News
RBA Increases Cash Rate To 0.35%
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) increased the cash rate by 0.25 percentage points; taking the historically low cash rate to 0.35%. An increase in the cash rate causes the interest rates on variable-rate mortgages to go up as well, as most lenders, including major...
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Flood Relief Packages For 2022 | What Support Is Available?
The major banks in Australia have announced their financial relief packages for customers affected by significant flooding across southeast Queensland and parts of northern New South Wales. The following services are now available to customers whose finances the current floods...
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Home Guarantee Scheme Price Caps Increasing For 2022-23
The government has announced higher price caps for 2022-23 for parts of its expanded Home Guarantee Scheme, which includes the First Home Guarantee (formerly the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme), the Family Home Guarantee and the proposed new Regional Home Guarantee. (Note:...
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2022 RBA Interest Rate Forecast: Bad News For The Property Market?
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is finally considering hiking its cash rate, for the first time in more than a decade. The RBA has pushed its cash rate to record lows since 2011. When COVID-19 hit Australia in 2020, the central bank set its interest rate at 0.1 per cent,...
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Federal Budget 2022-23 | Home Guarantee Expands Into Regions
The 2022-23 federal budget had plenty for prospective home buyers, as the government announced expansions to its current home guarantee schemes, with a new regional home guarantee and other measures. There is also tax relief for low-to-middle-income families, plus new funding...
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$500 Million Victorian Homebuyer Fund | Who Can Apply?
On 8 October, Premier Dan Andrews revealed a $500 million Victorian Homebuyer Fund (VHF) to help 3,000 aspiring home buyers purchase a property in the state. The biggest benefit of the scheme is that you can buy a home in Victoria with a deposit as low as 5%. The Victorian...
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Interest Rate Buffers Are Going Up, To Bring Debt Levels Down
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) announced that it will increase the interest rate buffers banks use to assess the serviceability of home loans from 2.5% to 3%. The higher buffer rate will be in place from the end of October 2021. It is applicable only...
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NSW & Victoria In Lockdown: What Relief Measures Are Available?
Due to the spike of COVID-19 cases, NSW has extended its lockdown for two weeks until 11:59 pm on 30 July 2021. To keep updated about the latest lockdown restrictions, please visit NSW’s government website. Victoria has extended its current State of Emergency through...
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Family Home Guarantee – Is It Accessible By The Lower Class?
The new Family Home Guarantee scheme, allows single parents to buy a property with as little as a 2% deposit. The government acts as a guarantor to waive the need for the lender’s mortgage insurance. However, single parents fear that they could struggle to be approved for...
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Budget 2021: Support For First Home Buyers & Single Parents
The 2021/22 Federal Budget focuses largely on recovery, to plug remaining gaps in the Australian economy. The 2021 budget is here. It’s the second budget in just six months, following last year’s delayed COVID budget. It has a range of steps to support first-home buyers...
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