Posts categorised as 'Mums and dads'
Downsizers tipped to be a ‘powerful force’ in 2020
Downsizers are tipped to take advantage of ‘the perfect storm’ and get the most out of the property market this year, predicts the national body representing professional buyers’ agents. With softer lending conditions and strong property prices tipped for 2020, cashed-up downsizers looking to sell the family home and move into apartments or regional areas Read More
Are you being stung by the loyalty tax?
Once upon a time you were rewarded for loyalty. But borrowers with older mortgages are typically paying a higher interest rate than customers on new loans, confirms the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). The RBA’s study finds that the difference in interest rates between new and outstanding variable-rate home loans increases with the age of Read More
How to increase your property’s value by up to 10%
Properties with high energy-efficiency ratings typically sell for up to 10% more, a review of international research shows. The review, which was conducted by the University of Wollongong, compiled research undertaken in 14 countries and included data from the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), which is the only Australian jurisdiction to require that sellers disclose the Read More
Why don’t lenders drop my repayments when the interest rate falls?
A question that’s been popping up a bit lately has been ‘why didn’t my lender reduce my repayments when the interest rate fell last year?’ It’s a good and timely question considering the big four bank economists all expect the RBA to cut the cash rate by 25 basis points to a new record low Read More
How to avoid underinsuring your home
With Australia currently enduring its worst bushfire season on record, we all want to do our little bit to help out, so today we thought we’d discuss the important topic of underinsurance. Indeed, researchers are warning that the nation is facing an underinsurance crisis, according to a recent report by the ABC, with the Insurance Read More
Season’s Greetings! Here’s to a prosperous 2020!
With 2019 drawing to a close, we hope you’re shifting into holiday mode and getting ready to relax and unwind (or, at least, looking forward to a few public holidays!). Hasn’t the year just flown by? It only seems like only yesterday that the RBA cut the official cash rate for the first time in Read More
How to spread some free Xmas cheer these holidays
Did you know there’s around $1.1 billion owed to Aussie families in unclaimed shares, bank accounts and life insurance? With the festive season just around the corner, here’s how to find some long lost funds for you and your family in less than one minute. They say Christmas is a time for giving. But let’s Read More
Banks ‘too cautious’ on SME loans: financial regulators
The country’s top financial regulators are concerned banks are ‘too cautious’ when it comes to loans for small business borrowers. The Council of Financial Regulators (CFR) – which is chaired by RBA governor Philip Lowe and includes APRA, ASIC and federal Treasury – met to discuss the tight credit conditions for small businesses and the Read More
Swipe right to buy your first home
A new web platform described as a ‘dating app but for home-ownership’ says it can help users enter the property market in half the time it usually takes. Mortgage Mates – the brainchild of Perth-based mates Daisy Ashworth and Jess Vesely – uses algorithms to match you with like-minded individuals who share similar housing preferences Read More
Predatory payday lenders debt-trapping vulnerable Aussies: report
Predatory payday lenders are profiting from vulnerable Australians and trapping them in spiralling debt, according to a collaborative report by 20 consumer advocacy bodies. The report, The Debt Trap: How payday lending is costing Australians, projects that by the end of the year there will be $1.7 billion worth of payday loans lent out in Read More
