Limited Chance of Negative Equity
By Graeme Salt For most people who buy a home, a mortgage represents the single largest debt they will take on in their lives. But what happens if the market value of a property you’ve bought falls below the amount you still owe on your home loan? This situation is called “negative equity”. In Australia, […]
What to expect this Spring selling season
There are divided opinions about this year’s property market
A crash won’t happen and it won’t make new housing cheap
By Graeme Salt House prices have fallen for five straight months and right now the mood is starkly divided. Is now a good time to buy? Should you be worried? Housing can keep you awake at night for any number of reasons, but there is a floor that is likely to determine how low prices […]
Budget: Only half of investors face tax hike
By Graeme Salt Taxes rise for only about half of property investments under the latest budget – and in many cases they fall. That is the conclusion of research from economics think tank the e61 Institute (linked to University of NSW) Its research followed 920,000 individual housing investments held between 2008 and 2025 and concluded: […]
It’s hard for the kids
By Graeme Salt Young Australians are resorting to complex methods to buy their own homes. That is the conclusion of new research from the University of Adelaide. It found that almost half of young people followed disrupted housing pathways, moving repeatedly between renting, homeownership and, in some cases, back to the family home. In the […]
Your next mortgage may not be with a bank.
By Graeme Salt You want to buy a house; your first call is often to your bank. But increasingly, many non-bank lenders are finding solutions to would-be home buyers when the bank says no. Sometimes, highly-regulated banks just won’t lend you enough for the expensive Australian property markets. This image shows the borrowing capacity of […]
Can’t save a 20pc deposit? Four ways to buy property sooner
By Graeme Salt Amassing a down payment remains a huge hurdle for aspiring buyers, despite easing house prices. A house deposit generally needs to be 20 per cent of the value of the property if buyers want to avoid paying what’s called lenders mortgage insurance (LMI). LMI protects lenders from losing money if a borrower defaults and […]
How Much Does a Sydney Renovation Cost?
The Federal Budget has shifted the focus of the property market. Now, for many, the owner-occupied home may be the most tax-effective means of wealth creation. And many are currently looking at home improvements to boost their wealth. But how much does a reno cost? Hipages has produced the below figures to give you an […]
Rents vs wages – how do they compare by city?
By Graeme Salt Extract taken from realestate.com.au/insights In all of Australia’s capital cities, rents have outgrown wages. Perth has had the largest increase in rents relative to wages, with rents increasing by 80 percentage points more than wages. That increase has placed significant pressure on household budgets, as wages have not kept pace. The proportion […]
New loans for tech workers
By Graeme Salt Work is changing – and so are the people who can get special deals from the banks. In the past, professions such as lawyers, accountants and doctors received favourable treatment from banks. But now, one lender has thrown the door open to tech employees who work for: • Adobe Inc • Alphabet […]