Applying for a mortgage? Start the process now.
I was talking to one of my clients the other day, who told me that he’d be looking to increase his mortgage in March next year so he could buy a larger property for his growing family. “So, I’ll contact you in February,” he said. “Wrong!” I told him. “We need to get talking now, […]
Why we’re big fans of banking flexibility
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my many years as a mortgage advisor, it’s that not all bank products are created equal. While most banks offer similar interest rates, the devil truly lies in the details of their mortgage products. This is particularly evident when we look at the flexibility built into different banks’ […]
The property market – signs of life and what it means for buyers
With interest rates beginning their downward shift, some of you might be considering buying or selling – whether as first-time buyers or looking to make a move. I’ll go into a lot more detail about buying and selling in my February newsletter, but I reckon there are some important property market developments worth considering now. […]
Fixing your mortgage – certainty is key
Yes, you won’t be surprised to know that interest rates continue to dominate conversations with my clients, and one question keeps coming up: “Should I fix for six months or twelve months?” While we’ve discussed this before, we now have actual history of falling rates to compare, (see my chart below), allowing us to look […]
Latest Update: The glimmer of (interest rate) light at the end of the tunnel
If one topic has dominated my conversations with clients in the last few months, it’s interest rates. I know I’ve written about this before and am…
Talking to the experts – what’s really happening in the property market?
Let’s face it, we Kiwis are obsessed with property. It’s a national pastime, right up there with rugby and complaining about the weather. Whether…
Painting a picture
You’re ready to buy a home or extend your loan and have started looking into a mortgage. Like most people, you might assume it’s a pretty straightforward process—find a lender, fill out an application, and get approved, right? Not quite. The reality is that getting a mortgage in today’s heavily regulated lending environment is tough. […]
National scrapping the First Home Grant is not as bad as they say!
What was the First Home Grant? The First Home Grant (FHG) was a payment of between $5,000 and $10,000 that the government made to assist first-time home buyers in getting into a house. It had some eligibility criteria which were: This was payable to each borrower, so the Government could give borrowers a $20,000 bump […]
Latest update: Still waiting…
The other day, I was having coffee with a client when the conversation turned to interest rates, which isn’t unusual in my line of work. They looked at me over the café table and asked me the six-million-dollar question: ‘Why are we still waiting for interest rates to drop, Cam? When is it going to […]
When are interest rates going to drop?
Whenever I’m at a social occasion, I try to avoid talking about what I do because inevitably, I end up spending the rest of the evening listening to people’s opinions on Property and Interest Rates and politely indulging their questions. I also run the risk of inadvertently dishing out some financial advice when I’m six […]
