The Blog

Everyone has to deal with their money, and some of us do it better than others. If you think you’re a master of handling your personal finances — or you’ve never given a thought to your level of expertise — take a look at the points below. Your approach might not be as flawless as […]

The housing wealth gap between younger and older Australians is undeniably growing. Our newly published study attempts to find out how much it has grown by estimating the gap in the home equity of older people (Australians in their 50s) and younger people (Australians in their 30s) in 1997–98 and 2017–18.     Adjusted for […]

The ‘fixed-rate cliff’ has emerged as one of the biggest potential risks to housing market values, and overall stability in 2023. This article explains what the cliff is, and five must-know pieces of information that put the cliff into context.   What is the ‘fixed-rate cliff’? Mortgage rates fell dramatically during the pandemic. This was […]

It has been very well reported that many mortgage holders will soon be paying much higher interest rates when their fixed rate terms expire. It is estimated that $478 billion worth of fixed-rate mortgages is due to expire in 2023. In addition, borrowers may also have to navigate the end of an interest-only term, which […]

Australians saving a house deposit need to have tens of thousands of dollars more than they did just three years ago, even as prices fall in the market downturn. The savings required for a 20 per cent deposit ballooned during the pandemic property boom, which saw house prices skyrocket in Sydney and Melbourne, and are […]

Interest rates have risen sharply in recent months, which has influenced the ability of borrowers to pay their mortgages. While some borrowers built up buffers over the last couple of years in the form of early repayments and substantial savings while rates were at a historic low, others were not so lucky. Many borrowers who […]

The Banking Code Compliance Committee (BCCC) has revealed that it is conducting a follow-up review to check that banks have improved their practices since it released its 2021 loan guarantee report. The BCCC monitors banks’ compliance with the Banking Code of Practice, a rule book maintained by the Australian Banking Association (ABA) that sets out clear […]

Did you know that you have many options when it comes to deciding the entity that should own your new property? Most property buyers, even seasoned investors, default to simply buying the property in their own name, but this is not always the best and most financially savvy choice.     The legally recognised owner […]

Compared to the rest of the world, income inequality is not particularly high in Australia, nor is it getting much worse – until you include housing. Rising housing costs have dramatically widened the gap between what Australians on high and low incomes can afford. Rising home prices paired with plummeting rates of homeownership are driving up wealth […]

The number of borrowers switching lenders hit an all-time high in August last year, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics reporting home loans valued at $18.88 billion were refinanced, up 5.3 per cent on July. While rising interest rates are recognised as a key driver, borrowers also look to refinance to consolidate debt, release equity, […]

The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) Lending Indicators for November 2022 illuminated that new housing lending for the month fell 3.7 per cent for the month to $24.73 billion in new lending, marking the 10th consecutive month of declines. Lending to owner-occupiers dropped 3.8 per cent, slightly higher than the 3.6 per cent decrease in investor […]

Many Australians do not currently consider their main financial institution to be the one where they hold their mortgage. There has been a ‘conscious de-coupling’ of sorts, where loyalty is focused more on everyday banking and convenience than who holds the title to our greatest asset. According to RFI Global research, nearly 40 per cent of […]

Refinance volumes to continue I’M SEEING many of my clients purchasing, as it’s [still] a great time to buy at the moment. A lot of first home buyers are getting into the market and taking advantage of the record number of government grants and schemes, [but] we are also starting to do a lot of refinances for […]

An alarming share of recent homebuyers have admitted they got a little carried away in the frenzy of the recent housing boom and borrowed too much money. More than one in five homeowners across the country said they’ve now realised they should have borrowed less from the bank, according to the Finder.com.au polling. It’s the […]

Burnt by a perceived promise by the Reserve Bank of Australia that it would hold off increasing the official cash rate, Australians are losing trust in the institution and are now forecasting their own trends for the property market, a new study reveals. During the worst of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, RBA governor […]

Welcome to REB’s weekly round-up of the headline stories and news that are important not only for the real estate sector but also for the state of property in Australia more broadly. To compile this list, not only do we consider the week’s most-read stories and the news that matter to you, but we curate […]

Property digital-settlement platform PEXA has confirmed a mortgage refinance boom in the continuing rising cash-rate period, according to its latest Refinance Index. For the week ended 6 December — when the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) increased the cash rate by 25 bps to 3.10 per cent — the index revealed refinancing activity was 177.9 […]

The new bill aims to guarantee that payday lenders and consumer lease providers are not able to take more than 10 per cent of a person’s net income for loan repayments along with prohibiting these lenders from charging monthly fees for residual loan terms if the borrower repays early. In addition, the bill will see […]

Key takeaways There are many large and powerful institutions that have a vested interest in rising property prices. These include the government at all 3 levels as well as the banks. Government taxes and charges add 30% to the cost of new property. Property is too important to fail   There are many large and […]

Queensland broker, Carol King, at Loan Market Buderim raised concerns earlier this year when multiple single clients kept getting their loan applications denied because their full family benefits were not taken into consideration by multiple lenders. For example, one client who was a single mum, working full-time, and had four dependent children’s home loan application was not reviewed […]