Archives for 2019

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 almost three years. But that was more than six months ago, and the RBA has cut the rate another two times since. Now the official cash rate is sitting at a new record low of 0.75% - and financial … [Read more...]

Q&A Video: 10 Things to do Before Auction Day

What are 10 things you can do to ensure you give yourself the best chance of buying a house at auction? Watch our short video to find out. … [Read more...]

Ethical lenders

What is an 'ethical lender'? An ethical lender - also known as a social or sustainable lender - is a lender concerned with the social and environmental impacts of its investments and loans. It’s generally accepted in Australia that an ethical lender is one that doesn't invest in fossil fuels (specifically coal and gas), but there are other ways a lender can be considered to be ethical or sustainable. These may include but are not limited to: Striving for (or attaining) carbon … [Read more...]

Do you consider yourself to be a ‘spender’ or a ‘saver’?

Are you paid weekly, fortnightly or monthly? New findings from Xero indicates that how often you’re paid may influence whether you’re a saver or a spender. Xero has gathered data to explore payday behaviours across the country, and revealed that rushes of 'payphoria' appear to sweep the nation each time we're paid. Spending big & the payday pinch Xero's findings revealed that one in three Australians spend more on payday than usual, because they believe they work hard and … [Read more...]

Q&A Video: 5 ways to Take Advantage of Low Interest Rates

What are 5 ways you can take advantage of low interest rates? Watch our short video to find out. … [Read more...]

First Home Loan Deposit Scheme: it’s all in the details (Oct 2019)

The dream of buying your first home with only 5% deposit without having to pay Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) may be getting closer, with the Government’s First Home Loan Deposit Scheme due to commence 1 January 2020. Many first home buyers have the ability to make repayments on a mortgage, the problem lies in how long it takes to save a 20 percent deposit. In fact, the Reserve Bank of Australia says that a household saving 15 percent of their income (based on the before-tax median), will … [Read more...]

How have the lenders responded to the RBA October 19 cash rate cut?

Following the RBA's cash rate cut for October, here's a summary of the lending cuts announced as at 5:30pm AEST 3 October, 2019. CBA rate changes (effective 22 October) : - Rates on Owner Occupier variable loans (both Principal and Interest and IO repayments) will drop by 0.13. - Rates on Investment variable loans (Principal and Interest repayments) will drop by 0.13. - Rates on Investment variable loans with IO repayments will drop by 0.25. BankWest rate changes … [Read more...]

RBA Cash Rate – October 2019

At its meeting today, the RBA Board decided to reduce the cash rate by 25 basis points to 0.75 per cent. Here are some of Philip Lowe's commentary surrounding the decision: The Australian economy expanded by 1.4 per cent over the year to the June quarter, which was a weaker-than-expected outcome. A gentle turning point, however, appears to have been reached with economic growth a little higher over the first half of this year than over the second half of 2018. The low level of interest rates, … [Read more...]

Australian housing market: Sept19

The CoreLogic August home value index results showed that national dwelling prices increased by 0.8% over the month. This is the first monthly increase in values since October 2017. Housing values across capital cities rose by 1%, with Sydney (1.6%), Melbourne (1.4%) and Canberra (0.8%) leading the way. While the lift in housing values is substantial, the recent growth is a continuation of the trend seen throughout the year whereby value falls were consistently losing momentum, and have … [Read more...]

RBA Interest Rate Decision – 3 September 2019

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 1.00 per cent. After consecutive rate cuts earlier this year, the RBA Board's decision to leave the cash rate unchanged today was not unexpected. Here are some of Philip Lowe's commentary surrounding the decision: The outlook for the global economy remains reasonable, although the risks are tilted to the downside. The trade and technology disputes are affecting international trade flows … [Read more...]