Retirees keen to remain home rather than downsize

12 October 2020

Almost three quarters of older Australians wish to remain in their own home when they retire, contrary to expectations they will downsize, according to Household Capital.

The firm’s latest Retirement Outcomes survey found 73% of Australians over 60 wished to stay in their own home but confidence in having enough funds to do so was low.

Only a quarter of respondents said they felt ‘very confident’ that they would have sufficient funds to live well in retirement.

They indicated a median home value which was 4.5 times the value of their superannuation, rising to 6.2 times for residents in Sydney.

Some 67% of retirees owned their home outright and one in eight people had a mortgage.

While they were cautious over their retirement, few were keen to access their superannuation early with just 0.4% of those over 60 saying they would do so. This was because they wanted to minimise any negative impact in the face of low equity yields.

Dr Joshua Funder, chief executive of Household Capital, said: “Most older Australians wish to remain in their home throughout retirement, but 74% are not confident they have adequate retirement funding and no one wants to access their super prematurely.

“Older Australians are among the wealthiest in the world. They have been great investors and savers, diligently accumulating capital in their home. And almost everyone is aware of the role home equity can play in helping to fund their retirement.”