Home Loan Resources

When navigating the home loan process, understanding the nuances of fees and commissions is essential. One question that often arises is about clawback fees. Are these something borrowers need to worry about? Let’s break it down. What Is a Clawback? When a mortgage broker assists you in secu ... read more

As of September 2024, mortgage brokers in Australia continue to play a pivotal role in the home loan market, originating nearly 75% of all home loans. This significant market share underscores the essential services brokers provide to consumers navigating the complex landscape of home financing. Und ... read more

We’re living in some pretty unpredictable times, aren’t we? Remember when the Reserve Bank assured us that interest rates would stay low for another four years? That prediction didn’t exactly pan out as expected. As the global economy emerged from its COVID-induced slowdown, things ... read more

With rising interest rates, inflation, and increasing cost of living pressures, managing mortgage payments has become a critical concern for many Australian homeowners. At Regional Finance Solutions, we are dedicated to helping you navigate these challenging times with informed strategies and expert ... read more

When it comes to securing a home loan, Australians are often faced with a critical decision: should they use a mortgage broker or go directly to a bank? This choice can significantly impact the loan process, interest rates, and overall satisfaction. In this blog post, we will compare the advantages ... read more

Building your dream home can be a complex journey. From managing tradespeople to selecting finishes, coordinating with builders, and managing the nuances of finance, it’s a path laden with potential stress. At Regional Finance Solutions, we understand these challenges and are here to ease one of t ... read more

Happy New Year, everyone! The start of a new year is the perfect time for resolutions – whether it’s finally hitting the gym (and not just for the free air conditioning in summer) or cutting down on the 'occasional' treat (we’re looking at you, chocolate!). But let’s talk about a resolution ... read more

The holiday season in Australia isn’t just about barbies, beach days, and Boxing Day cricket; it's also a fantastic time for first-time homebuyers to start their journey towards home ownership. Let's explore how you can make the dream of your first home come true this festive season. Understandin ... read more

Refinancing a mortgage can offer homeowners numerous benefits, from securing more favorable interest rates to decreasing your monthly outgoings. Yet, many homeowners hesitate to take this step. Here are seven common reasons why: Lack Of Time: Refinancing a mortgage by yourself requires a signi ... read more

Over the last couple of weeks there have been some media reports about broker clawbacks and how these work, so let’s clear the air. When a broker assists you with a loan, the broker gets paid an upfront commission by the lender.  If you repay that loan before it has run for between 18 months and ... read more

With interest rates on the move, many people are shopping around for home loans.  In January, the value of external refinancing for total housing fell 2.1%, but remained close to record highs at $18.6 billion. If you’re considering refinancing, it’s a good idea to be aware of a few pitfalls whe ... read more

While the real estate market is slowing a little many buyers and agents prefer to have finance pre-approved prior to going ‘shopping’.  But how good is that pre-approval?Some lenders do what we call ‘unassessed pre-approvals’ – this is where you tell them about your income and expenses, t ... read more

It’s no secret that paying off your home loan sooner can save you plenty. However, with cost-of-living pressures and rising interest rates, it can be hard to find extra cash. A series of small changes applied consistently over time could put you on track to reach your goal sooner. Here are 8 tips ... read more

If you read our blog from November 2019 we wrote about ASIC Regulatory Guide 273 “Broker Best Interest Duty” we thought that it was time for an update. So, what is a broker’s best interest duty (or obligation).  In simple terms it means that a broker has to place their client’s interest fi ... read more

Right now, more than ever before, you should be paying a little more each month off your home loan. Why, you ask? Many mortgage holders have never lived in a rising interest rate environment, so this is a new world for them. For many who fixed their rates in the last year or so, the shock of the new ... read more

In most cases a mortgage brokers client do not pay for their services. So how do we get paid? We are paid by the lender that we refer our clients to. We are most often paid 2 fees – an upfront fee and a second fee that is usually referred to as a trailing commission. Before the Global Financial C ... read more

It may be time to think about fixing your loan. During 2020 (let’s call it ‘the covid year’) the Reserve Bank reduced rates to record low levels, and they are holding these, for now. During the Covid year we were all told that rates would be low and stay low for 4 or 5 year.  But the upsid ... read more

How long have you had your home loan? When was the last time that you checked the interest rate that you are being charged? Never thought about refinancing, heres’ why you should.A standard variable rate home loan is being charged 4.39% (comparison rate 4.49%).  We have a 3 year fixed rate loan a ... read more

Let’s face it, saving the deposit for a home can be hard when you are paying rent, and sometimes ‘life happens’. Can you achieve home ownership without the need for a full deposit? The short answer is yes, there are options – when buying a home there are 3 things that you need to bear in min ... read more

For years we have heard that the property bubble is about to pop, and while there have been some corrections it seems that the growth in value never seems to waver.  With the onset of Covid-19 some analysts are predicting value declines of 10%, 20% or even 30%. Against that what are we seeing? Re ... read more

We certainly live in challenging times. Covid-19 is impacting on our daily lives and many self-funded retirees are doing it tough.  Interest rates are at an all time low, many companies announcing reduced or no dividends, rental income reduced or gone completely.  And your eligibility for most of ... read more

First Home Buyer Home Loan Buying your first home is an exciting time. First home buyers are offered government concessions to assist you joining the home ownership ladder. Some lenders will also offer first home buyers’ further savings, so it pays to receive professional and sound advice. Read ... read more

If you followed the Banking Royal Commission and the subsequent media reporting you will have heard about a new “Best Interest Duty” that is being introduced for the broking industry. Lets be clear on one thing though, for us what is in your best interest is also in our best interest as well; so ... read more

Banks paying off your home loan Recently a Danish bank launched what is believed to be the first home loan with a negative interest rate – a 10 year fixed rate loan with a rate of minus 0.5% - yes this means that every month when you make your repayment the banks tips in a little more. But is thi ... read more

Every day we make choices. Get out of bed? Vegemite or peanut butter on toast? Go to work?  Many of these choices are so simple that we make them automatically and they really don’t require that much thought. Then we have the bigger choices – get married? Have children? Take 12 months off and ... read more

(or in our world, “grandfathering”). How long have you had your home loan? 3 years? 5 years? Have you been caught by the ‘lazy mortgage’ trap? Let’s explain what this means. Think back to when you got your home loan, all the research that you did to get the best deal. Remember you picked ... read more

We all dream of being financially secure. It is not as hard as it may seem with these 5 tips below you can begin that journey 1. Living within your means is spending less than what you earn per week. With easy access to credit cards, personal loans, ezipay etc it is proving more difficult for peop ... read more

In the home loan world the equivalent is being able to get a better deal and not taking advantage of it.  Say for example you initially took out a home loan over 30 years that had an initial discounted 2-year fixed rate, then reverts to the standard variable rate. At the end of the fixed rate perio ... read more

When you are researching home loans you will always see the lenders actual interest rate followed by what is called a ‘comparison rate’. Why is there a comparison rate? What is a comparison rate? And more importantly how does it help you? Several years ago the federal government thought that it ... read more

With official cash rates on hold for just over 2 years, is now the time to fix your home loan interest rates? It would be crystal ball gazing to suggest where interest rates are going. We will leave that up to the economists. Some of the trends we are seeing are: Lenders making small adjustments ... read more

Let’s face the reality, commercial banks are a business, and the more profit that they can make the better it is for them.  Every home loan adds to that profit, and almost always means that the profit leaves our communities. But, There is a Better Way. What if we told you that we have lenders t ... read more

Did you know that with current interest rates (based on an interest rate of 3.75%) each $100 per week in rent you pay may support a loan of about $95,000? So, if you’re paying $400 a week rent you may be able to support a loan of $380,000. If you think that you don’t have enough deposit chat to ... read more

There are lots of places on the internet that provide comparisons, you can troll the net yourself and visit lots of lender websites, or you can go old school and visit a branch of all your local lenders to ask questions. The problem is that lenders have restrictions that are not always up there in ... read more

There are several ways to borrow to buy a home – but the two most common are save the 20% deposit that most lenders require or buy Lenders Mortgage Insurance. There are other options, have a look at our other blogs to find out more. Looking at the first option – saving the 20%. If you are on a ... read more

Many people have the dream of owning a few acres to give their kids room to play and explore, have a horse or two, or to just enjoy the privacy of a larger block. The trouble is that depending on your lender a block larger than 10 or 20 acres can be hard to finance, and these will often be treated a ... read more

An off the plan purchase takes place where a developer needs to pre-sell units in order to obtain finance for their development. Often you will find that these units are offered at a discount to the market initially in order to get those first sales completed. This can be very tempting, particularly ... read more

Recent market events and analyst talk appears to be pointing towards rate rises.  What’s behind this? Over the past few months lender regulators have been imposing more and more rules and restrictions on home loans, especially investor loans.  The result has been that lenders are reviewing th ... read more

Important information regarding interest only investment property loans We have seen over the last 2-3 months regular out of cycle interest rate increases on variable rate investment property loans where repayments are being made on an interest only basis. These changes are being implemented large ... read more

The poor old avocado is back on the hitlist of “millionaire” property owners, baby boomers and politicians. The apparent lack of ability of would-be homebuyers to give up their avocado, daily coffee or other little luxuries is somehow to blame for their inability to save money and get into prope ... read more

Disclaimer: The below information is generic in advice. Specific tax advice should be sought from your tax adviser with regard to your own situation and need. The end of financial year is coming around again, and fast. For investors in both commercial and residential property, there is an opportuni ... read more

We like the freedom to choose. It gives us control. So imagine now if Nestle owned Woolworths. Do you think your choice to buy other brands in Woolworths might become limited? If you do, you may want to think about this next time you are looking for a mortgage professional. With Banks owning most ... read more

This is a question that we get asked almost every day, and while the answer is often really simple, for others it is more complicated.  There are two limits on how much you can borrow – how much have you saved, and how much you earn. Savings In an ideal world you would have saved a 20% deposit ... read more

Are you happy with your current interest rate? Are you happy with the way the loan is structured? Are you happy with the level of fees you are paying? Are you happy with the relationship you have with your bank or lender? If you have answered NO to any of these questions, then refina ... read more

  Support local business Support the business that support your local clubs, sporting groups and charities Invest your dollar locally and save money while doing it Avoid the big banks and their drive towards unending profit Be part of our revolution How can you make a difference ... read more

  Well trained and experienced in lending Do not charge consumers for their services They are members of professional bodies that provide ongoing training, support and development They are registered with ASIC and are subject to strict operating rules They can access a range of ... read more

Let your home loan take you around the world. We have formed an alliance with a lender that allows us to provide Qantas frequent flyer points on your home loan. You can team that with the lenders credit card to boost your points quicker. Contact us today to discuss your home loan to make sur ... read more

Have you ever considered taking on a commercial property investment? Or owning your own commercial premises. At least one major bank is predicting increased demand in this sector. According to a report in the Australian Financial Review, a forecast from the Commonwealth Bank for 2016 predic ... read more

Given my exciting online life of looking at lender websites all day, it seems that more and more, Facebook feels the need to display a lot of ads from a lot of different lenders. Many of them attempt to attract your attention with a teaser interest rate but keep in mind that these rates can be misl ... read more

Negative gearing has been getting a lot of press recently. Here at Regfin, we’re seeing both major political parties giving consideration to changes in property tax concessions. Negative gearing allows a property investor to offset their costs of owning investment property against rental ... read more

To save for a home purchase can be extremely challenging, especially for young couples and families. Unfortunately, housing affordability continues to be a significant issue for many Australians with Coffs Harbour recently recognised as one of the least affordable cities in the world in which ... read more