How to make your tax return work for you
Seasoned property investors know that this time of year presents a golden opportunity. While everyone else may dread tax time, savvy investors know they have a chance to expand their property portfolio, or at least maximise its efficiency. The right or wrong decisions can mean thousands of dollars in difference right now, the effects of […]
How you can use your SMSF to buy property.
Economic downturns such as the GFC in 2008 taught a lot of Australians to be more engaged with their future. This was because the superannuation they took for granted suddenly started losing money. How could this be? Who was responsible? Just those questions made people realise they had no real idea what was happening with […]
Different home loan types explained
These days, there is an almost never-ending array of loan products to choose from, and scores of lenders to provide them. And it’s just as well, because more borrowers than ever before are refinancing in order to get a better deal or a structure that suits them better. In fact, the latest data from […]
How to refinance effectively
A decade of falling or steady interest rates had borrowers nice and comfortable, but the last 10 months have woken everyone up to the need to pay attention to their loans and make sure they’re on the best deals. Lenders have happily passed on each of the RBA’s rate rises, meaning everyone is paying […]
How inflation affects your mortgage
Inflation has been running rampant over the past year and the government and RBA are pulling their hair out trying to get it under control. The most recent inflation rate was recorded at 7.3%, up from the previous rate of 6.1%. It is now at the highest point it has been in Australia since 1990. […]
What is LVR and why is it important?
Banks need a buffer to safeguard their investments when they lend money to home buyers. That buffer is your home deposit. As a general rule, banks like borrowers to have a deposit worth 20% of the price of the property. This then means your Loan to Value Ratio (LVR) is 80%. If the bank lends […]
What’s in Store for the Lending Market in 2023
There are three certainties in life…death, taxes and major banks reporting record profit just about every quarter. But as borrowing becomes tougher for owner-occupiers and investors, lending is also more challenging and if banks want to keep those profits coming, they need to offer deals and features that will set them apart from the ever-growing […]
Get Financially Fit
If you are looking at investing or buying an owner-occupier home in the new year, you will face the tightest lending conditions in recent memory. Borrowing power has plummeted for average Aussies over the past 9 months as interest rates have gone up and up. Rising inflation has also seen day to day costs soar, […]
How can you save thousands on your home loan
Eight straight rate rises from the RBA, all passed on by lenders, mean that most Aussie borrowers are now paying hundreds of dollars extra a month on their mortgages. This adds up to thousands of dollars a year and tens of thousands for some people. While people are figuring out where to find all that […]
Updates to First Home Buyers Grants/Schemes
November will mark 6 months since Labor came to power in the federal election. Labor’s campaign saw them promise a ‘Help to Buy’ scheme, where the government would co-purchase up to 40% of the cost of a new home, or 30% of an established home. The plan aimed to help middle to low income and […]
