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If you’re a nurse looking for help with purchasing your first home, refinancing, upgrading your home, or buying an investment property, then you’re in the right place
Property prices are predicted to dip: 5 ways you can prepare to buy
Property prices are predicted to fall over the coming year, but it’s always hard to know exactly when they’re going to start trending back up again. So if you’re interested in taking advantage of the dip, it could pay to start preparing now. Earlier this year, Domain’s ...
Could an eco reno boost your property’s value?
You’ve probably heard that interest rates are on the rise and national property prices are on the way back down. Here’s how you can kill two birds with one stone: by refinancing to unlock equity and giving your home an energy-efficient makeover at the same time. Did you...
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Why you might want to refinance sooner rather than later
Thinking about refinancing? As interest rates rise, so do the hurdles you need to clear. Here’s why you might want to look at refinancing soon to avoid potentially missing out. When was the last time you refinanced? If the answer is “never”, or you can’t actually rememb...
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Interest rates to keep climbing as RBA hikes cash rate to 1.85%
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has increased the official cash rate by another 50 basis points to 1.85%. Here’s how to hang in there and keep up with all these monthly cash rate hikes. Another month, another RBA cash rate hike – that’s four months in a row now! It’...
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Keep calm and carry on: 5 ways you can absorb interest rate rises
We’ve seen interest rates bounce back up over the past three months, and most economists are predicting more increases to come. If you’re starting to worry about your finances, rest assured there are several steps you can take now to get on the front foot. The days of u...
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Renovate or invest? How 7-in-10 Aussies are using their equity
Seven in 10 homeowners have recently used the equity in their home to renovate, invest in property or shares, or boost their superannuation. Have you thought about how you could take advantage of last year’s property price spike? You might have heard that property price...
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The tax on luxury cars just got a little cheaper
Got your eye on a luxury car that’ll make your mates jealous? Or perhaps something that’s a little more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly? Today we’ll run you through a new tax change that could help you buy something a little more la-de-da. Have you heard abo...
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Single and under 30? You’re a great fit for the 5% deposit scheme
Single Australians under 30 snare the lion’s share of spots in the federal government’s 5% deposit first home buyer scheme, according to new data. Here’s how to secure one of the highly coveted 35,000 scheme spots released on July 1. Long gone are the days when you had ...
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RBA lifts cash rate for the third month in a row to 1.35%
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has increased the official cash rate by another 50 basis points to 1.35% amid continuing inflation pressures. How much will this third consecutive rate hike increase your monthly mortgage repayments? At the beginning of May, the cash ...
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Financial hardship arrangement reporting is about to change
With interest rates on the way back up, there’s no doubt some households around the country are starting to do it a bit tough. Coincidentally, some big changes kick in on July 1 when it comes to recording financial hardship arrangements. In the past, if you were unable ...
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Want a first home buyer scheme spot? Here’s how to get the inside lane
We’re just days away from 35,000 first home buyer scheme spots becoming available on July 1. If you’re keen to snare a place in the scheme – and buy your first home sooner – here’s how to get ahead of the pack. Have you heard about the federal government’s Home Guarante...
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No more Mr Nice Guy: the ATO wants its money
Tax time is just around the corner and the ATO has sent out a warning to businesses around the country that owe it money: the COVID-19 moratorium on debt collection has come to an end. Rest assured though, you’ve got some options. During the early days of the pandemic, ...
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Refinancing numbers are surging across the country, here’s why
Rising interest rates got you feeling a little vulnerable? It might be time to take some control back by refinancing or asking for a rate review. Here’s why we’re seeing refinancing numbers surge across the country. In just two months we’ve seen the Reserve Bank of Aust...
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RBA increases cash rate for second consecutive month, to 0.85%
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has increased the official cash rate by 50 basis points to 0.85%. How much extra should you expect to pay on your home loan? Today’s cash rate hike is the second in as many months, with the RBA last month increasing the official cash ...
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Banks tighten lending, reducing the maximum you can borrow
Some of Australia’s biggest banks have tightened their mortgage lending criteria, meaning you might not be able to borrow as much from them. How might this affect your next purchase? This week ANZ lowered a key lending cap, indicating it will no longer lend to borrowers...
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ATO hit list: rental property income and capital gains
Property investors beware: the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has revealed the four key areas it will be targeting this tax year, and rental property income/deductions and capital gains are high on the hit list. Tax office Assistant Commissioner Tim Loh says this tax ...
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The two major parties’ first home buyer policies explained
Housing affordability is one of the key battlegrounds ahead of the federal election this Saturday. So what is each of the two major parties proposing to help first home buyers crack the market? Let’s take a look. Now, before we get into the nitty-gritty, we’d like to st...
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Ready for lift-off: how to prepare a buffer for more rate rises
Rate rises are a bit like taking off in a plane. Sure, it’s a bit nervy, but so long as you’ve run through your pre-flight check, have a well-serviced aircraft, built-in some contingencies (a buffer!), and have a handy co-pilot (us!), you should reach your destination n...
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RBA increases cash rate to 0.35% amid high inflation concerns
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has increased the official cash rate by 25 basis points to 0.35% amid high inflation concerns and has signalled more cash rate increases will likely follow. This is the first RBA cash rate hike since November 2010, and the first time ...
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Brace yourselves: a May rate hike might be coming next week
The chances of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) lifting the official cash rate on Tuesday just increased dramatically after figures showed the cost of living jumped 5.1% over the past year – the highest annual increase in more than 20 years. Economists around the cou...
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Attention first home buyers! Price caps increase for 5% deposit scheme
First home buyers with a deposit of just 5% will soon have more purchasing power thanks to an increase in property price caps for the highly popular Home Guarantee Scheme. Most capital cities will get a $100,000 boost to their property price cap from July 1, while regio...
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How to avoid becoming a victim of underquoting
It’s the hope that kills you. Just ask Carlton fans, NSW Blues supporters, Wallabies sufferers, and hopeful homebuyers who have fallen victim to underquoting. Obviously, you can’t change your footy team, but you can follow these tips to avoid the sketchy real estate pra...
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What the!? Tesla came third on the new vehicles sold list?
Car enthusiasts around the nation got a bit of a shock this week when the Tesla Model 3 rocketed up the sales leaderboard to place third for all new vehicles sold in March. How did that happen? You might have seen an article by us a few weeks back about the sales of ele...
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How to save a first home deposit in just over a year
It’s taking young couples roughly five years on average to save for a 20% home loan deposit, according to new research. Want to hear something crazy, though? We know how to quarter that timeframe… Real talk: it’s never been tougher to save up a deposit for your first ho...
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Budget winners: first home buyers, regional buyers, single parents
First home buyers, regional buyers and single parents keen to crack the property market are the big winners in this year’s federal budget – with 50,000 low deposit, no LMI scheme spots up for grabs. Want to buy your first home with just a 5% deposit and pay no lenders’...
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How much have car prices gone up since the pandemic began?
Most of you would have noticed that car prices have gone up significantly over the past two years. But how much have they gone up exactly? Let’s take a look. You’re not imagining things – both new and used vehicle prices have spiked over the past two years (not to menti...
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16 ways the government should tackle housing affordability: report
Think property prices have gone a little bonkers? You’re not the only one. Which is why a report with 16 recommendations to tackle housing affordability has just been plonked on pollies’ desks in Canberra. Today we’ll run through them for you (succinctly, we promise). Y...
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What’s your debt-to-income ratio? And why do lenders care about it?
New data from the lending watchdog reveals almost one in four new mortgages are risky. How are they deemed risky? Well, it’s got something to do with your debt-to-income ratio, which we’ll explain in this week’s article. Your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio might sound compl...
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Flood victims can defer loan repayments for up to 3 months
Home and business owners impacted by the floods in New South Wales and Queensland can apply to their lender for a three-month loan deferral or reduced payment arrangement. Here’s how to apply if you or someone you know has been impacted. Another year, another disaster. ...
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Which two capital cities might have just hit their property price peak?
It’s a three-speed property market across the country right now, with two capital cities showing signs prices might’ve peaked, three cities looking like they could soon peak, and three still going strong. How is the market performing in your neck of the woods? While nat...
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Thought about buying an EV? Interest rates for them are dropping
It wasn’t long ago that the idea of buying an electric vehicle (EV) seemed like a bit of futuristic science-fiction. But with interest rates on EV loans recently dropping to under 3%, going electric is now more in the realms of an everyday, mundane, household budget dec...
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Where are tradies most in demand at the moment?
Keen to tackle a renovation project in 2022? You might have noticed that tradies are hard to pin down at the moment. So if you live in one of the suburbs in this week’s article, you might want to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later…...
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Fixed rates on the rise, as CommBank tips a June cash rate hike
Hold onto your hats, things are about to get a little bumpy. Economists from Australia’s biggest bank are predicting the Reserve Bank will raise the official cash rate as early as June – and we’re already seeing fixed interest rates increase significantly. Commonwealth ...
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Why are houses becoming so much more expensive to build?
Construction costs just rose at the fastest annual pace since 2005. So why is it getting so expensive to build your own home? Today we’ll look at the materials that are becoming more expensive and why all homeowners should take note – not just renovators and builders. “...
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Which cities are expected to have the biggest price growth in 2022?
National property prices are predicted to rise by up to 9% in 2022, according to REA Group, but which cities are tipped to lead the way in price growth this year? Let’s take a look. National housing values grew a whopping 22.1% in 2021, and while things are expected to ...
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Your suburb’s 2021 property report card is in
With all the talk of record-breaking property growth throughout 2021, do you know how exactly your suburb and property type performed? Today we’ll show you how to find out in just a few clicks. You’ve probably heard all the talk of national housing values soaring in 202...
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Borrowing soars: average loan up almost $100,000 in 12 months
How much do you need to borrow to buy a typical Australian home these days? Well, the average loan size has increased dramatically over the past year – up almost $100,000. The national average loan size for owner-occupier dwellings rose to an all-time high of $596,000 i...
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Homeowners nearly four years ahead on their mortgage repayments
Australian homeowners are loading up their offset accounts in record amounts, so much so that the average household is now almost four years ahead on their mortgage payments. Quick question: do you have an offset account (or several) attached to your mortgage? They’ve b...
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Up to 4,600 first home buyer guarantees back up for grabs
Want to buy your first home with a deposit of just 5% and pay no lenders’ mortgage insurance? You could be in luck – the federal government will soon reissue up to 4,651 unused Home Guarantee Scheme spots. First home buyers who use the Home Guarantee Scheme fast track t...
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FOMO factor: more Aussies looking to buy with mates or siblings
Ever thought about buying a property with a friend or family member? You’re not the only one. The rising cost of property and FOMO has led to more than a quarter of Australians considering buying a property with a ‘non-traditional’ partner. Most of us long for a place t...
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First Home Buyer Newsletter
Hope you are doing well?Testing times for many of you around the country and we will be looking forward to getting to this 70% (or 80%) vaccination rate.If this is your first email from us – Welcome!Our previous email may be found in our blog on our website.A resp...
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First Home Buyer Newsletter
If this is your first newsletter from us then a very warm welcome to you.You are receiving this as you have recently downloaded our webinar for first home buyers or contacted us directly.Today I want to cover only the Federal Government Schemes, all released on 1st ...
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Which capital cities have performed best over the past 20 years?
Sydney? Melbourne? Perth? Find out which of Australia’s capital cities have performed best in the property market over the past two decades. We all love to back a winner. Some of us painstakingly pore over the most minute details, others tend to just go with their gut. ...
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Do you shop with Afterpay? Read this
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Would your accounts squeeze through the tighter lending test?
It’s one thing to be ready to pay off a mortgage. It’s entirely another to convince lenders that you’re ready to do so, especially in the current environment of tighter lending standards. Here’s how to climb your way through the process. You may have seen in the news re...
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5 Common Credit Card Traps
Credit card providers love to use all kinds of incentives to get you to put that shiny piece of plastic into your wallet, ripe for usage at your weaker moments. Here’s how to avoid getting snared in credit card debt. Most humans love to spend. It’s a scientific fact.&nb...
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What is debt recycling?
We all know that recycling is great for the environment. But debt recycling? Well, if done right, that could be great for your own little patch of planet earth. There are three things that many Aussie property owners wish they could do: make their debt tax deductible, p...
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Rentvesting: have your cake and eat it too
Most Australians grow up with the dream of buying and living in their own home. But, given the difficulty of cracking into the market in trendy locations, another option has emerged. So what is rentvesting? Put simply, rentvesting is the increasingly popular practice of...
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How we contribute to the Great Australian Dream
We’re pretty proud of the work we do. Every day we get to help Aussie families secure finance for the home of their dreams and set up their financial future. Here’s why we’ll always put you first. You may have seen news reports in recent times regarding the lending prac...
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Don't blow it. Make the most of your tax refund
Most Australians receive a tax refund, but not all spend it wisely. Here’s how to make the most of your tax windfall – and not blow it all in Bali. Doesn’t tax time come around fast? It doesn’t feel that long ago since last financial year’s tax return was done and duste...
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How to move house like a boss
Back-breaking furniture, perilously narrow staircases and chipped crockery – the idea of moving house strikes fear into the hearts of most. But with careful planning it doesn’t have to be a nightmare. So you’ve just secured the home of your dreams? Congratulations. Now ...
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The top five advantages of using a mortgage broker
Shopping, watching a movie, catching up on the news – there are many things that are cheaper and easier to do online these days. But obtaining a quality home loan? Well, the only time you’ll want to use the internet for that is connecting with an expert. When it comes t...
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We've got your back
It’s no secret that the banking royal commission has shone a light on serious misconduct and poor lending standards by some of Australia’s biggest banks. So we thought it was a good time to address the proverbial elephant in the room and set the record straight. You may...
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Four simple ways to increase your property's resale value
Everyone dreams of investing in a home or business that will fetch them more money than they originally bought it for. Here’s how to roll-up your sleeves and get started. Making the appearance of your property desirable is critical because yours will be among a long lis...
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Are you flushing money down the drain by putting off refinancing?
Every year thousands of Aussie families flush their hard earned dollars down the gurgler because they put off the simple act of refinancing their mortgage. If you’re overdue, rest assured that it’s much easier than you may think! While there are no hard rules about refi...
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Putting the property price dip into perspective
Sure, the value of the average Australian home may have fallen for nine consecutive months, but it’s far from doom and gloom. Let’s put it all in a bit of perspective. It’s easy to see a headline such as “Australian dwelling values fall for the ninth consecutive mo...
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What makes your debt tax deductible?
There are two kinds of debt in this world: the kind that is tax deductible and the kind that isn’t. Knowing the difference, and planning your purchases accordingly, can significantly improve your cashflow, opportunities and overall financial position. So what makes debt...
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Why you can get a better home loan deal using a mortgage broker
So you’ve found the ideal property and it’s time to source finance? Here’s how to play your cards right and get a great home loan deal sorted before the settlement date. Educating the kids, wedding planning, plumbing – there are some things in life that are better outso...
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Parents as guarantors: end your child's first home mirage
They grow up so fast. One minute they’re nagging you for a dollhouse, the next, it’s for help buying a two bedroom unit in an up-and-coming suburb. If you always find it hard to say ‘no’ to your kids, here’s how to say ‘yes’ the right way. You’ve probably heard your chi...
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Get your ducks in a row: how to make a timely deposit
So you’ve finally found the property of your dreams and you can’t stand the thought of someone else moving in? Don’t let a payment oversight get in the way. One of the most common questions we get asked is when and how to make the deposits on a new property. And for goo...
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Negotiating a settlement period
In a perfect world you select a property to buy, complete with white picket fence, and the settlement goes through on the agreed date without a hitch. But as we all know, we don’t live in a perfect world. When you buy or sell a property you go through a ‘settlement peri...
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The truth about 0% car finance offers
Seen an offer along the lines of: ‘Drive away, 0% finance to pay’? Well, like most things in life, when it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Finance offers like 0% (or other low interest rates) for new cars exist for a reason: the seller wants you to put the p...
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Using your super fund to save for your first home
For most first home buyers, the property market can seem like a tough nut to crack. But today we’ll look at a new super scheme that makes it a whole lot easier to save for a deposit. Heard of the First Home Super Saver (FHSS) scheme? No? Fair enough, it hasn’t been arou...
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Most homeowners spent one hour inspecting property
Purchases don’t come much bigger than buying a new home. So it surprised me to discover that most homebuyers spend more time watching one Netflix episode than they do inspecting a property. This survey of 1,000 Aussie property owners makes for startling readin...
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Mortgage stress: What it is, and how to avoid it
You might be comfortable paying off your mortgage now, but what if things change? Here are some tips on how to avoid a mortgage stress fracture. Paying off a mortgage is one of the biggest financial challenges you and your family will ever tackle. And it isn’t easy – mo...
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What to be aware of when using rating websites to make purchases
Umming and ahhing over what brand to buy? A five-star rating score may sound like a great way to decide, but who is doing the rating, and what do those stars actually mean? Making a purchase can be intimidating – especially when there’s hundreds of dollars at stake. Do ...
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It’s all about balance: Using an offset account to your advantage
Want to avoid sinking your entire savings balance into your mortgage? An offset account could be the solution you’ve been looking for. An offset account is straightforward to set up and easy to understand. It also has the potential to save you thousands of dollars and c...
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