Bo-Kaap residents accuse BKYM of siding with property developer Blok on contested building project. Picture: Henk Kruger/African News Agency (ANA) Expanding finance options for lower- and middle-income buyers, reducing the deposit barrier and supporting developments in areas where young households can realistically live close to work, transport and services would resolve this youth property ownership challenge.
Homeownership by young people in South Africa is some distance away from ideal levels.
The decline from around 40% youth participation in 2014 to 30% in 2025 shows that the market is moving away from younger ownership rather than towards it, says Hayley Ivins-Downes, the Managing Executive of Real Estate at Lightstone Property.
To move closer to the ideal state, she says the country would need better-located affordable supply, broader finance innovation, improved income growth, lower transaction friction, and stronger support for first-time buyers.
“The focus should be on practical access rather than aspiration alone,” Ivins-Downes told "Independent Media Property".
