Housing affordability the best it’s been since 1999: HIA
Great news for home buyers – housing affordability is the best it’s been since 1999, according to new data released by the nation’s peak housing and building body.
What the cash rate cuts mean for other areas of your finance
Whenever the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) changes the official cash rate we all hear about how it will impact home loans. But it affects many other areas of finance and the economy, which we’ll look into today.
RBA goes back-to-back with cash rate cuts
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has cut the official cash rate by 25 basis points to a new record low of 1%. Yep, that’s right, back-to-back rate cuts within just one month.
Granny flat could boost your property value by 30%
Backyard cricket pitch not getting much of a workout these days? Sick of your weekends being taken up with mowing and gardening? Installing a granny flat could be a lucrative solution – boosting the value of your home by 30% and adding around 27% to rental income.
How to find a bank with strong corporate social responsibility
Yes, we’re well aware that this may sound like an oxymoron to some! But cheeky jokes aside, this is a question we’ve been increasingly receiving. So today we thought we’d look into what good corporate social responsibility means, and how you can find it in a bank.
Is the housing market finally about to reach rock bottom?
‘Are we there yet?’ That seems to be the million dollar question on everyone’s lips. Today we’ll take a look at whether or not the property market is finally starting to stabilise, as well as when we might start seeing some positive changes in the market.
Getting hounded by ATO impersonators? Don’t get scammed this tax season
Tax time is just around the corner, which means ATO impersonators are pulling out their bag of tricks to try and scam you. Here are the main scams currently doing the rounds.
Will lenders pass on the RBA rate cut to you?
The RBA has cut the official cash rate to a new record low of 1.25%. But hang on a sec… Will lenders even pass on the cut in full? Today we’ll look at how you can make the RBA rate cut work for you.
Your home is not perfect: the value of pest and building inspections
They say that home is where the heart is. And it’s true that we spend so much of our time, money and emotions in our homes. So it can be hard to truly look at them and think that something could be wrong.
APRA suggests banks relax key lending criteria
Here’s a bit of good news: you may be able to borrow more for your next home loan after the prudential regulator sent a letter to the banks asking them to relax a key lending criteria.