KiwiSaver: Your Secret Weapon for Home Ownership Artwork

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Welcome to That Home Loan Hub, your ultimate guide to mastering the world of home loans and property. I'm Zebunisso Alimova, here to simplify the complexities of real estate and provide you with expert insights and the latest trends.

Whether you're a first-time homebuyer, an experienced investor, or simply curious about the property market, this podcast is for you. Join me each week as we unlock the secrets to property success and help you make informed decisions. Let's dive into the world of property together!

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KiwiSaver: Your Secret Weapon for Home Ownership

September 12, 2025 • Zebunisso Alimova

0:00 | 6:02

Ready to take the plunge into home ownership? You might be surprised to learn that right now could be your golden opportunity.

Professor Buchanan joins us to unpack why current market conditions are uniquely favourable for first home buyers. Gone are the days of frantic multi-offer scenarios—today's buyers often find themselves with the luxury of time and negotiating power on properties that have been available for months. This breathing room, combined with historically reasonable interest rates (COVID's extraordinarily low rates were truly an anomaly), creates a perfect environment for thoughtful decision-making.

The KiwiSaver scheme emerges as the unsung hero in this conversation. Many potential buyers in their early-to-mid thirties have now accumulated 10-15 years of contributions, resulting in substantial deposits that often reach the coveted 20% threshold. Looking to Australia's more mature superannuation system provides fascinating insight into how these schemes can transform economic landscapes—they're now measuring their super funds in trillions of dollars after a 20-year head start on New Zealand.

We also explore the shifting perspectives on property prices among key market participants. There's growing recognition that while gradual increases might be sustainable, the dramatic fluctuations we've experienced in recent years only fuel speculation rather than stable home ownership. For those wavering on the fence about buying, now might be the ideal time to seek professional advice tailored to your unique circumstances. With employer KiwiSaver contributions set to increase from 3% to 4% next year, the future looks even brighter for prospective buyers.

Curious if this is your moment to enter the property market? Listen in, then reach out—we'd love to help you navigate these favourable conditions and find your path to home ownership.

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Speaker 1 0:10

Hello and welcome back to the Homelon Hub . Today I'm joined by Professor Buchanan . Hello , James .

Speaker 2 0:16

Hello , mike Perreault mortgages .

Speaker 1 0:19

What was

Welcome and Introduction

Speaker 1 0:20

that ? All right , james . What are we talking about today ?

Speaker 2 0:24

Oh well , there's a lot of things to talk about today . Zébénisa but , I , think we could start with , in my opinion , that it is a great situation , great conditions for

Great Conditions for First Home Buyers

Speaker 2 0:36

first home buyers at the moment um , absolutely , we've covered this off with jordan , we've covered it with conch .

Speaker 1 0:43

Give me your angle , okay , what's your ?

Speaker 2 0:45

perspective . They have a particular angle , that it was positive or negative , but I I think it's positive because first-time buyers are able to . They're not being rushed , so they're not often in the situation where there's a multi-offer , so quite often they're the only person offering for a property and it's been on the market for three or four months . They're not moving , depending on what areas you are . A lot of first home buyers have pretty decent deposits because they've been in KiwiSaver for a length , you know 10 , 15 years now , so you can see that coming through and the low interest rates are just really incredible . From a historical point of view , everybody thinks back to COVID . Right , compared to COVID .

Speaker 1 1:44

COVID was an anomaly .

KiwiSaver's Impact on Housing Market

Speaker 1 1:46

Anomaly .

Speaker 2 1:47

Anomaly , anomaly . Hey , I can't believe I got something right and I got it wrong . That's usually the other way around . So , historically speaking , interest rates are just bang on long term , I think .

Speaker 1 2:01

Okay , awesome . So you mentioned something around the KiwiSaver and how people are in a very good position with KiwiSavers and the future of the KiwiSaver . You know how it could benefit .

Speaker 2 2:16

Yeah , it's really interesting because I follow a lot of news in Australia as well as New Zealand , and you can just see how the super scheme the compulsory super scheme that they've got over there has just transformed that whole country . It is an incredibly wealthy country and they've got trillions of dollars and they'll be going for about 20 years longer than us .

Speaker 2 2:39

I think so . They're just that much advanced . But as a mortgage advisor even though ours is not compulsory and it's only 4% I think in Australia it's 10% I'm beginning to see people in their early to mid-30s . They've been in Kiwi Saver 10 , 15 years and you're seeing really good balances and you know that's their deposit . That's getting them in the door . That's almost a 20% deposit in most cases and so , looking ahead 10 , 15 years , if we're still allowed to use our KiwiSaver for deposits , you can see that there's going to be quite a bit more competition from first home buyers in the market because they'll have more money .

Speaker 2 3:30

I don't know if that quite makes sense , but it should create competition in the market for house prices . And we don't know if that quite makes sense , but it should create competition in the market for house prices and we don't necessarily want house prices to go up .

Speaker 1 3:40

I was about to say , but hopefully the price is not going to go too high , right , yeah , yeah .

Speaker 2 3:46

Well , I think there's a lot of things going on at the moment that I think a lot of key participants in the market are beginning to realise that high property prices is not good for us as a country , sort of , you know , slowly . You know , increasing property prices that's fine , but having these ginormous fluctuations in property price it just sort of leads to speculation and that doesn't really help first home buyers or people who can't get into the market that easily .

Speaker 1 4:19

Yeah , exactly , and I think like this is what we've covered in the previous episodes that right now is a perfect time to buy . The interest rates are historically low , excluding

Perfect Time to Buy Recap

Speaker 1 4:29

the anomaly with COVID , and the property price is not too high and hopefully they will just remain flat for a little bit while the economy recovers . And if you are on that edge of should I buy , should I not buy , you know absolutely . Come talk to us right . You will confidently guide them whether that's a good time for them to buy or not .

Speaker 2 4:50

Absolutely , and everybody's going to have a different situation . So it's definitely a good time to come and talk to us and get the ball rolling , because I'm dealing with clients . It's just going to take a few more months to get them sorted .

Speaker 1 5:04

Yeah , and I would love to explore this with you at the next episode , and I think it's really important to dive into those cases and show them how the right now , the conditions right now , are the perfect for the first time buyers .

Speaker 2 5:17

Absolutely .

Speaker 1 5:18

Well , thank you . Let's do a quick recap . Basically , if you've got a KiwiSaver , fantastic , keep it growing . If you're looking to join a KiwiSaver , if you're fresh to the country or fresh to the employment or

KiwiSaver Benefits and Conclusion

Speaker 1 5:30

freshly turned 18 , you know , absolutely join a KiwiSaver , because next year , I believe , the KiwiSaver compulsory contributions from the employer are also going up and you know the employer will have to do 4% versus 3% now , and fantastic news for those that are working and getting extra money into their KiwiSavers . So awesome , james , thank you so much and talk soon .

Speaker 2 5:51

Absolutely Bye , bye .

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