5 Ways to Save Money on Your Home Loan

One of the most common new year’s resolutions is to try and save money. One of the easiest ways to save money is to take a look at your home loan and find some creative ways to cut down on your repayments. Fortunately, there are a number of different things you can do with your home loan to reduce your ongoing monthly repayments.

Simple Renovations for Summer

Summer is a great time of year to do a few jobs around the house. It’s also a good time to start planning ways to build some equity in your home with a simple renovation. Here are some strategies that can quickly build equity with a small renovation or even just a touch-up.

How does a bank valuation impact borrowing?

When you purchase a property with finance, the lender will typically order a bank valuation to help them ascertain the loan to value ratio (LVR) of your home loan. For new home buyers, this might be something that you’ve never thought about before, but the outcome of the bank valuation could have big implications for your home loan.

How to Buy a Home at Auction

One of the key differences between buying at auction or buying using a private treaty is that a sale at auction is unconditional. That means, as a buyer, you’re not able to add conditions such as subject to finance or subject to a building and pest inspection. Therefore, you need to be prepared and organised when the time comes to make a bid at auction.

Here are some things you should do to best prepare when a house you want goes under the hammer.

Record Foreign Investment in Commercial Property

Despite a tough year for many businesses, Australia recorded a record level of foreign investment in commercial property.

According to analysis from CBRE, 2021 saw $16.6 billion in office, retail, industrial and hotel assets changing hands, outstripping the previous record high level of $15.5 billion achieved in 2015.

Knight Frank Sees More Growth Ahead for Industrial Assets

Leading Australian valuer Knight Frank believes the sharp growth we’ve seen in industrial assets is set to continue in 2022.

Industrial assets have seen growth of around 15% over the course of 2021 and Knight Frank believes this is a trend that can continue for years to come.

The Pros and Cons of a Balloon Payment

A balloon payment is a one-off lump sum that you pay to the lender at the end of your car loan’s term. Balloon payments are more common with car loans for businesses and are a great way to help reduce your monthly repayments and free up cash. However, there are a number of advantages and disadvantages that you need to weigh up before deciding to go down the path of a loan product with a balloon payment.

Car Loans vs Personal Loans

The holiday period is normally a time when people spend more hours at home and some start looking around for a new car. If you’re looking at a loan to purchase a new or second-hand car, it’s important to consider the best way to finance it. The most common ways to buy a car is with cash, or with the assistance of a loan. Which will likely either be a car loan or a personal loan.