How many of us know what it actually costs us to run our lives? Such a simple thing but the answer is often unknown, I am inviting you to have a think about it. Because, at the end of the day, it gives you certainty and there’s comfort in that – and it lets you […]
Getting a deposit together, your options
One of the key criteria to buying a home is to have a deposit & enough money to cover your stamp duty and legal fees, if you already own a property hopefully there’s enough equity to draw upon to cover your new purchase, or, perhaps you’re considering selling to release the equity that way. […]
5 Tips to knowing if your Nest Egg is in good shape
5 Tips to knowing if your Nest Egg is in good shape (guest post by Kate Hillas) What is a Nest Egg and why have one? The term “Nest Egg” means different things to different people. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as “a sum of money saved for the future”. We are now talking about […]
What’s your property really worth?
I’ve written about this recently for Proadviser, and I thought I would add to the conversation over here. Property valuations are one of the trickiest aspects of my job, in that they can cause the most grief. A poor valuation can ‘kill a deal’ meaning you can’t do what you wanted to do. […]
First Home Buyers: save your deposit or payoff your debts first?
A question that’s coming up a lot lately – if you are a first home buyer and you have a personal loan (or another debt) should you pay that off first or save for a deposit first? Lets look at this: Conventional wisdom says avoid paying interest and get rid of that loan first […]
The consolidation question – when consolidating your debts makes sense – and when it doesn’t
One smaller repayment sounds brilliant, but beware the pitfalls of consolidating your debts into your home loan, for you may forever be paying off that big weekend away from last month (or worse still that cute pair of heels). Juggling a variety of repayments to cover your credit cards, personal loan, car loan and […]
Single mums can buy property too (and probably should)
I have been asked to take a look at what options exist for mums who find themselves starting again in life. Most particularly newly separated mums although it applies to everyone buying property – and I’m extraordinarily proud of all of the women I have helped buy property on their own. Its a curious fact – and one I […]
Your own bank, sadly, is not likely to give you the best deal on your home loan
Alright we all need the banks – without them we couldn’t borrow any money, we wouldn’t be able to live in our beautiful homes, and remember those days when you had to carry cash, everywhere? So we won’t pick on them too much but there is an unavoidable fact – they’re mostly not looking to make […]
How your credit card could stop you buying your dream home
OK, scandalous headline – sorry about that, but there’s some truth in it I’m afraid. Credit cards are a brilliant tool if used effectively – I love them, I accumulate points like a madwoman with the aim of one day going somewhere fabulous. Tropical I think. I use my card for everything possible then pay […]
Compare Home Loans
Is it time to give your home loan it’s 80,000k service? Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could have a little sticker to remind us when to do a health check on our home loan? You know, compare home loans rates, check it’s still the right structure for us, see what we could do better. […]