While student HECS and HELP loans in Australia are interest-free, they are indexed every financial year based on a cost of living index.

Building your own home can be one of life’s most rewarding milestones. Not only does a new build have the potential to save you money, but it also gives you the opportunity to design the home you’ve always wanted with all the latest fixtures and fittings.

You can also plan your finances with confidence, knowing your new home will need little maintenance or repair for years to come.

Here’s how financing a new build differs from financing the purchase of an established home.

INTEREST RATES HAVE BEEN GOING UP IN RECENT MONTHS. BUT ON THE FLIP SIDE, PROPERTY PRICES HAVE BEEN FALLING IN MANY MARKETS.

That means there could be some great opportunities out there for aspiring property investors. It all comes down to finding the right property in the right location.

Here’s what to look for in an investment property.

IF YOU’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING THE WAITING GAME WONDERING WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN YOUR FIXED RATE TERM ENDS, WE UNDERSTAND WHAT A STRESSFUL TIME IT MIGHT BE.

Fixed rate borrowers have been temporarily shielded from the Reserve Bank’s cash rate increases, but for how long?

It’s estimated that almost 40 per cent of Aussies on low fixed rate loans will roll off them next year. This could result in a considerable increase in mortgage repayments for households that are already stretched with rising cost-of-living pressures.

If your fixed rate is expiring soon, now is the time to review your home loan and make a game plan.

Back when I started out broking, in the early 2000’s, it was always a standard 21 days to obtain finance approval. That was almost always sufficient. Nowadays, the finance world is vastly different, and it’s fair to say things are generally taking longer than they used to!

As was the case for most of the world - for us involved in finance - 2020 was a year like no other. Looking forward to 2021, I have detailed some points , that are relevant currently, and you should be aware of before entering into a purchase contract, or potentially looking to refinance.