Almost anyone can buy a house within four years. Yes, really.

Attitude counts for a lot in the property game, say the experts. Susan Edmunds reports.

Ever scan the ads listing for houses for sale, look at your bank account and despair? Don’t, says one mortgage broker. Almost anyone can buy a house within four years, if they are prepared to put in the work.

Callan Wayne-Bowles, of the Home Loan Shop, said too many people gave up on the idea of owning their own homes without ever really trying.

He said anyone who had an income could get a deposit together in four years, even if they had no existing savings.

All they would have to do would be to put 8 per cent of their income into KiwiSaver, he said.

With employer contributions as well, they would be contributing 11 per cent in total a year.

After four years, they would have a deposit equal to 10 per cent of the purchase price of a house that was roughly five times their gross income.

If a couple was earning $50,000 each, they could save $44,000 between them, giving them a 10 per cent deposit on a $440,000 home. While Auckland buyers might be restricted to apartments in that price range, there are properties available in that price bracket in other parts of the country – and many young buyers in Auckland are earning a lot more than $50,000 each.

The earlier in their careers they could start saving 8 per cent, the less painful it would be, he said.

People who had been working for a long time and were used to getting a certain amount in their bank accounts each month would find the increased savings more painful than people who were just getting started and yet to get stuck into a set budget.

Wayne-Bowles said there was a misconception that it was impossible to get on to the property ladder.

‘‘Then many young Kiwis go and spend all their money on consumables,’’ he said.

‘‘If people set realistic expectations of what a first-home budget is, then this is well achievable for most New Zealanders, if they get their priorities right.

‘‘KiwiSaver is a great tool to help people who struggle to save otherwise. A lot of people say buying a house is unachievable but they are actually definitely capable and could have a reasonable standard of living if they better managed their money.

‘‘People think it’s too hard and it’s not based on it actually being hard or their priorities, it’s just their awareness.’’

Many people had a relaxed attitude to saving, he said. ‘‘What most people lack is the financial literacy to know how to make it happen.’’

Financial adviser Hannah McQueen agreed home ownership was not out of reach, as long as buyers had a plan.

‘‘For a lot of people it’s the first time they have ever put any really sustained effort into doing anything financial-related.’’

She said it would help if firsthome buyers realised they were not buying somewhere to live forever – just a stepping stone to their next property.

McQueen said sometimes it would make sense to buy a property to rent out rather than to live in – although new Reserve Bank restrictions clamping down on low-deposit lending to investors will make that much tougher.

Wayne-Bowles agreed some buyers needed to adjust their expectations.

He said while previous generations might have bought a house and done it up, modern buyers were less interested in tackling DIY.

It was common to see people renting a house that was a better quality than they could hope to buy, he said. ‘‘They don’t want to drop their standards.’’