Housing affordability plummets in June quarter

The index declined 7.9 per cent in the quarter with the Auckland region leading the way with an 11.2 per cent decline.

The annual decline in affordability was 8.5 per cent - the eighth consecutive fall in affordability in that series.

AMP said the drop was mainly due to rising home prices. The median price of a home rose 7.4 per cent to $248,000 in the June quarter.

A 1.5 per cent lift in average weekly earnings, was insufficient to offset the rise in house prices and interest rates.

Twice during the quarter the Reserve Bank hiked the Official Cash Rate by quarter of a percentage point. Retail banks hiked mortgage rates commensurately.

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