfect for them and their family,” Kyros says. 

Despite the hurdles people foresee during the home building process, 59 per cent tried and tested home builders are likely to do it again, proving a little bit of education and experience goes a long way.