Australia’s top-selling vehicles in 2021
Australia’s top-selling vehicles in 2021 It was a wheel-to-wheel race to the finish between the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger to be crowned 2021 champion. Toyota HiLux had 52,801 new vehicles sold, very closely followed by the Ford Ranger (50,279 new cars sold). And get this: with 1,049,831 new cars sold across Australia in 2021, […]
Young Aussies becoming business owners
Young Aussies becoming business owners Young Aussies are starting to realise that you don’t have to bootstrap your way into starting up a business. If you’ve ever dreamt about starting your own business, now might be a perfect time. We’ve recently seen a big jump in Millennials and Gen Zs who are saving up and […]
Up to 4,600 first home buyer guarantees back up for grabs
Want to buy your first home with a 5% deposit and pay no lenders’ mortgage insurance? You could be in luck – the government will soon reissue up to 4,651 unused Home Guarantee Scheme spots. First home buyers who use the Home Guarantee Scheme fast track their property purchase by 4 to 4.5 years on […]
Prepare to pay more when interest rates rise
Prepare to pay more when interest rates rise After 18 straight RBA cash rate cuts it can be easy to dismiss the notion interest rates might rise again. But if the cash rate returned to mid-2019 levels, how much extra would an average new mortgage holder expect to pay each month? They say what goes […]
APRA tightens lending rules
Lending rules get tightened The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) will increase the minimum interest rate buffer it expects banks to use when assessing the serviceability of home loan applications from 2.5% to 3%. This means that banks will have to test whether new borrowers would still be able to afford their mortgage repayments if home loan […]
Loyalty tax: are you paying it?
What is the loyalty tax? The RBA has revealed in new data confirming that banks charge existing customers more interest on their homes loans than new clients. You see, the banks don’t think you’re paying attention, and as such, they only offer their lowest rates going to new customers in a bid to win them […]
Extra costs when buying a home
Extra costs when buying a home Building inspections, borrowing costs, insurance, and legal fees are just a few of the unwanted extra costs when buying a home. According to research from Finder, the average Australian buying a home may pay more than $6,000 in unexpected up-front costs. To ensure you’re not surprised by any charges, […]
FHBs entering market with 5% deposit
Options for First Home Buyers to purchase with a 5% deposit Three-in-five prospective first home buyers intend to buy soon with a smaller deposit, rather than wait until they have saved 20%. So how do they plan on doing so? It usually takes between seven to 14 years for first home buyers to save a […]
Refinancing figures are skyrocketing
Refinancing figures are skyrocketing Why are so many people currently refinancing? Should you consider doing so too? The answer is yes, absolutely. We’re currently seeing people refinance their home loans, more than ever before. And the ABS figures prove we are not imagining things with refinanced home loan figures reaching an all-time high of $17.2 billion – more […]
Government schemes help First Home Buyers
Government Schemes help FHB’s Thanks to two government schemes that give first home buyers a leg up into the property market, almost 33,000 Australians bought their first home four years sooner. Could you, or someone you know, be eligible? We love a feel-good news story around here, and hearing that so many FHB’s got a […]
Popular government schemes, extended
Popular government schemes extended One-year extensions have been granted for the full asset write-off and loss carry-back government schemes. Which is great news for small businesses who can to write off the full value of assets purchased until 30 June 2023. The popular scheme, called ‘Temporary Full Expensing’, is an expanded version of the popular […]
The best day to auction your property
The best day to auction your property Drive around your local suburb mid-morning on a Saturday and chances are you’ll pass a few freshly banged-up ‘Auction’ signs. But is Saturday the best day to auction your home? You’ve probably got a mate or two whose favourite dinner party story is the time they crushed all […]
Are house prices slowing?
Are House Prices Slowing Down? It appears that the Aussie property market is starting to lose momentum after having reached record-breaking highs this past year. Home values grew by 16.1% recently according to CoreLogic’s latest Hedonic Home Value Index, but there are signs that the growth rate is starting to taper. Signs of a slow down […]
Asset finance figures spike
Demand for asset finance spikes Australian businesses continue to kick back into gear, with asset finance figures revealing a huge 187% rise in light commercial vehicle purchases, pointing to signs of continued business recovery. The spike in business asset finance figures was driven by sales of all classes of vehicles, no doubt partly due to […]