New Zealanders’ optimism about the housing market continues to rise with more owners opting for a variable mortgage rate rather than locking one in. Almost one-third of Kiwis (31.8%) have now opted for a floating rate in the belief there are more cuts to come from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ). Commentators are…
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The turbulent economic and political news in Canada may not fill everyone with excitement when it comes to buying and selling real estate – yet, where uncertainty lurks there is opportunity! The latest data on Canadian real estate suggests prices are now subdued due to the obvious themes of public discourse. People are concerned about…
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When purchasing your first property, much of the advice you receive focuses on location and the style of home that suits your needs. Too little insight and experience is shared about the importance of finding a home loan that’s tailored to your needs. With Canada’s interest rates falling since last June when it stood at…
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A grey area of the purchase process comes immediately after a seller has accepted your offer – the assumption your lender will support your assessment of the property’s value. With the help of your agent, your proposal should reflect market value and not be a million miles away from the seller’s target price. But what…
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Plenty of advice is given to first homebuyers about selecting a property and how to handle the transaction, but little attention is paid to explaining a few important tasks that are necessary after taking possession. First homebuyers remain one-third of the buyer market and their active participation bolsters values in the lower market quartile. Their…
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Investor confidence has returned to regional Australia due to its strong price resilience in the past 12 months and continuing demand for rental properties. Dwelling values in three-quarters of regional suburbs (72.6%) analysed by industry researcher CoreLogic increased over the three months to January. By comparison, fewer than half the suburbs in capital cities produced…
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Home prices have shown an initial resilience in the face of economic threats and actions from Washington. Prices slipped just 0.8% in February as buyers increased their caution and sellers decided that perhaps this was a good time to hold onto their properties. Uncertainty, however, can be your friend in the property market. It can…
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A collective “watch and wait” stance has been adopted by property owners as Canada holds its breath for the next installment from the White House. After the steel tariffs, we now have a 25% levy on our auto industry exports to the United States. At the time of writing, the world was poised for so-called…
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When buying your first home, you’ll find there’s never a shortage of free advice. But in a world of so many opinions and instant experts, there are always going to be a few myths floating around to confuse you. As an experienced agent, I hear many first homebuyers make statements that illustrate they’ve been innocently…
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With a modest cut of 0.25% in the cash rate in February, many young buyers have been asking why interest rates have been so high. To many older Australians the current cash rate of 4.1% represents incredibly cheap money. Many will recall the days when banks charged up to 17% in the early 90s. Those…
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