J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Oct 27, 2011, 5:20 am
The good news for first home buyers is that there are still opportunities to take advantage of government grants. The key is knowing exactly what you’re entitled to, and for how much longer. The opportunities for gaining a first home owner's grant have been reducing in recent times, but there are ...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Oct 14, 2011, 3:16 am
The current traditional property spring selling season this year has been all about brand new property, with more buyers considering new homes and off-the-plan property in favour of existing property. As a result, the real estate industry will find that mortgage figures will increase but existing h...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Oct 12, 2011, 3:16 am
At the moment, most of Brisbane’s best opportunities currently available are for properties in high growth areas bought off the plan. Many buyers and investors find the process of buying an investment from a brochure, virtually sight unseen, a little confronting. But it shouldn’t have to be that...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Oct 6, 2011, 2:45 am
Should you rent or buy? Should you upgrade to a bigger home or stay put? Should you borrow against your home to buy an investment property - and when should you make your move? Making your first home purchase, moving to a larger or smaller home, and investing in property – these are big financial ...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Oct 6, 2011, 2:41 am
Australia's housing supply could be short by half a million homes within ten years. Changing this requires reform to reduce the tax burden on new housing, speed up land release, and improve the approvals processes. The Housing Industry Association (HIA), the voice of Australia’s residential buildi...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Oct 3, 2011, 5:26 am
As a result of the strong population growth in Western Australia, HIA estimates that as at June 2011, Western Australia’s cumulative housing shortage was 32,600 homes. In order to house the additional population as well as eliminate the already existing housing shortage, Western Australia will ne...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Sep 27, 2011, 6:58 pm
Data for the world's cities rental returns from the Global Property Guide has shown that Sydney sits at the seventh highest in the world at present for gross rental yield. (This is what a landlord can expect as return on his investment before taxes, maintenance fees and other costs.) The properties...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Sep 26, 2011, 8:06 pm
Westpac has cut its fixed rates on its home loans, taking its three-year interest rate to 6.44%. The bank has cut rates on its three-year Premium Advantage Package fixed rate home loan by 15bps, and has cut its one and two-year products by 20bps to 6.49%. Westpac is also discounting its variable ra...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Sep 26, 2011, 8:02 pm
... key financial-stress indicators suggest most households are comfortably shouldering the economic slowdown, with many paying down debt as they cut spending. Most economists expect the official interest rate to stay on hold at 4.75% until after Christmas unless the global market meltdown acceler...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Sep 7, 2011, 12:39 am
Mortgage loan borrowers have responded to the aggressive cutting of fixed home loan interest rates over the past couple of months by refinancing their home loans. Mortgage aggregator AFG reported yesterday that 38% of mortgage loans sold in August 2011 went to borrowers refinancing and 9.4% of home ...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Sep 5, 2011, 11:26 pm
Australians are taking advantage of the strong dollar to holiday overseas in record numbers and damaging the local economy. "If retailers want to know where all their customers have gone, they just need to visit the international air terminal," CommSec chief economist Craig James said. "Not only are...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Sep 1, 2011, 6:24 am
Investing in property can be the pathway towards financial freedom – or financial ruin! To give your property pursuits the best chance of success, here are the top 10 most common mistakes made by investors. 1. Putting it off You keep thinking you have “no time” or you’re “waiting for th...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Aug 24, 2011, 8:41 pm
You’ve found the property that you want, so how can you get a good deal. Here are a few tips from RP Data on how to take a strong negotiating position when purchasing a property. 1.Back up your offers with evidence Offer the vendor clear and straightforward reasoning for the terms of your offers.&...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Aug 23, 2011, 11:05 pm
Potential property investors should always buy when the market is soft, one economist has claimed. Speaking at the 2011 Aussie Sales Conference in Melbourne yesterday, BT Financial chief economist Chris Caton said investors always enjoy great returns on their properties when the market is soft. “D...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Aug 22, 2011, 11:04 pm
With the state government’s $10,000 new home buyer incentive now available from 1 August for owner occupier and investors alike, builders & selling agents of new residential dwellings in QLD are reporting a significant lift in buyer enquiry. The early feedback is that the $10,000 Boost is already ...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Aug 3, 2011, 8:32 pm
In his latest book, Michael Yardney reveals his eight golden rules for property investing. Here we summarise those rules, and show you how financial, tax and legal systems can be set up for success. It doesn’t take a lot of capital to get going in property. You could start with your home and, as...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Aug 3, 2011, 7:31 am
1. Australia's strongest performing suburb for 12-month median house price growth was Ashfield, Queensland. The suburb, near Bundaberg, recorded growth of 71.1 per cent, jumping up from $225,000 to $385,000. 2. Australia's strongest performing suburb for 12-month median unit growth was Stockton, Ne...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Planning - Jul 28, 2011, 1:52 am
A self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) can be a vehicle to help you take full control of your retirement with property, but David Hasib of Chan and Naylor says investors must know what they're in for prior to setting one up: 1. To set up a viable SMSF it's wise to have at least $200,000 in your e...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Jul 14, 2011, 4:04 am
According to the latest Bankwest/MFAA Home Finance Index, one in four Australians have refinanced their mortgage loan in the past two years, while 14.2% had refinanced in the previous year. MFAA chief executive Phil Naylor said “In times of economic uncertainty, people with mortgages are looking a...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Planning - Jul 14, 2011, 3:59 am
More than five million Australians will earn more interest on their savings in banks, building societies and credit unions, under a government proposal to halve the tax paid on the interest they receive. Instead of paying $160 in tax on $10,000 of savings in a bank account that earns 5 per cent inte...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Jul 10, 2011, 6:09 am
Thinking for the longer term can help property investors with their tax planning from one year to the next. As an investor, here’s one way you may be able to claim a tax deduction. By prepaying the interest on your investment loan now for the next 12 months you may be able to claim a tax deducti...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Jul 10, 2011, 6:04 am
A new report from BIS Shrapnel has found that Australian property prices are expected to remain steady in 2011 and grow moderately over the next two years. It also points to Sydney, Perth and Brisbane as the cities likely to record the fastest residential property growth in the next three years. ...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Jun 29, 2011, 8:15 am
According to AFG, Australia’s largest mortgage broker, sales for May 2011 are back to within just 1.7% of May 2010 figures. Property investor activity in the current market has contributed to an 18.8% increase in mortgage sales during the month of May 2011. “Property investment has remained at...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Jun 27, 2011, 6:38 am
Australian Property Monitors, a part of Fairfax, has just released some encouraging home loans data for April. This article analyses that data and examines what it means for the property market. Double the number of home loans were approved in April than the market expected, with Queensland showing...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Jun 16, 2011, 7:26 am
Reserve Bank Governor Glenn Stevens has reiterated that further interest rate hikes may be on the horizon. In a speech to a Brisbane luncheon for the Economic Society of Australia, Stevens said the RBA expects inflation to continue to rise, and that further tightening of monetary policy could be ne...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Jun 2, 2011, 6:05 am
A recent report highlighted the multitude of home loan options on the market. Here are some tips to negotiate the mortgage maze of over 2,000 home loan products to find the right one for you. CHOICE, the largest independent consumer organisation in Australia, makes a very interesting statement abou...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Planning - May 29, 2011, 11:58 pm
A recently released report by global real estate firm Knight Frank and Citi Private Bank highlights the important part that property plays in the lives of the wealthy. The report looks at the property habits of those who have fortunes of more than $100 million and found that these wealthy individua...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - May 29, 2011, 11:56 pm
Landlords are poised to see further increase in rents as the market continues to remain slow. According to the latest information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the value of new housing finance commitments fell in March, dropping by 1.6 per cent in trend terms and 0.1 per cent in seasona...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - May 25, 2011, 10:20 pm
According to the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia the answer to that question is simple. Whenever it makes good financial sense for you to do so. In the past, most people who took out a mortgage loan doggedly continued with it until they had paid it off. These days, people refinance t...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - May 18, 2011, 7:47 am
Genworth Financial has expanded its hardship solutions package for borrowers that are struggling to get back on their feet due to the natural disasters. The new package expands existing initiatives to support extended loss of income, offering a range of repayment break options such as a 50% repay...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - May 10, 2011, 11:07 pm
House prices are expected to endure a relatively flat period over the coming 12 months, unlike the rental market. National house prices are expected to remain flat over the coming 12 months, with only 0.6 per cent growth forecasted. Western Australia is expected to lead the charge, with 1.1 per ...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - May 10, 2011, 4:22 am
Under new proposed laws, all mortgage loan applicants will receive an easy-to-read one page summary of their home loan features, including information about where to find reputable comparison data on their competitor’s mortgage products. That reform came from government research that revealed ...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Planning - May 5, 2011, 7:56 am
When considering your investment be sure that you understand your reasons for purchasing an investment property. Remember that you are investing to secure your financial independance, which means you want to create a passive income and build equity. Many people try to pick the market cycle but never...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - May 5, 2011, 7:54 am
Smart investors categorise property borrowings in two ways, as productive debt and non-productive debt. Productive debt is used to purchase assets that will grow in value and help contribute to financial independence. Non-productive debt is for consumable items that don't increase in value or provid...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - May 3, 2011, 11:13 pm
Source: Treasurer and Minister for State Development and Trade, The Honourable Andrew Fraser, 01/04/2011 Credit ratings agency Standard and Poor's has singled out Queensland's 'excellent financial management' and 'very strong and diversified economy' in its latest assessment of the state's finances....
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Apr 29, 2011, 6:20 am
 Some people prefer to invest in houses rather than apartments, as they know that it is land that appreciates and so they often ask for where they should be looking, as brand new houses (with tax benefits and low maintenance) are actually very hard to find in Australia if you want to get a complete...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Apr 18, 2011, 7:08 am
According to the latest ING Direct Financial Wellbeing Index, household bills are rising at double the rate of inflation. Bills have risen by 7.5% over the past 12 months - more than twice the official rate of inflation.
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Apr 15, 2011, 6:05 am
A recent survey has revealed that rising rents are the motivation behind more than 50 per cent of those surveyed wanting to buy in the next two years. The Mortgage Choice Future First Homebuyer Survey revealed potential buyers were also keen to set themselves up for the future. The biggest concern a...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Apr 14, 2011, 7:14 am
According to the Australian Property Monitors’ Rental Price Series Quarterly Report, unit rental prices in Australia rose by 2.3% throughout the March 2011 quarter, reflecting high demand in most of the capital cities. In Sydney, median asking rents for houses rose 1.0 per cent to $485, while ...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Apr 11, 2011, 6:36 am
Low doc loans are still allowed under responsible lending guidelines but should not be given to employed people said the financial ombudsman last week. The Financial Ombudsman Service issued a circular to members setting out its view of financial service providers’ responsible lending obligati...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Mar 28, 2011, 6:39 am
According to experts RP Data the number of suburbs with a median price over $1 million increased to 212 suburbs nationwide. This is despite below average sales volumes during 2010. During 2010, 212 suburbs across the country recorded a median price of $1 million as at the end of December. Importantl...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Mar 28, 2011, 6:34 am
According to a new study by the National Land Survey Program, at the end of last year, just three out of 10 lots for sale in new housing estates were accessible to average-income first home buyers. In Melbourne, just 26% of lot sales met the first home buyer affordability benchmark of $200,000 �...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Mar 22, 2011, 8:01 am
Home loan arrears of 90 days or more past due rose significantly in the December 2010 quarter and may increase further if the Australian property market becomes stagnant, said Fitch, in its report on Australian mortgage arrears for the quarter. Arrears over 90 days rose to 0.54 per cent in the fourt...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Mar 17, 2011, 11:30 pm
Good news for property investors - rents in Australia are set to rise a solid 7% in 2011. During the last three months of 2010, rents in Australian capital cities increased by 1.4%; they rose 4.2% during the year. Rents in regional markets did not change during the quarter, rising just 2.9% througho...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Mar 13, 2011, 12:56 am
The mortgage market slumped in January 2011 according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), with the value of dwelling commitments down more than 5% from the previous month. Data from the ABS shows that (on a seasonally adjusted basis), the number of dwellings financed fell 4.5 per cent, fro...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Planning - Mar 7, 2011, 5:12 am
One of the myths of the credit card market is that only a minority of cardholders carry a balance on their cards from one month to the next. In fact the opposite is true. According to Reserve Bank credit card figures, the “revolve rate” on cards is 72% (the revolve rate is the finance industry...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Mar 3, 2011, 7:02 am
Recent research by the Real Estate Institute of Queensland, on buyer and seller behaviour, found capital growth was the top reason for buying an investment property in Queensland for 74 per cent of buyers. The next most common reasons to buy investment property were to fund retirement, for negative ...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Mar 3, 2011, 7:01 am
Australia’s residential property rental market is expected to see increases of up to 7 per cent during the course of 2011 - according to market analyst RP Data. Rents in Australian capital cities increased by 1.4 per cent during the last three months of 2010 and rose by 4.2 per cent during last ye...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Services - Feb 24, 2011, 12:53 am
When was the last time you reviewed your home loan against what else is available? With careful research, you may be able to save thousands by refinancing or renegotiating your home loan. With interest rates on the rise, we all need to ensure we’ve got the best home loan for our needs. Whilst some...
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J D. posted an article on Intellichoice Financial Planning - Feb 19, 2011, 3:52 am
The Financial Wellbeing Index measures people's financial wellbeing in relation to six focus areas. Here are the key findings in Quarter 3 (September – December 2010)  Aussie households have reported feeling less comfortable across the six focus areas of: credit card and mortgage debt, savings, i...
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