More than a third of Australians plan to buy a property over the next two years despite worries over rising interest rates a new survey had shown.

The Mortgage Choice Consumer Sentiment Survey also found that more than two in five plan on buying an investment property. More than half (57%) believe the recent global financial crisis had made investing in property seem safer than shares.

"As we all know now, the Australian housing market has emerged from the financial crises relatively unscathed compared to its global counterparts," said Mortgage Choice senior corporate affairs manager Kristy Sheppard. "This is probably part of the reason why 64% of respondents believe house prices will rise in the period to November 2010,"

Consumers also expect further rates rises, with 27% predicting a rise of 0.5% and 1% between now and June 2010, and a further 26% predicting a rise of between 1% and 1.5% in the same period.

However, the prospect of more rate rises hasn't fazed borrowers, with nearly half of Australian mortgage holders confident they could comfortably make repayments at an interest rate of over 11%.

While confidence remains high, consumers are taking a more cautious approach to their spending budgets, with 58% of mortgage holders planning to review their spending and 55% planning to review their mortgages.

 "Since the global financial crisis hit home, more borrowers are taking ownership over their financial situation and although many see rates as concerning, a high percentage are prepared for rate rises of at least five percentage points, which is much higher than being predicted for the next couple of years. This suggests many borrowers can comfortably repay their home sooner, if they put their mind and budget to it," said Sheppard.

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