Graeme’s Investment Experience #1
This week sees the completion of the construction of a granny flat I am building on my investment property in Brisbane. It’s been quite a journey with a few ups and downs. I bought the investment property with the express intention of building a granny flat. Here is what I learnt from the process. […]
Are you a property winner or loser?
For the rest of the year Australia will have a two-speed property market. For those with strong incomes and healthy savings, Australia is a land of opportunity with a property market starting to rise. But for others, trapped by high interest rates, there’s limited opportunity. For them – refinancing or buying will be tough. According […]
Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics in Property
Sydney’s clearance rates are down to 73 per cent from an April high of 90 per cent, Does this mean that the sky is falling in that prices will soon drop? Almost certainly not in my opinion. 73 per cent is still considered to be a sellers’ market (albeit not as strong as previously). Given […]
The Good and Bad of Buying Off-Plan (and how your mortgage broker can help)
We have all seen the headlines of someone making a motza after buying a property off plan. But behind the scenes there is often a mortgage broker who has worked really hard to turn your dreams into reality. And, as the property markets peak, we could be seeing stories of people losing their savings on […]
Your Interest Rates Could Be About to Go Up!
The regulator’s drive to calm down the (investor) property market may be having a negative impact on home owners. Who, through no fault of their own, are seeing interest rates rise. Ironically this is happening at a time when other home owners are enjoying ultra-low interest rates. The government regulator, the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority […]
Good News in the Property Market?
For those who find themselves continually losing out on a property, good news could be at hand. It is VERY early days, but data just released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) indicate that there could be a cooling off of the (investor) property market. According to the ABS monthly approvals data shows that […]
Why You May Not Be Able Get An Ultra-Low Loan and Why It’s No Disaster
We all like to believe we have got a good deal. And, sometimes, we see home loan rates that are really cheap and we all want a piece of the action. Truth is, for many of us, these ultra-low rates are unobtainable – but the alternative ain’t half bad. There are many on-line sites which […]
Whatever Happened to “Keeping The Bastards Honest”?
Some important statistics were released today which show how Australians could benefit from using brokers. The Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA) produced figures showing that, while total housing lending from the lenders for which it is responsible was $1.7 trillion, $1.43 trillion of this was lent by the major lenders. This equates to 84 per […]
Five Tips to Prepare for this Year’s Property Market
It was 27º at today’s Swans versus Giants match. Today taught me two things: The Swannies are still the team to beat (but then I am biased) Spring is on its way and, before you know it, the property market will be in full swing. If you want to make the most for this season’s […]
Is Your Loan Out-of-Date?
Everyday, prompted by pressure from the government, banks are changing their lending policies. What happens if, last week, your bank indicates you will get a loan approval, but this week they decline you? Let’s face it, if the lending manager from the ‘National West Commonwealth Bank ANZ’ declines you, they are hardly likely to want […]