Posts categorised as 'First home buyers'
Housing affordability the best it’s been since 1999: HIA
Great news for home buyers – housing affordability is the best it’s been since 1999, according to new data released by the nation’s peak housing and building body. That’s right – housing affordability is comparable to the days when the Y2K bug had us fearing for our lives, Nokia Snake was the pinnacle of mobile Read More
How to find a bank with strong corporate social responsibility.
Yes, we’re well aware that this may sound like an oxymoron to some! But cheeky jokes aside, this is a question we’ve been increasingly receiving. So today we thought we’d look into what good corporate social responsibility means, and how you can find it in a bank. What do you look for when pairing with Read More
Is the housing market finally about to reach rock bottom?
‘Are we there yet?’ That seems to be the million dollar question on everyone’s lips. Today we’ll take a look at whether or not the property market is finally starting to stabilise, as well as when we might start seeing some positive changes in the market. Shhh. Can you hear it? It’s the sound of Read More
Getting hounded by ATO impersonators? Don’t get scammed this tax season
Tax time is just around the corner, which means ATO impersonators are pulling out their bag of tricks to try and scam you. Here are the main scams currently doing the rounds. It’s fair to say that no one likes getting on the wrong side of the ATO. And this is one of the main Read More
Will lenders pass on the RBA rate cut to you?
The RBA has cut the official cash rate to a new record low of 1.25%. But hang on a sec… Will lenders even pass on the cut in full? Today we’ll look at how you can make the RBA rate cut work for you. The Reserve Bank has cut interest rates to 1.25% – down Read More
Your home is not perfect: the value of pest and building inspections
They say that home is where the heart is. And it’s true that we spend so much of our time, money and emotions in our homes. So it can be hard to truly look at them and think that something could be wrong. But when you’re selling your home, or looking to rent it out Read More
APRA suggests banks relax key lending criteria.
Here’s a bit of good news: you may be able to borrow more for your next home loan after the prudential regulator sent a letter to the banks asking them to relax a key lending criteria. In a letter to lenders, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has proposed removing its guidance that lenders should Read More
How the new govt scheme could give you a head start on property.
Did you know that it takes four to seven years for the average household to save a 20% deposit for their first home and avoid paying lender’s mortgage insurance? However, a new scheme promises to drastically reduce that time by dropping the required deposit to just 5%. As you may have seen, the Coalition government Read More
Found an account transaction error? Don’t foot the bill.
Most of us have found ourselves in a sticky situation where we’ve spotted an unauthorised or mistaken transaction on our bank account or credit card statement. Here’s how to avoid footing the bill. The average Australian makes about 480 electronic transactions each year – and that number is rising quickly. Amongst these daily transactions, both Read More
Will the RBA cut the cash rate this month?
We don’t like to dust off the old crystal ball and speculate very often, but there’s been so much noise about whether the RBA will cut the official cash rate this Tuesday that we feel compelled to address it. 30 meetings in a row. That’s how long the RBA has kept the record low official Read More
