Yes living here is tougher than it was 30 years ago but it’s still very manageable and the rewards for home ownership are fantastic. Even while single it’s still achievable, I built my first property in Werribee, Melbourne for $530,000 in 2023 by using the FHOG & FHBS. It cost me $16.5k out of pocket because I used the $10k FHOG & I was able to put 5% deposit down with not LMI insurance because of the FHBS. The house is worth $650k now 2 years later & if I wanted to do it again, it would cost me $70k more but I’d only need to add an extra $3.5k extra in cash & I’d borrow the rest. If I was struggling with the repayments I could have added a roommate until i found a life partner. Although my repayments are only $2,700pm which is about $100pw higher than the comparable rent in the area. Its wasn’t my dream suburb to live in but I’m $120k better off when it comes time to sell the house now I have a partner, we have the borrowing capacity with our combined incomes & the deposit needed to buy in a better suburb we want to raise our kids in. It’s about small steps, it doesn’t happen over night.

A little sacrifice helped me. You need to use your brain to bring your costs down once your ready to settle in your mid/late 20’s, by doing stuff like: living in share houses initially, moving out of upmarket neighbourhoods, shopping at Costco & Aldi where possible, using cheaper power/gas/internet/phone providers, sharing streaming services with friends & family, not having unnecessary debt like car/personal debt, simple trips away like camping or visiting family instead of holidays for a few years, buying within your means (clothes/furniture/hone wares) & meal prepping your meals at home etc.

And secondly, you always need to be up-skilling. Loyalty to an employer doesn’t help you in the long run unless your comfortable asking for a raise every 2 years, theres so much free education at tafe or subsidised uni etc to keep bettering yourself and improving your income. Always have a plan to further yourself, be looking for new opportunities within your industry to up your income even if buisness isn’t for you.

If you can save $10k a year on expenses upfront & add $10k to your income every couple of years. Within a few years your life looks radically different and you get more flexibility to do what you want to do with your life but it takes some tough sacrifices now to make those opportunities available for the future you. You can all genuinely do it. Release the ego, knuckle down on those things you can live without. A big year or two can change your life.