The big change first-time buyers were promised at the last Federal election has arrived. From the start of this month, young buyers can access a home loan with a 5% deposit and avoid punitive mortgage insurance that can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Currently, Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) is compulsory if a buyer has…
Read more
For anyone buying a property, it’s easy to assume that so long as you meet the basic criteria to secure a mortgage, your lender will be only too happy to take your money. While that is largely correct, there are some internal rules that banks apply, especially to those buying into apartment buildings, that can…
Read more
With industry research indicating property values are consistently rising at 0.7% – that’s on track for an annual growth rate of 8.4% – it’s a valuable exercise to validate reported market trends using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The total value of residential dwellings in Australia rose $213.8 billion to $11.56 trillion…
Read more
Limited stock of homes for sale is helping to push values higher as the spring selling season gets into full swing. Deal values have continued to edge higher every month since February, according to the latest data from industry researcher Cotality (formerly CoreLogic). The market has registered another 0.7% upswing for August. For metropolitan areas,…
Read more
The industry research is clear cut – prices are rising consistently at 0.7% a month, and there are approximately 20% fewer properties on the market this spring than the five-year average for this time of year. That’s tough news for buyers. While we’ve experienced three interest rate cuts since February – and all the major…
Read more
Buying the first family home is a landmark moment in most people’s lives. For Australians, it’s seen as a rite of passage. Having somewhere to raise your children is a fundamental pillar of our society. Buyers are right to want to take their time and make the right choice. For some families, you may stay…
Read more
Buying an apartment requires a different approach to purchasing a house – you have an ownership structure to consider, along with strata fees and investment potential. In today’s fast-paced market, an increasing number of first-time buyers and investors are now tailoring their expectations to encompass apartments. As house prices accelerate in the current climate, an…
Read more
The weather is warming quickly after the cool and often wet days of winter, and this means it’s a great time to get into the garden and start preparing your plants for the summer heat. For many owners, their roses are their pride and joy, but they can come under significant stress when the mercury…
Read more
The arrival of spring and the bloom of many trees and shrubs often encourages us to start thinking about our gardens and how we can prepare them so we can entertain family and friends during the long, hot days of the coming summer. If you’re in this frame of mind right now, you should take…
Read more
Maximising the value of their home should be the goal of any owner planning to enter the market. Momentum has swung to the seller in the last few months with steady monthly price increases, three interest rate cuts this year and an estimated 20% shortfall in housing stock that would have normally been for sale…
Read more
