Finance

Our finance guides break down property-related money issues in simple terms. We cover topics such as home loans, cash rates and financial planning.

Practical Tips on Compounding

By Pete Wargent on 10 Jul 2014 No Comments yet, your thoughts are very welcome

Most of us have heard about the concept of compound growth, the snowballing effect caused by growth upon growth. The anecdotes associated with this term tend to be mildly interesting but not particularly useful in a practical sense. What does it mean when it comes to an investment portfolio? ...

The Importance of Consumer Confidence to the Housing and Mortgage Markets

By CoreLogic RP Data on 2 Jul 2014 No Comments yet, your thoughts are very welcome

With the media focused on ‘doom and gloom’ for the property market over the past few weeks, Craig Mackenzie, who heads up RP Data’s corporate services division, takes us through the key drivers in the market. He explains that history and statistics tells us that there are two key drivers to the housing and related mortgage finance markets ...

Low Interest Rates to Continue to Underpin the Residential Markets – For Now

By Bis Shrapnel on 26 Jun 2014 No Comments yet, your thoughts are very welcome

According to leading property industry analyst and economic forecaster, BIS Shrapnel, the momentum in price growth that recently emerged is expected to continue to support prices in the forthcoming year but to a lesser extent in 2015/16. However, rising construction and the potential for oversupply in many markets will impact on prices ...

NSW is the Star Economy

By Pete Wargent on 25 Jun 2014 No Comments yet, your thoughts are very welcome

I've been arguing for a long time that New South Wales will be Australia's star economy of the coming decade. There are a number of reasons for that, including Sydney becoming a world class financial hub for Asia, and the harbour city becoming a self-sustaining jobs magnet, resulting in population growth and increased economic activity ...

ATO Stats Confirm Investors are still Missing out on Depreciation Deductions

By Bradley Beer on 4 Jun 2014 No Comments yet, your thoughts are very welcome

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) recently released statistics relating to claims made by Australian property investors for the 2011-2012 income year which illustrated that a number of owners of rental properties are entitled to a number of deductions when they complete their annual income tax assessment ...

Make Your Mortgage Disappear Quicker with an Interest Rate Discount

By Kristie Kwok on 22 Jan 2014 No Comments yet, your thoughts are very welcome

A small interest rate drop can significantly reduce the term of your mortgage, especially if you combine other interest saving strategies such as making fortnightly repayments, putting in extra payments whenever possible, and using an offset account ...