Couple pool savings but it's still not enough

Photo / Chris Gorman

Alyssa Longville says it'd be impossible to buy a home in Auckland without the help of her fiance, Callum Carter.

The couple, both 22, are struggling to find a three-bedroom house with a garage and backyard within their $450,000 price range. They have moved back in with Miss Longville's parents in Kumeu and delayed their wedding while they search and save.

Despite having a pre-approved home loan of 6.6 per cent and a deposit of about $30,000, the couple's six-month search has proved fruitless.

"We've been forced to look in west Auckland because the prices everywhere else are so expensive," Miss Longville said.

They are among thousands not able to access a Kiwisaver fist-home subsidy because they are looking at properties above the $400,000 cap - but anything below that wasn't worth looking at, she said.

The production assistant earns $41,000 a year, while Mr Carter earns $56,000 as a refrigeration technician. They each bank $300 a week and hope they'll have enough to secure a home by the end of the year. But she said potential restrictions on home loans, making it harder to get a mortgage with a deposit of less than 20 per cent, would delay their dream.