There’s a common misconception around offset account home loans that making loan repayments more frequently helps to pay off the balance much sooner. We bust that myth and reveal the real secret to harnessing the power of your offset account.
Tariff-triggered cuts to interest rates could be just around the corner, with Australian borrowers the likely winners if they come to fruition.
Every business goes through natural cycles. The start is the most stressful time where money is flying out the door and there’s not much coming back in!
Eventually though, things start to become more established. Cash flow evens out and in doing so, one of the questions you might have is, “I love our office but why are we spending all this money on the lease when we could own it ourselves?”
We all know the stats now. Since 2012, house prices have risen 50% in Melbourne and 70% in Sydney.
So it’s only a matter of time until we have a significant correction right?
Debt recycling is a simple strategy that is underutilised by wealth creators. In this post, I want to explain how it works so you can consider if it’s something you might want to use for yourself.
Read MoreValuations are the bugbear of my existence. An individual’s personal opinion on the value of a property can completely make or break someone’s finance application.
his post will shed some light on how bank valuations work and some of the strategies you can use to get the best result for your property.
I had a question from a prospective client recently who asked, “Why do commercial banks usually only offer 3 year rolling terms as opposed to a 30-year term like a residential home loan?”
Read MoreThey say that purchasing your first property is the most stressful thing you’ll ever do. For those that have done it, I’m sure you’ll attest to this fact. However, in my opinion, your first property doesn’t compare to the eventual upgrade in which you need to sell your current property in order to move into a new one.
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Similar to Australia’s recent 4-0 Ashes victory, it’s fair to say looking back at 2017 that commercial property markets had a good run!
So what’s ahead in 2018? Well, it’s always a bit of fun to make a few predictions at the start of the year and then look back later on to see how they panned out.
Below are my four predictions for what’s install for commercial markets this year…
Since the introduction of APRA regulations in 2015, the overall market has flattened due to tougher lending criteria resulting in borrowing capacities greatly diminishing.
There are no signs these regulations will disappear this year. However, what we have seen during this time, particularly over the last 6 months are smaller lenders, not governed by APRA creating niche policies to capture certain segments of the market.
Read MoreFor the past 4 years money has been cheap.
At the start of this month, the RBA yet again decided to keep the cash rate of 1.5% on hold where it has been for the last 16 months.
The home loan market is constantly changing, with new and attractive deals coming up all the time. Refinancing can help you secure a more competitive interest rate, access the equity in your home, add features (such as an offset account) or consolidate your debts, but there are some important questions to consider before you get the ball rolling.
Read MoreWhen it comes to buying your first home it’s not just about going through the real estate sites, checking open homes and negotiating a price. If you don’t have your finance in place BEFORE you start looking, trouble is bound to follow.
This post will seek to outline the 10 steps involved in the lending and buying process, from the beginning right through to walking into your new home for the very first time...
Recently I had the pleasure of being invited to the Spring 2017 Raine & Horne Commercial Insights event. Hosted by Ray Hadley, the event included a number of brilliant speakers such as Nerida Conisbee from REA, Martin Lakos from Macquarie and Angus Raine, Executive Chairman for Raine & Horne.
Read MoreRight now our population can be divided up into people who have amassed substantial equity and wealth, simply by owning a property over the last several years. And those who feel jaded, bitter and worried about how they will ever crack into the property market.
Read MoreAccording to CoreLogic RP data, right now there are 90,000 apartments under construction in Australia that have been sold off-the-plan. Of those apartments, 18,000 of them were exchanged with a 10% deposit or less which makes me very nervous.
Read MoreIt goes without saying that if you have a home loan, your first goal should be to work on paying that thing off! As such, the way home loans tend to pan out is that you will have minimal savings as all your money is going towards reducing your home loan.
Read MoreFor homeowners across Sydney, the last couple of years have seen some amazing growth. CoreLogic note that the past 12 months have once again seen property prices surge 19% higher over the last 12 months, the highest annual growth rate since 2002.
Read MoreIf you’ve ever looked into setting up an SMSF, you’ll notice that a lot of experts will discount the benefits of one with high fees being the main deterrent.
However, one strategy that no expert will discount is purchasing your office via your super fund. This article will explore some of the advantages of implementing this strategy but also some of the concerns you need to be aware of.
It's a strategy that is becoming increasingly popular every year, using your super fund to purchase an investment property...
There is no doubt that Australians have a love affair with residential property, and after the release of the Core Logic August 2015 Housing Market & Economic Update it seems this affair is getting out of control. Residential real estate across Australia has now ballooned out to $6.0 trillion. This means that residential real estate is now 3 times as large as superannuation!
Read MoreThe vast majority of people that I deal with these days when looking into a home loan are always adamant they need an offset account. They don’t. This blog post is going to set the record straight about this ‘bells and whistles’ loan feature so you can make an informed decision next time you’re reviewing your loan structure.
Read MoreAlthough applying for your first home loan may be the biggest financial decision you’ll make, it doesn’t need to be an overwhelming one. With the right preparation, a realistic understanding of your financial position and the right professional advice, you can position yourself as an attractive first home loan customer and be approved in no time.
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