What if this is as good as it gets?
By Graeme Salt What if there are no more mortgage interest rates to come? Underlying inflation increased to three per cent in the year to September, which was well above economists’ expectations of 2.7 per cent. As a result, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept interest rates on hold this month at 3.6 per […]
Home values rise in October – the fastest in two years
By Graeme Salt Housing prices rose 1.1 per cent nationally in October, led by strong gains in Perth, Brisbane, and Adelaide, though prices rose everywhere as the first homebuyer deposit guarantee scheme kicked into gear. Prices were up in every city and every region, according to data house Cotality’s latest monthly home values report, released […]
How to make a squeaky-clean mortgage application
By Graeme Salt There’s heaps you can do to strengthen your mortgage application, long before you actually apply for a loan. As soon as you submit a loan application, the bank will run a credit check on you. Your credit report has heaps of information on you – particularly how much debt you have and […]
Why You Can Still Get a Rate Cut—Even if the Reserve Bank Holds Steady
Are you assuming your mortgage rate is set in stone just because the Reserve Bank of Australia is holding rates steady? Think again! In today’s competitive lending landscape, banks are vying for your business with enticing offers and discounts. You could save thousands simply by shopping around or negotiating with your current lender. For instance, a homeowner with a $500,000 mortgage could save over $1,800 annually by switching from a 6.20% to a 5.69% (Comparison rate). Don’t miss out on potential savings—discover how a quick call to your mortgage broker could unlock a better deal for you!
Why the new first-home buyer scheme is worth a crack (even though I am not a fan)
By Graeme Salt Consistent with its election pledge, this week, the federal government has expanded its first-home buyer scheme. Gone are many of the price and income limitations. Under the scheme, first-home buyers need only a five per cent deposit to buy a home and their mortgage is underwritten by the federal government. Many industry […]
Investors back in market
By Graeme Salt Investors are showing increased confidence in the property market and are increasingly looking to buy property. New figures from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) show that, for the first time in a decade, the growth in investor finance is now higher than for owner-occupied properties. And, according to the latest Westpac […]
Prepare for take-off
By Graeme Salt Prices for first home-buyer properties are about to take off due to recent announcements from the federal government. Following of the from its election commitment, the Labor Party has announced an expansion of the first home buyers’ scheme – beginning this October. These changes see an expansion of the scheme and the […]
Is Covid still driving the property market?
By Graeme Salt Australians have coped with 4.25 per cent rate rises between 2022 and 2024 – which may indicate resilience of the household budget, the economy and the property market. Much of this is due to buffers built up during the pandemic according to new research. During 2020-2021, household savings shot up to around […]
Rate cuts may not have immediate impact on the market
By Graeme Salt While this month’s rate cut has arguably stirred the property market, it may not create a property market frenzy of old. This may be good news for would-be home buyers. The market has certainly responded positively to the August rate cut, with the combined capital’s preliminary auction clearance rate rising to 75.0 […]
What is the price of your kid’s education?
By Graeme Salt New analysis from Cotality reveals that families are paying up to $1.3 million more for houses inside sought-after public school catchments in Sydney and Melbourne – but that does not always equate to stronger capital growth. In many of our larger cities, parents choose to live within the catchments of good public […]