This week I’d like to share with you one of the most difficult conversations I have had in over 20 years in the finance industry. I don’t share this to worry you, but to make you think hard when you’re taking out a loan as to what you would do if the worst was to …
When it comes to taking out a home loan, self-employed income and employment is a little more complicated than for traditionally employed people. The trick is to be clear on what kind of employment you have. If you’re self-employed, you will have an Australian Business Number – usually called an ABN. You’re also responsible for …
Any lender will look at what type of employment you have, not just what income you get, when you apply for a loan. Your employment history gives them an indication of your likelihood to continue to work, and of course, pay your loan. Here is a guide to the main types of employment and how …
Full Time? Part Time? Or Casual—What’s the difference? Read More »
First home buyers will be aware of the Queensland Government’s First Home Owner’s Grant. Builders are advertising it, and lots of lenders are promoting it too. It certainly sounds like a great way to build a brand-new home and, available until 31st December, it is a generous offer from the government. The biggest hurdle for …
The best way to benefit from the First Home Owners Grant Read More »
Pre-Approvals, are they as helpful as they sound? Firstly, let’s just see what Pre-Approval actually means. Lenders will tell you to apply to them for a pre-approval which sounds like you’re sorted before you go house-hunting. But it literally means ‘at a stage before approval’, so, pre-approval creates no obligation whatsoever on the lender and …
Apartment living, especially in cities, is a modern, and often more affordable way of getting onto the property ladder. But I can’t stress enough how important it is to do a bit of home work first – lenders can be particular about what unit or apartment you’re trying to buy. As experts in the Cairns …
We would all like to think we have good manners, but when you haven’t done something before it can be confusing to know just what’s expected of you. Take looking at someone else’s home. We know it’s probably not OK to grab a beer from the fridge, but what else should we do? Give yourself …
You could be mistaken for thinking that a family guarantee is some sort of Mafia loyalty pledge – but it’s actually a really smart way for first home buyers to buy their first home. Everyone knows how difficult it can be for first home owners to save a deposit – and then there’s Lender’s Mortgage …
If you’ve made the decision to change from renting to buying your own home then congratulations! There are lots of benefits to owning your own home. Before you search for your perfect home it’s best to make sure you work out what you can afford. If you’re renting in Cairns, it’s likely that you’re paying …
There’s lots of jargon when you’re buying a home, and do you know what? You’ll only ever need to know what they mean when you’re going through the process. It can seem like the banks and solicitors have made up these words (and maybe they have) so let me make sense of one for you …