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 […]
Financial help for first-home buyers
Getting into home ownership is something nearly every Kiwi aspires to do. But it can be really daunting, and that’s something we’ve been helping people with for nearly 20 years. Building your deposit up to a meaningful level is often the hard part. Here are some options that might help. And no, you don’t necessarily […]
Top 10 things to look for in a co-ownership mortgage
Husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends have been doing co-ownerships for years – it’s nothing new. However, what is new is that friends, family, and others can now buddy up to purchase a house together. Being able to pool your resources is becoming increasingly necessary because property prices and interest rates are high, making it […]
With auction rooms empty, now is your chance
If you are interested in getting into the property market, and you have the means to do so, now is the time. The real estate market in Auckland is ripe for owner-occupiers whether they be first-time home buyers or people looking to upgrade. Think about it, there are a few factors that are contributing to […]
A real estate expert’s tips for landing your first home
We’ve worked with more than 1,000 first home buyers over the last ten years and we know that, when it comes to landing your first home, knowledge and being prepared is power!
That’s why we asked experienced real estate agent, William Tatana, for his advice on what first home buyers need to know to be successful.
Will having a flatmate help you buy your first home?
First home buyers often wonder aloud about whether or not the bank will include flatmates in their mortgage affordability calculation. Will that ‘income’ let you get a bigger mortgage and a flasher house? Or even just get a house at all? Here’s the rules with the most important one at the top: If you can […]
LVR changes? First home buyers, sorry, they mean diddly squat to you
You’re probably well aware that the RBNZ removed the LVR restrictions on 30th April 2020. What you might not realise is that this was done so that the mortgage relief being granted to people as a result of Covid-19 (mortgage holidays etc), didn’t result in breaches of the then restrictions. The media obviously picked up the story and […]
INCOME: Why quality’s (almost) more important than quantity right now
Bigger is better right? The more the merrier too? In a financial context both make a lot of sense. When you think about borrowing money for a mortgage in the Auckland market, the more income you’ve got then the better your chances of getting that mortgage. That’s obvious. However, the Covid-19 situation has brought one […]
First Home Buyers: Your deposit will come back
Unfortunately, community transmission of Covid-19 has been widespread amongst KiwiSaver funds. Balanced and growth funds have taken the biggest beating, but even the really conservative funds have had a few grazes. Unless you’ve been off the grid for all of lockdown, none of that is news to you. But if you’re an eager first home […]
How much can I borrow?
It’s rather appealing. The idea of punching a few numbers into an online mortgage calculator and getting an instant answer about whether or not you’re good to go on the mortgage front. Our slick market research (5 minutes of Googling) told us that people are searching hard out online in the hopes of getting an […]
