These are really concerning times and there is a whole lot of panic and fear around. The important thing here is to not let that fear consume us. There are ways through and around this, and we're all in it together. I want to share a word of warning around claiming financial hardship with your bank or lender. Please, only use it when it's [...]
There's a whole lot of panic talk at the moment and I don't like it. People are talking about recessions, stock market crashes, toilet paper hoarding - all kinds of stuff that makes our minds go into overload. So in the midst of all this craziness, I'm asking you to remain calm. Things are changing, there's no doubt about it. We need to be [...]
Brisbane's unit market has been a hot topic for the last five years or so. It's been oversupplied, unit values have dropped, demand has fallen as supply has increased dramatically. The market has under-performed and disappointed many unit owners and investors. It's important to note that we're only talking about units here. The housing market, on the whole, has been performing well and houses [...]
You know how at work you seem to have meetings over everything, well you need to have money meetings at home if you're serious about saving for a house... At work, some meetings are effective, some aren't so effective. It's your job to make sure your money meeting is effective. If you're saving with your partner, make sure you're both in attendance and fully [...]
The numbers don't lie. The property market is on the move, and it's heading up. Last weekend we saw a 46sqm double garage sell in a nice inner city Melbourne suburb for $645,500. That was $245,500 over reserve. The auction clearance rate in Sydney was 84%, Melbourne was 77%, Brisbane was 64%, all of which are way over the 57%, 55% and 38% respectively [...]
There is something so amazing about watching someone crushing it. Someone doing something so well that it just leaves you in awe and inspired to go out and do something great yourself. It's even better when it's one of your mates who is doing it - and even better again if it's you doing it! So who, in your world, is doing something amazing? [...]
Every day I talk to people who want to buy property - as a home or an investment. Some are desperately saving for their first home. Some are keen to upgrade to get more space. Others want to adventure and live somewhere new. Others are wanting to build wealth and security through investing in property. Some of those are in a strong financial position [...]
So you want to buy a home. Do you really? How badly? Badly enough to modify your spending habits, tone down your social life, cut back on your excesses? Chances are high that you will have to do all three to save your deposit. And then you will have the next 30 years or so to pay it off. Is it still so appealing? [...]
No matter how eager you are to buy your first home, there are a few things you need to do before you’re ready to bid or start negotiating. 1. Know what you can pay The lender will assess your borrowing capacity based on what you earn, owe, spend and own. They won’t lend you more than their algorithms tell them you can manage. But [...]
I’m often asked what are the most important things that I’ve learnt throughout my time of buying property, so I thought I’d share them with you. Set your goal. Figure out what you want and how much it will cost. Create a vision board, write it in detail in a book, visualise it. How many bedrooms and bathrooms? A “fixer-upper” or an “already done-upper”? [...]
