Roof tilers, dentists, IT, engineers have best chance to buy Melbourne home, nurses, teachers, creative arts worst | Finder

The careers most likely to help you into Melbourne’s pricey property market, and the ones that might cost you your home dream, have been revealed. See how yours or your kids’ compares.

Roof tiler Ben Arias has been on good money in his trade that has helped him in the property market buying a house. Wednesday, June 19. 24. Picture: David Crosling

Roof tilers have emerged as the surprise career that could be a fast track onto the property ladder.

But the wrong job could potentially add 17 years to the time needed to save a deposit for the city’s typical home.

The data from Finder reveals dentists, IT professionals and engineers have the quickest path to homeownership, with wages ramping up speedily enough to get them a six-figure deposit in 25 years — though roof tilers weren’t far behind at just 26 years.

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But a job in nursing, which with usual wage growth would take 35 years to save up, could make getting a foot on the property ladder far harder.

The same goes for a gig in communications, 36 years, sign-writing and painting, 40 years, and the creative arts, 41 years.

Timelines have been calculated for saving a 20 per cent deposit for today’s $921,000 median Melbourne house price, but factor in price growth in line with the city’s 10-year average growth.

They also factor in typical incomes for each career collected from government surveys by Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching, estimates of future wage growth, the time spent studying or in an apprenticeship, and calculated money left for savings after paying rent and other costs of living.

Finder head of consumer research Graham Cooke said the bottom rung of the housing ladder was higher up than it ever had been, and as prices continued to rise more people’s career path choices could mean they miss out on the great Australian home dream.

“Your career is your income, and that can make the biggest difference to your lifestyle and your home,” Mr Cooke said.

Australian Roof Tilers Association chief executive Cathy Inglis said the trade’s surprising position in the rankings would be down to it taking as little as two years to become competent enough to earn an $85,000 wage.

“And with the amount of roofs that have had to be done after storms, many have gone from project homes into insurance markets where they can get much better pay,” Ms Inglis said.

Roof tiler Ben Arias has turned a career as a roof tiler into a way to boost his prospects of putting a roof over his own head. Picture: David Crosling.

Ben Arias finished his apprenticeship as a roof tiler at age 19, when many young Victorians are just getting started at university, and was earning a then solid wage of about $1000 a week.

It then took him just seven years working as a subcontractor to buy his first home at 26 years old.

Now 34 and running his own business, Benny’s Roof Tiling Services, he’s earning a reliable six-figure income and already most of the way through the mortgage on his second place after upgrading three years on from his initial purchase.

“It can be a high risk job … and you do work hard,” Mr Arias said.

“But it’s easy to get started and there’s not a lot of overheads.”

But he warned the good pay came from few people wanting to do the job, due to the risks of working at height and constantly being outdoors whether it was hot or cold.

“I don’t mind it, but spring is probably the best time of year to be on the roof,” he said.

On the other side of the coin, essential careers such as teachers and nurses could spend long periods trying to save for a home — which Mr Cooke warned policy makers might need to consider.

“This could make it more difficult for hospitals to get nurses and schools to get teachers,” Mr Cooke warned.

Finder head of consumer research Graham Cooke believes a growing number of young Victorians who choose lower-paid careers could need parental help to get a house.

He said looking for a $500,000 house could help, with a nurse likely to spend just 18 years saving for such a residence. Or, with lower growth expected, a deposit for a $500,000 unit could be saved in just 16 years.

Real Estate Institute of Victoria president Jacob Caine, a former opera singer who turned to real estate to pay the bills, said the data showed some of the most critical careers needed their wages increased — and that there was a risk to community diversity as young people chose between a career they loved and what would keep a roof over their head.

“When they are thinking about going to university, they will be thinking what that career will mean for them — and future housing will absolutely be having an impact,” Mr Caine said.

While data on sales careers like real estate is difficult to track, the Finder research showed his former vocation in the creative arts, where an entry level job would pay about $52,000 today, had the bleakest outcome for those hoping to get a home.

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