What is a construction loan?
A construction loan is a loan from a bank which allows you to either build a new home or complete a major renovation on an existing home.
Should I pay a rate lock fee for my fixed rate loan?
What is a fixed rate lock?
When taking out a fixed rate loan, it is important to understand that the fixed interest rate is set on the day of drawdown / settlement, not necessarily the advertised rate when you apply for the loan.
APRA releases shackles on mortgage prisoners
Read on to understand what a relaxation in lending standards could do for new and existing borrowers.
After the tightening of lending standards over the past 12 months, it looks like things are loosening which will provide a big boost for,
- potential borrowers looking to buy property and
- existing borrowers who need to refinance!
This is because, earlier this week the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) who is responsible for overseeing the prudent lending standards in Australia announced that it had begun consultation with major lenders or ADIs (Authorised Deposit-Taking Institutions) to ease lending standards for new and existing residential mortgage applicants.
Should I fix the interest rate on my home loan?
A question that I’m continuously asked by my clients is, “Should I fix the interest on my home loan?”. And fair enough too — if there are ways to save from paying unnecessary fees to the banks, we should be onto it.
So here are my 5 questions to ask yourself, to determine whether fixing your loan is right for you.
My number one tip for buying your first home by private treaty
Read on to discover my top tip for submitting a STRONG offer on the house you want to buy.
Buying your first home is a significant investment and if you’re like most people, it’s the largest financial decision you will have to make at any one time. So, it pays to make sure you have the right purchasing strategy in place to ensure you buy at the right price because;
• you can control what you pay for a property,
• you can’t control what you sell it for.
Homebuyers and investors ask: “Is this as good as it gets?…”
Every time the news comes on lately, the story for homebuyers and investors seems to worsen; stories of banks ripping customers off and of tighter lending controls installed as a result of investigations into banking practices.
Tightened lending controls mean most people can’t borrow as much today as they could a just few months ago. For some, this makes buying their first home even more difficult, while other households are feeling stuck when it comes to refinancing their existing debt.
This all sounds pretty dismal for home buyers, investors and the industry in general, right?
Why use a mortgage broker?
I was recently asked by a prospective customer why they should use a mortgage broker rather than going direct to the bank. Here are 15 reasons WHY:
Federal Budget 2018
Its an exciting day for accountants around the country following the Federal Budget
Wow – what an exciting day for accountants and finance journalists today who are recovering after spending last night sifting through Federal Budget papers.
Ok, so the Federal Government handed down the budget last night which the media are labelling a pre-election budget. I don’t intend on going through the budget in detail, rather picking out a couple of key positives for middle income earners and small business.
Changing finance landscape
Borrowing gets tougher
The residential finance landscape is now more complicated then ever. 2015 saw APRA enforce higher capital requirements on banks aimed at curbing investor lending.
Banks now offer different interest rates, depending on whether loans are interest only and / or investment loans. In addition, banks have,
- brought in lending caps on high risk postcodes,
- reduced loan to value ratios and
- brought in restrictions on lending to foreign buyers.
