Did your Christmas spending get out of hand this year? You are not alone! According to a recent news report, our 2018 Christmas spending binge is expected to leave us with a $29.7 billion credit card debt – that's equivalent to $1,863 per credit card! The good news is that mortgage and finance brokers don't [...]
November is an exciting month as the Spring Racing Carnival kicks into high-gear and we begin the countdown to Christmas. It's an exciting time for property buyers too, as auction clearance rates continue to slide, and sellers struggle to get their price in the spring property market. Interest Rate News At its November Melbourne Cup [...]
Building your own home gives you the freedom to design it exactly to your taste, from the ground up. And if you're a first home owner, there may be some useful government incentives available to help get your project off the ground. Here's what you need to know about building your own home and choosing [...]
Since the lenders cracked down on popular options like interest-only loans, finding creative finance strategies for growing your property investment portfolio has become more important than ever. As an investor, how you set up your finances can have a huge impact on the success of your property portfolio. In this article, we share a few [...]
As expected, the RBA kept the official cash rate on hold again at its November Melbourne Cup Day meeting. Forecasters are predicting no rate rises until late 2020 and don't rule out the next move being a rate cut, considering declining home prices. However, despite auction clearance rates falling below 50% in most markets during [...]
With home values and auction clearance rates softening in our spring property markets, buyers will have the upper hand when it comes to negotiating on price. So, it's a good idea to arm yourself with some sharp bargaining tactics before diving in. Nobody wants to pay more than the current market value for a home. [...]
The last weekend in September was a little quiet in our property markets, as buyers took time off to watch the AFL and NFL Grand Finals. We hope your team won and you're now back on the open inspection circuit – there are plenty of bargains up for grabs in our spring property market and [...]
As expected, the RBA kept the official cash rate on hold for the 25th month in a row at its October meeting. During September, a number of lenders made out-of-cycle rate rises to account for their increasing borrowing costs, so we expect home loan interest rates to remain relatively stable for the time being. Forecasters [...]
The Reserve Bank of Australia announced on Tuesday that the cash rate is on hold at 1.5%. Property market conditions continued to turn in favour of buyers last month. Home value movements have stalled, auction clearance rates have dropped, and properties are on the market longer. With interest rates remaining low, now is the time [...]
Loan refinancing is a strategy used by property investors to access funds - usually to grow or improve the value of their property portfolio. The right time to do it largely depends on your strategy, plans and equity. In this article, we highlight some of the key considerations for this strategy and how savvy investors [...]
