Buying or selling a home can be complex and time-consuming. Even before you make the ‘big decisions’ about which property to buy, which home loan to select, or which agent you engage to sell your home, you have other important decisions to make. You are more likely to make the right choices and avoid expensive mistakes by doing your research. Use our articles from leading experts whether you are buying or selling a home to prepare for this big step.
For many first-home buyers, getting onto the property ladder remains challenging, although the nature of that challenge has changed. Property prices are currently weaker in a number of markets, listings have increased and buyers generally have more time and negotiating power than they did during the boom. Yet affordability remains stretched. Years of rising property…
Buying your first home is exciting, but it can also be confusing and, at times, a little overwhelming. There is finance to arrange, government assistance to investigate, suburbs to compare, contracts to understand and negotiations to navigate, often while property prices and lending conditions are changing around you. The good news is that you don’t…
Are real estate agents honest, or do they just bend the truth enough to get the deal done without getting sued? It’s a question worth asking, because agents have had a bruised reputation for decades. In my years working alongside many different agents, I’ve seen the good, the bad and the occasional ugly. But let’s…
Saving a house deposit has become one of the biggest financial hurdles facing Australian home buyers. Even disciplined savers are finding that the target keeps moving as property prices rise, rents absorb more household income and living costs make it harder to put money aside. However, buying a home may be closer than you think…
If you’ve ever told your children that buying a home was harder when mortgage rates reached 17%, the latest research might make you reconsider. Those interest rates were painful, and many Australians made considerable sacrifices to keep their homes. But today’s buyers face a combination of larger loans, higher deposit requirements and housing costs that…
For years, we’ve talked about Australia’s property market as though there were one type of buyer responding to one set of conditions. Interest rates rise, borrowing capacity falls, affordability deteriorates and buyers supposedly react in much the same way. Of course, property markets don’t work like that. Australia is made up of hundreds of individual…
If you’ve ever spent weeks inspecting a Melbourne property, paid for building and legal checks, and turned up to auction only to discover the seller wanted far more than the advertised price, you’ll understand why Victoria’s new rules have attracted attention. From October, buyers at all Victorian auctions will know the seller’s reserve price at…
Successful property investment generally involves holding quality assets for the long term, allowing compounding capital growth to work in your favour. However, there will be times when selling makes sense. Perhaps you have outgrown your current home, or the children have moved out and you are ready to downsize. Or you may also own an…
Buying a property can be an exciting experience, and it is easy for emotions to take over when you find a home or investment that seems to tick all the right boxes. However, successful property investment should be approached differently from buying a home to live in because investors need to remain objective and make…
Buying a property can be exciting, but it can also be stressful, even when market conditions favour buyers. At present, many Australian property markets are experiencing softer conditions, stock levels are healthier and there is less competition than we have seen in recent years. On the surface, that may make buying seem easier. However, having…
