Our commentary on issues important to home owners, investors and borrowers
There are a few ways to structure your home loan repayments. Finding the best option may save you time and money on your mortgage. Here is some information to help you choose the repayment structure that works best for you.
Read MoreIn what has been described as “an opportunistic attempt to to reduce competition in the Australian mortgage market”, CBA CEO Matt Comyn has disingenuously led the Royal Commission Into Financial Services Industry to form the view that Mortgage Brokers are paid trailing commissions, but not required to do any work to receive them.
Read MoreThe peak body for Mortgage Brokers, the MFAA has issued a strong defence of the current lending industry structure following bad publicity emanating from the Royal Commission into the banking sector. Whilst nearly all of the bad behaviour exposed by the Commission has fallen directly at the feet of the banks, some of the major banks have tried to use the commission as an opportunity to wrest back control of the lending market.
Read MoreWhile the arrangement of finance is central to the process of mortgage broking it is so much more than filling in forms and choosing the lowest initial interest rate. A good broker helps their client with the overall process of buying a property. They act as advocate, project manager, assist with the assessment of financial risk, and liaise with solicitors, real estate agents and the bank's back office to make settlements happen on time.
Read MoreLoanscape is your information resource about lending and property.
Combined dwelling values have re-accelerated across the nation in February, with all mainland capitals soaring in value. It probably comes as no surprise that Perth claimed the top spot by gaining a whopping 1.8% for the month
Loanscape has today released its Borrowing Capacity Index for Q1/2024. It shows that the borrowing capacities of Australian individuals and families continue to decline. The more modest decline in the size of average loans being taken confirms that lower income borrowers are being disproportionately impacted by interest rate hikes: the family income required to qualify for the average loan in Australia is now 32% higher than 18 months ago.
The end of the year is fast approaching, with most capitals experiencing a strong recovery on dwelling values from the downturn that culminated at the start of 2023.
The recovery is mainly due to an influx of immigration and constricted supply, which the Government is trying to remedy with its ambitious goal of building 1.2 million homes by 2029 through HAFF.
In this months report, the $10bn Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) has finally passed the Senate after the Labor Government struck a deal with the Greens to add another $1bn for public and community housing. The HAFF plans to build 30,000 social and affordable homes in the next five years; though, national spokesperson for Everybody’s Home, Maiy Azize says it won’t solve the existing “shortfall of 640,000 homes”.
In this months news, CoreLogic’s Mapping the Market tool shows rent values rose in over 90% of Australian markets over the last 12 months, with Adelaide and Perth’s suburbs topping the list.
In response, the National Cabinet has introduced new measures to counter the rising housing crisis, including a New Home Bonus, a Housing Support Program and a National Planning Reform Blueprint.
It has also agreed to A Better Deal for Renters, which will streamline renters’ rights across the nation with consistent policies for eviction grounds, rental standards and limits on rent increases.
Loanscape has today released its Borrowing Capacity Index for Q2/2024. It shows that the borrowing capacities of Australian individuals and families have stabilised after the sharp decline over the past 2 years. Lower income borrowers continue to be disproportionately impacted by interest rate increases: the family income required to qualify for the average size loan in Australia is 35% higher than 2 years ago.