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The Blog

5 Ways to Fund a Renovation

June 23, 2020

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Considering transforming your home from ‘banal’ to ‘brilliant’, but lack the funds to support your makeover? Never fear, we’ve rounded up five home renovation finance options that could help turn your dream into reality. 1 Equity Release / Top Up Home Loan This is probably the most common way people borrow money when they want […]

First Home Buyers Deposit Scheme

February 7, 2020

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Are you a first home buyer and heard about the new government scheme to help you enter the market? Here we break it down for you and look at what options you have as a first home buyer. What is it? 10,000 places have been opened up in the Government’s First Home Buyers Deposit Scheme […]

An expert solution to credit debt

January 10, 2020

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The New Year is a great time to look at your debt and see how you can manage it better.  Soraya Francke goes through a recent client of hers and how they turned their debt around. Dana and Peter put everything they had on the line to start a family, including their credit and home […]

Christmas Saving - Make the most of your Christmas!

December 1, 2019

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Christmas is one of those times of year where a lot of us blow our budgets.  This year Sandy Joseph is giving you some handy hints to make the most of the holiday season. Work out what you can afford to spend on Christmas. This involves calculating your income, detracting your regular expenses, and assessing […]

Can your profession save you on your home loan?

November 1, 2019

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When it comes to saving on your mortgage, some of you may not have to look further than your job. If yours is a profession that classifies you as a ‘low risk’ borrower in the eyes of lenders, then you may be entitled to special discounts.  Colin Lamb explains more about how you can take […]

How a health check can broaden your property horizons

October 1, 2019

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A simple home loan health check led two police officers to refinance for a saving of $7600 a year in interest. When police officers Ben Dixon and Sara Peters were looking for a home loan, they thought the choice was obvious. They secured finance through the same community-owned bank most of their colleagues used, bought […]

Spring into Upsizing!

August 29, 2019

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Spring has sprung! And a lot of our clients have been waiting this winter to see if Spring is the right time for them to consider upsizing their home.  In a buyers’ market buyers feel they can take their time, negotiate and walk away more easily.  This can be the perfect time to upsize your […]

The top 9 things you should know before applying for a home loan

August 8, 2019

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Whether this is your first home purchase or eleventh property investment, there are always 9 essential steps to take before applying for your loan. We all need to be smart when carrying out research for our next loan. Understanding how to position your loan application to ensure you obtain the outcome you are looking for […]

Should I sell now? Or should I wait for spring?

June 27, 2019

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Historically, many sellers have waited the winter months out for spring when there are usually more buyers around.  But would it be better to put your house on the market in winter when there are fewer listings to compete with? We asked David Weir from Sell Lease Property Group to give us his sage advice […]

Is one phone call really all it takes to secure a lower interest rate?

June 13, 2019

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With official interest rates trending downward, shrewd mortgage holders may take the opportunity to call their lender to ask for a better deal. But when even a small interest rate reduction means potential savings of thousands of dollars, is a simple phone call really enough to get you there? In 2019, ‘your interest rate should […]

Is it a good time to refinance?

May 16, 2019

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Your home loan is usually your largest financial commitment. We understand that changes in interest rates can have a big impact on your monthly repayments and how long it takes you to pay out your loan. Refinancing to another loan might cost you thousands in early exit fees* and other required fees, but it could […]

FHBs take the lead

January 29, 2019

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You couldn’t miss the recent months’ press coverage on  the cooling Australian housing market. According to leading property experts, first home buyers are the cheeriest of them all*. We are seeing the highest level of first home buyers (FHBs) since 2010**. It seems some FHBs are now feeling more confident to spring into property ownership.But […]

Can we manage a mortgage and a baby?

January 18, 2019

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Many a new parent has been caught out realising our once organised calm life is a thing of the past when we bring our bundle of joy home. It’s amazing how tiny babies can turn our household upside down. We quickly learn that we need to be more flexible about when we eat, sleep, go to the shops and even […]

Can you afford your lifestyle career?

January 11, 2019

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The changing nature of technology, consumer behaviour and corporate policies has influenced an increase in  part-time and work-for-yourself opportunities. While the bright lights of flexibility, choice and creating your own success is very appealing, it is not without its risks – personally, professionally and financially. According to a report by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), one-third of total employment in Australia is […]

SPEND BIG but reduce your costs

December 13, 2018

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Your choice on how to pay for these items can impact your future financial state. All of us will go through some momentous events throughout our life time, many of which will cost a small (or large!) fortune. Isn’t it ironic that many of life’s most exciting occasions can be the most stressful and expensive? Working out the best way […]

Been on the market for a while? Tips to get it moving.

November 28, 2018

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In this current market, properties are moving slower than they were a few years ago.  While some pockets of WA are moving quickly, we are generally finding that some properties are taking longer to sell than others. So what are your options if your house is taking longer to sell than you expected? We asked […]

DON’T TURN AFTERPAY INTO AFTER-PAYN!

November 16, 2018

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ANY KEEN SHOPPER HAS PROBABLY COME ACROSS THE MODERN-DAY LAY-BUY SERVICE (BUY NOW 4 PAY LATER) CALLED AFTERPAY. BUT BUYERS BEWARE – THE PERCEIVED ‘SMALLER’ COST OF INSTALMENTS OVER SEVERAL WEEKS MAY GIVE YOU A FALSE SENSE OF FINANCIAL COMFORT WITH YOUR NEW SHOPPING DELIGHT! Afterpay and ZipPay are the two most known in Australia but there are similar […]

Who owns your extra mortgage payments?

October 11, 2018

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We are constantly told to “Make extra payments on your loan. Pay your loan off”. But if you have made extra payments, when times get tough and you need to redraw, could you? According to a recent Household Financial Comfort Report* more Australians are feeling strapped for cash and are being forced to dip into their savings to cover the […]

The real world... Life after GRADUATION

September 26, 2018

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Congratulations! There you are in your cap and gown, degree in hand. This is what you’ve been working towards these past few years. So… what’s next? Completing tertiary study can be both the most exciting AND daunting time of a graduate’s life. Some may head off for post study travel (read our article about ‘debt lag’!) but for most, graduation marks the transition […]

CHANGES TO CREDIT REPORTING… What you NEED to know!

August 23, 2018

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Does it seem like the finance world is dominating the news at the moment? Between the ongoing Royal Commission and the recent federal budget we wouldn’t really blame you if you were starting to ‘switch off’ to finance news. Is there a problem with ‘switching off’? Well possibly -especially if changes in the finance world that […]