Fridges that don't fit through doorways, precariously narrow hallways and third floor apartments are just some of the things that can make moving house a nightmare.   Congratulations! You've just secured your dream home. Now the fun begins - moving time! Here are our top five tips to guarantee less mess, less stress, and ultimately, more moving success.   Make a moving list/ budget A moving budget doesn’t just help manage the cost of moving, it can also act as a checklist … [Read more...]

Let face it, most of us like to spend money. Science shows us that often when we go shopping our bodies start producing greater amounts of the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine. Credit card providers know this all too well and have plenty of tricks up their sleeve to encourage us to load up that credit card. Here are some of their most common traps.   1. Points and bonuses Sometimes people end up spending a lot more on their credit cards than they would otherwise, simply … [Read more...]

Thanks to the Canberra Weekly team for sharing our story.   You can read the full article here.    … [Read more...]

Many of us pay our bills on time to avoid late fees and a bad credit rating. But there's been a big change recently which means you can now be rewarded for making timely repayments. Towards the end of 2018, ANZ, NAB, Westpac and CBA all agreed to commence Comprehensive Credit Reporting (CCR). It's something that has been around since the middle of last year, but has taken a while for the larger lenders to get onboard. CCR is seen as a more “positive” reporting system than the … [Read more...]

Thanks to the team at City News for featuring our story.   You can read the full article here.      … [Read more...]

Higher interest rates, increased fees, less flexibility and fewer options. That's how borrowers could lose out if the banking Royal Commission's recommendations around how mortgage brokers are paid are implemented. By now you've seen in the news that the banking Royal Commission recently recommended that the cost of using a mortgage broker should be transferred from the banks to the customers. Now, first things first: We're here to help and will continue to act with your best interests … [Read more...]

There's so much information available online these days about the latest home loan offers, interest rates or special deals. Which is great for borrowers, because it means we're all more educated and informed than ever before. This in turn allows us to make better financial decisions. BUT... only if the information available told us the whole story....   Have you heard of discretionary pricing? Discretionary pricing is when a lender agrees to offer a rate discount to an individual … [Read more...]

Anyone thinking about locking into a fixed rate loan will generally spend a little time considering the future movement of interest rates. Below we share some tools that can provide insight into what interest rates are expected to do over the short-medium term. We're currently looking at what these tools may be indicating and share the results below, as at 20 Feb 2019.   Cash Rate Futures Yield Curve The Cash Rate Futures Yield Curve shows how the market expects  interest rates … [Read more...]

On 1 January 2019, Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) removed its restrictions on Interest-Only residential mortgage lending. The restrictions were put in place as a temporary measure back in March 2017, to reduce the level of Interest-Only lending and improve the quality of lender's mortgage portfolios.   So why have the Interest Only restrictions been removed now? APRA announced the move late in 2018, just weeks after CoreLogic figures showed Australia's housing … [Read more...]

Property buyers are turning to mortgage brokers in record numbers, which is good news for both of us. We know we're beating our own drum a little bit here, but please bear with us. In a time when the royal commission is dominating headlines and consumer confidence in the big banks is tanking, the mortgage broking industry as a whole is proving worthy of people's trust. During the September 2018 quarter, mortgage brokers settled an unprecedented 59.1% of all residential home … [Read more...]

Each year so many of us make New Year's resolutions that focus on our health and wellbeing. But what about making resolutions to improve your finances? Here are four ways to save money in 2019.   #1: Cut back on credit card purchases According to ASIC, the average card holder is paying around $700 in interest per year (on the assumption their credit card interest rate is between 15 and 20%.) Surely you could find better ways to spend $700! A year’s worth of home and … [Read more...]

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If you already have a home loan, or have started to think about getting one, you've probably heard the term "loan serviceability." Serviceability is one of the key things a lender will assess before they approve a loan, but what is it? And how is it calculated? Here's some insight into how loan serviceability is determined and why your choice of lender can dramatically impact your capacity to service a loan (and therefore secure the funds you need to buy the home you want). When a … [Read more...]