Home buying guides
If you’re in the market for a new home, here’s the place where you can brush up on all the must-know financial lingo and home buying essentials in one place. You can read these guides one by one and become a home buying guru or jump to a topic that best suits your home buying questions and needs.
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Buying in an inflated market
When was the last time you looked at how the Australian dollar is fairing on the market? May be on the rise, but according to foreign investors, it’s still pretty low. What does that mean to you and I? Everything. From lower currency exchange when travelling overseas to inflated prices on average items we buy, day to day.
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Buying off the plan financial must knows
So you’re thinking about buying off the plan. That’s wonderful! The anticipation of waiting to see your new home or investment property come to fruition would be part nerve-wracking and part-exciting at the the same time. But, will it be as spectacular as the artist’s impression? Will it be as spacious as you initially thought? Will the builder commit to construction till the very end?
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Home buying mistakes to avoid
Are you sometimes a little rash when making big decisions? Or are you a careful planner that researches for hours, days, months before making an important move like buying a house?
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Home buying negotiation tips
Whether you’re a novice home buyer or seasoned pro, investing in property can be a perplexing time and sometimes confusing. When is the best time to buy anyway? There’s a buying trend we need to follow, right?
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Home loan pre approval
If you’ve made it to the pre-approval stage of the property buying process it means you’re nearing the finish line. Congrats!
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Home loan repayments - how much can I afford to repay?
If you’re thinking about purchasing a property, before you start eyeing off that penthouse suite the first thing you should think about is how much you can realistically afford to repay each month, as this will ultimately determine the amount you should borrow.
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Home Loan Repayments: Monthly versus weekly
Have you ever considered the frequency with which you pay off your home loan? Most people choose to line up their home loan repayments with their pay check and it is a relatively smart idea, but you could be paying off more on your home loan every year if you switched to paying on a fortnightly or weekly basis, and it doesn’t have to put a major strain on your budget.
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How much can I borrow?
Is the Australian property market calling your name but you are unsure of your borrowing power? This guide is here to help. We’ll run you through all the major costs involved with purchasing a property, to give you a clear idea of how much you can afford to borrow and what you’ll need to budget for. Start by...
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How much deposit do I need for a home loan?
While buying a property is an exciting time, what’s not exciting is getting your head around all the home buying number crunching. Even before you need to think about what your loan repayment costs will be or how much stamp duty you’ll need to pay, you’ll need to save up a deposit.
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How to get a home loan
You’ve probably heard that the key to landing your first home is taking out a mortgage but what exactly is the process and how can you find the best home loan deal for you?
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Is Spring really your property season?
We’ve all heard the advice and read the headlines about how property dreams are made in spring. It’s supposedly the best time of the year to sell and buy, but depending on your circumstances, that may not be entirely true. If you’re about to take the step towards buying or selling your home but you’re still unsure if it’s the right move for you, a good old pro and con list can help you.
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Old vs new - what type of property should you go for?
Hmmm, let’s see. Do you go for old world charm, or new and fancy? Is it an historical beauty with unending character you’re after, or fresh, clean corners for the uncluttered lifestyle you crave? It’s hard when you’re torn between two worlds and have a soft spot for both, but in the end you’ve got to choose. Then again, if you purchase the federation style you’ve loved forever, you could always put some cashola aside to renovate as you please. Style combo here we come! It’s vintage chic, dontcha know?
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Sealing the home loan deal
That moment when the real estate agent hands over the keys to your new property is priceless. But before you get to the final approval stage and land yourself a standout home loan deal, there are a few things you’ll need to do.
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The 5 must-do building checks
So you’ve scoured the postcode of your dreams and inspected what seems to be an unending amount of properties to come to the end of the road. House after house, hour after hour. And finally, a place you can soon call home.
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Tips for buying at auction
We’re so excited for you. You’ve finally found the house of your dreams! It has a gorgeous fruit bearing apple tree in the garden, marble kitchen bench top and stain-glass windows you’ve always wanted. But what are you doing going to the auction with an empty bank balance? We’ve got enough tips and traps to tell you, enough to fill up a pantry anyway. Read on to see how you can better arm yourself before going to auction.
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Why buying your home beats renting
Do you want to purchase a property for living? Or would you buy it as an investment instead? Owner-occupier works really well if you have a dual income household with one of you earning more than the average salary. But if you’re a single income household, or dual income both with average salaries, your attitude toward buying vs renting may vary. Let’s have a closer look:
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