AUSTRALIA'S largest mortgage broker says buyers are rapidly deserting the housing market as interest rates creep up, after its sales last month plunged to a five-year low.

As a parent of three 20-year-olds, I am not surprised to read that children are staying at home longer than ever, but question whether the incentive is to save for their first home ("More first-home buyers rely on parents' help", December 26-27). Anecdotal evidence suggests the motive is not to..read more

The lack of choice available to first-home buyers is dismaying ("Crying poor? Count your rooms and houses, and think again", December 16).

AUSTRALIAN house prices are likely to boom for at least three years following a record month for auctions and sales of nearly $1 billion yesterday, according to a leading economic forecaster.

THE supersized first-home owners grant has become more of a deterrent than an incentive for buyers looking to enter the market in the next 12 months, according to a new survey.