An offset account should reduce your interest bill automatically – but a new ASIC review shows that’s not something borrowers should simply take for granted. ASIC, the financial services regulator, reviewed eight banks representing more than 70% of Australia’s home loan market and found weaknesses in how all eight set up, monitored and managed offset
Help to Buy may make home ownership more achievable for some buyers, but it is different from a grant or loan guarantee. Buying a home usually means taking on the full purchase price yourself, with the help of a home loan. Help to Buy takes a different approach. Under the Australian Government’s shared equity scheme, up
For most landlords, insurance is something they hope they never need to use. But say a storm damages a roof, or a tenant decides to stop paying rent, the claims process becomes a moment that really matters… Understanding how a landlord insurance claim works can help set expectations and ensure claims are resolved as quickly
If you own a rental property that requires building cover, you will likely be asked by your insurer to nominate the building sum insured. It is vital you get this dollar figure right, otherwise you could risk under- or over-insurance. When we refer to the building sum insured, we mean the maximum amount payable under
Each month we pull together 10 insights impacting the investment property market. Property price outlook Realestate.com has released their property market outlook for June 2026– link will open in a new window. The report expects flat prices to continue through 2026, before beginning to grow again in 2027. Growth is forecast at 5.5% for 2027, following
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has left the cash rate unchanged at 4.35% following its August monetary policy meeting. Read the full statement here. There are tentative signs that inflation is heading in the right direction. Annual trimmed mean inflation – the RBA’s preferred measure – held steady at 3.6% in the 12 months
Three interest rate rises this year have changed the budgeting equation, but there are practical steps both homeowners and buyers can take. The Reserve Bank has lifted the cash rate by a combined 0.75 percentage points in 2026, and another increase later this year can’t be ruled out if inflation remains persistent. If you already
Many homeowners have built far more equity than they realise and that could translate into lower mortgage repayments. According to PropTrack, house prices rose over the year to June in 85% of suburbs across Australia, while unit prices increased in 90% of suburbs. Although prices have softened recently, many homeowners have built enough equity to
A growing number of homeowners are feeling the push to reassess their finances and hunt for better home loan deals, as rising living costs and high interest rates spell renewed pressure. Refinancing your home loan is essentially taking out a new home loan to pay off your existing loan. In periods of high inflation or
Perth’s property market is transitioning towards more balanced conditions after several years of extremely strong growth and rapid sales. According to the latest data from REIWA, active listings* for sale remained above 6,000 in July and the time to sell a home increased further. REIWA President Suzanne Brown said consumer sentiment had played a strong
