NewsWire/ Tertius Pickard Credit: News Corp AustraliaA mass exodus from both first-home buyers and investors alike has led to the biggest quarterly fall in mortgage demand since the Covid pandemic. First-home buyers hit hardestMr James said rising interest rates and the federal government’s 5 per cent deposit scheme made it harder for first-home buyers to get into the market. Camera Icon It’s not easy for first-home buyers to enter the market. Adding to first-home buyers’ woes are changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax announced in May’s federal budget. He said a combination of rising interest rates and government policies had hurt first-home buyers’ capacity to get into the property market.