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The Australian Taxation office (ATO) has reminded taxpayers to lodge their taxes by the October 31 deadline or engage with a registered tax agent to avoid late lodgment penalties. If you have simple tax affairs, you can lodge online, often in under 30 minutes, through the myGov portal. Most of the information you need will already be pre-filled – just check it's correct, add any additional income and claim your legal deductions. The ATO has also stressed the importance of making sure any claims you make for work-related expenses are accurate, which means you can't just automatically copy/paste the previous year's claims. “We want people to get their deductions right on the first go and claim what they are entitled to – nothing more, nothing less. We have a series of 40 occupation and industry-specific guides which you should have a look at,”ATO assistant commissioner Rob Thomson said. “It may be tempting to boost your refund by leaving out income or inflating your deductions – but remember, we have sophisticated data analytics that will pick up returns that look suspicious.”Want to compare interest rates? Let's talkHit the button below to arrange a conversation with one of my loan specialists to find a deal that's best for your situation. Chat to us today We partner with over 50 lenders so you can find the perfect solutionFollow Facebook Linkedin Do you have questions about mortgages or loans?Ask us in the comments below … [Read more...] about Deadline fast approaching for people who do their own taxes

A new report, from Housing Australia, has revealed that about one in three of all first home buyers in the 2022-23 financial year used the federal government’s Housing Guarantee Scheme (HGS) and its three different assistance programs.Here’s what the typical participant looked like, according to Housing Australia:First Home Guarantee: the median participant was in the 30-34 age bracket, had a household income of $76,000 and bought a property worth $459,000.Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee: participants were aged 25-29, earned $71,000 and bought a $389,000 home.Family Home Guarantee (for single parents): participants were aged 35-39, earned $70,000 and bought a $422,000 home.Meanwhile, Housing Australia is the name of the new agency that has just replaced the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation and assumed its responsibilities.Housing Australia has not only taken control of the HGS, but also the National Housing Infrastructure Facility, which provides loans and grants for critical infrastructure to unlock and accelerate new housing supply.Reach out for a first home buyer loanHit the button below to arrange a conversation with one of my loan specialists to find a deal that's best for your situation. Chat to us today We partner with over 50 lenders so you can find the perfect solutionFollow Facebook Linkedin Do you have questions about mortgages or loans?Ask us in the comments below … [Read more...] about How the federal government is helping first home buyers

The latest Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) data has shown the impact the RBA's cash rate rises have had on the mortgage market. The key is to compare average interest rates for all outstanding loans in April 2022 – the month before the first rate rise – and August 2023 – the most recent month for which we have data. During that time, the RBA increased the cash rate by 4.00 percentage points. Interest rates for outstanding loans have, on average, increased by less than that amount, in part because some loans were fixed at lower rates. For owner-occupied loans, rates have increased by an average of:2.82 percentage points for principal-and-interest loans 3.31 percentage points for interest-only loans For investment loans, rates have increased by:2.83 percentage points for principal-and-interest loans2.73 percentage points for interest-only loansFuture interest rate hikes can't be ruled out. The conflict in the Middle East may lead to higher oil prices, and therefore higher petrol prices and higher inflation. In the RBA's cash rate meeting earlier this month, board members noted that “some further tightening of policy [i.e. rate rises] may be required should inflation prove more persistent than expected”, according to the meeting minutes.Want to compare interest rates? Let's talkHit the button below to arrange a conversation with one of my loan specialists to find a deal that's best for your situation. Chat to us today We partner with over 50 lenders so you can find the perfect solutionFollow Facebook Linkedin Do you have questions about mortgages or loans?Ask us in the comments below … [Read more...] about How interest rates have evolved over the past 18 months

With lots of people coming off fixed rates right now, it’s no surprise that an enormous amount of refinancing is occurring, as borrowers look to switch to lower-rate loans.The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data has revealed that borrowers did $20.60 billion of refinancing in August – which was 3.9% lower than the month before but 12.4% higher than the year before.Meanwhile, the ABS also revealed that the value of all new home loan commitments in August was $24.82 billion, which was 2.2% higher than the month before.Owner-occupier borrowing rose 2.6% to $16.07 billion, while investor borrowing rose 1.6% to $8.75 billion.That said, home loan activity has fallen on a year-on-year basis:Total borrowing down 9.4%Owner-occupier down 12.5%Investor down 3.0% The interest rate environment has changed a lot recently, and the level of competition in the mortgage market is fierce, so there are a lot of great refinancing deals available – including with quality smaller lenders you may be unfamiliar with.Want to refinance? Let’s chat!Hit the button below to arrange a conversation with one of my loan specialists to find a deal that's best for your situation. Chat to us today We partner with over 50 lenders so you can find the perfect solutionFollow Facebook Linkedin Do you have questions about mortgages or loans?Ask us in the comments below … [Read more...] about Australians refinance more than $20bn of loans

Household savings have now fallen for seven consecutive quarters, suggesting some consumers are finding it harder to save for a home deposit due to rising cost of living.The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data show that the share of income that households save fell significantly between the quarters of September 2021 and June 2023:Sep-21: 19.3%Dec-21: 12.9%Mar-22: 11.3%Jun-22: 8.1%Sep-22: 7.2%Dec-22: 4.4%Mar-23: 3.6%Jun-23: 3.2% This decline in saving has been partly caused by the pandemic: people spent less during lockdown, because they were stuck at home, and then engaged in 'revenge spending' after being released. But it’s also been caused by the high inflation we’ve experienced during that time, which has forced consumers to spend more money just to buy the same items.If you have a mortgage and you’re struggling to make repayments, get in touch so we can speak to your lender. Lenders tend to be more flexible with borrowers who get on the front foot about any financial problems they may be experiencing.Want to compare interest rates? Let's talkHit the button below to arrange a conversation with one of my loan specialists to find a deal that's best for your situation. Chat to us today We partner with over 50 lenders so you can find the perfect solutionFollow Facebook Linkedin Do you have questions about mortgages or loans?Ask us in the comments below … [Read more...] about Australians now saving just 3.2% of their income

Interest rates influence property prices, but they are not the reason that Australia has some of the highest housing values in the world, Philip Lowe said in a speech just before standing down as Reserve Bank governor.Mr Lowe said it's true that the lower interest rates that Australia has experienced for much of the past 30 years have contributed to the increase in property prices."But the reason that Australia has some of the highest housing prices in the world isn’t interest rates, which have been at roughly similar levels across most advanced economies. Rather, it is the outcome of the choices we have made as a society: choices about where we live; how we design our cities, and zone and regulate urban land; how we invest in and design transport systems; and how we tax land and housing investment," he said."In each of these areas, our society and politicians have made choices that lead to high urban land and housing costs. It is by tackling these issues that we can address the high cost of housing in Australia, which I view as a serious economic and social problem."Need a home loan? Let's talkHit the button below to arrange a conversation with one of my loan specialists to find a deal that's best for your situation. Chat to us today We partner with over 50 lenders so you can find the perfect solutionFollow Facebook Linkedin Do you have questions about mortgages or loans?Ask us in the comments below … [Read more...] about Why Australian property prices are so high

The federal government's Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS) is helping first home buyers on modest incomes enter the market with small deposits, according to research commissioned by the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation.Some of the key findings from the research were:The average annual income of individual HGS participants was $108,000 compared with $117,000 for the broader first home buyer marketThe average deposit paid by first home buyers since 2020 increased by 3.4% (from $35,200 to $36,400) for HGS participants but 46.7% ($108,400 to $159,000) for the broader first home buyer marketThe average loan amount since 2020 increased by 4.7% compared with 13.4% for the broader first home buyer marketThe research also found that the average HGS property has enjoyed an equity gain of $82,000.Under the HGS, first home buyers can enter the market with just a 5% deposit – but conditions apply. I can tell you whether you’re eligible and help you apply for a loan.Get in touch if you need guidanceHit the button below to arrange a conversation with one of my loan specialists to find a deal that's best for your situation. Chat to us today We partner with over 50 lenders so you can find the perfect solutionFollow Facebook Linkedin Do you have questions about mortgages or loans?Ask us in the comments below … [Read more...] about First Home buyer scheme delivering results

The combined value of Australian real estate reached $10 trillion at the end of August, according to CoreLogic, which is the first time it's reached this level since June 2022.The increase resulted from a combination of more properties being built and the value of Australia's housing increasing.Soon after reaching the $10 trillion mark last year, the property market began a 10-month downswing, during which the national median property price fell 9.1%. Since March, prices have risen in six consecutive months, increasing by a combined 4.9%. However, the outlook is uncertain, according to CoreLogic. “While there is a growing expectation that the RBA board is done hiking the cash rate, borrowing remains constrained by a relatively high serviceability buffer,” CoreLogic said.“APRA [banking regulator] data to June showed the weighted average home loan assessment rate was just below 9%, and Australian Bureau of Statistics housing lending data shows mortgage lending has fallen for three of the past four months.”See how much you can borrow nowHit the button below to arrange a conversation with one of my loan specialists to find a deal that's best for your situation. Chat to us today We partner with over 50 lenders so you can find the perfect solutionFollow Facebook Linkedin Do you have questions about mortgages or loans?Ask us in the comments below … [Read more...] about Australia property market passes $10trn milestone