No Place Like Home

AI is becoming a new starting point for financial learning

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming a mainstream source of financial information for Australians, with over a quarter of Australians (27 per cent) saying they use AI platforms to help inform their financial decisions. Australians that use AI for financial advice say their main reasons for doing so are speed (40 per cent), perceived cost-efficiency (38 per cent), and convenience (36 per cent).

This shift towards AI platforms over conventional methods is being led by younger generations. Our research shows that more than one in three Gen Z (38 per cent) say they use AI platforms for financial information, followed in close proximity by millennials (34 per cent). Usage drops significantly among older Australians, with 15 per cent of Gen X and just five per cent of baby boomers reporting the same.

This generational divide suggests AI is emerging as a new entry point for financial learning, particularly for younger Australians who are more comfortable exploring digital tools when researching financial decisions.

Human advice still holds the key

Our findings show that while AI platforms continue to gain traction, human advice remains the most trusted and valued source of guidance for Australians making significant financial decisions.

Despite more Australians turning to AI platforms for advice over the last 12 months, 69 per cent of Australians consider the advice from mortgage brokers, financial advisers and banks to be more valuable than the advice from AI.

Ultimately, 56 per cent of Australians say they are most likely to seek advice from a financial adviser, followed by:

• Family or friends (30 per cent)
• Artificial Intelligence (10 per cent)
• Finfluencers (3 per cent)

The findings make it clear: while AI offers convenience, human expertise continues to be essential for long-term financial decision-making. So, wherever Australians are on their homeownership journey, we’re committed to providing the expert advice, support, and resources they need to own their homes.

Younger Australians are keeping it clever

Across the board, younger Australians are not just changing where they get advice, they’re also changing how they pursue homeownership and considering all the pathways available to them.

Rentvesting – a property strategy where you live in a rented home in your desired location while owning an investment property elsewhere, typically in a more affordable area – remains a niche strategy but is becoming more mainstream, especially among younger Australians.

Gen Z are 50 per cent more likely to consider rentvesting than the average Australian (21 per cent versus 14 per cent). This emerging trend highlights how younger generations are adapting to today’s dynamic property market.

For this younger cohort, their motivations for considering this strategy include:

• Wanting to generate rental income (36 per cent)
• Wanting to get into the market sooner (22 per cent)
• Seeing it as a lower risk option than buying a home to live in (17 per cent)

While market conditions are changing traditional pathways to homeownership, here we’re seeing that younger Australians are fuelled by ambition and adaptability. They’re getting strategic and becoming more flexible to make their goals a reality.

Death of the auction

As the property market becomes more competitive, buyers are interested in finding more controlled, transparent buying pathways. The traditional auction process is often unappealing to Australian homebuyers, with only one in ten feeling comfortable buying a home at auction – a confidence that strengthens with youth.

Of Australians that feel comfortable at an auction, almost one third (31 per cent) said they believed this method might get them a better price and more control (27 per cent) over the outcome.

The research shows us that Australians feel most comfortable purchasing a home when the process is guided, rather than fast and competitive. In fact, over 40 per cent of Australians (42 per cent) said their preferred way of buying a home is a private sale via a real estate agent, followed by 35 per cent who prefer working with a mortgage broker, and 27 per cent who would rather deal directly with the property owner.

Investment property ambitions are on the rise

Now in our third iteration of the ‘Clever’ phase, we’re able to map Australia’s changing habits and aspirations year-on-year. A key theme we are seeing is the rise of investment property ambitions, with more than one in three Australians planning to purchase one within the next three years.

This shift reflects growing confidence in the property market. In 2024, only 24 per cent of Australians were considering an investment property, rising to 27 per cent in 2025. By 2026, that figure increased to 38 per cent, indicating a significant upward trend in investment property aspirations.

As more Australians look to build wealth through property, the desire for long-term financial security continues to drive interest in real estate investment. With a growing number of people seeing property as a stable investment, the market is likely to see continued interest in rental properties in the years ahead – and we’re here to help with information, support and lending.