The majority of Wellingtonians don't think they could afford a house, despite price drop

The majority of Wellingtonians don't think they could afford to buy. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The majority of New Zealanders don't think they could afford to buy a house, and people living in Wellington are even more sure.

New data from One Roof has revealed more than half of the 1000 people surveyed don't believe they could buy, and the feeling is most prevalent among Wellingtonians with 69 per cent agreeing house prices are much too high.

Young people and families with children were also strong believers that housing is unaffordable, but those over the age of 60 said they believe the price of housing is "about right".

Sixty-five per cent of Wellingtonians said they did not think they could afford a home but people in Southland, and couples who have dual incomes and no children feel like they're in with a good chance of purchasing a property.

The majority of people also think applying and being approved for a home loan is too hard – 73 per cent and close to 80 per cent believe house prices are too high.

This is despite the largest quarterly drop in house values in more than a decade with CoreLogic's latest data showing property values are on the downturn across the country, with Wellington recording a 0.8 per cent drop in the last month.

The One Roof data shows despite the market softening in recent weeks, little has changed in the perception of house prices – especially in Wellington and Auckland.

Just a quarter of those surveyed said they felt confident buying a home.