So, you’re thinking of buying your first residential investment property? There are a few things to consider before making the move. Here are our top 10 tips for avoiding potential difficulties and ensuring success. 1. Know your goal Understanding your financial objectives is key to finding the right investment property. The actual property itself is rarely the end goal when it comes to investing – the financial elements should be your key focus. First, decide what your investment goal is and then create a plan to achieve it within a realistic time frame. Are you looking for a plan for retirement? An income-generator to fund your children’s education? Or building equity to gain a regular inc
It’s easy to get carried away with the fun part of buying a property – looking at houses – but delaying the less compelling task of arranging finance will weaken your negotiating position on both the property and the loan. Looking for a property to purchase is an exciting time. Choices regarding location, size, number of rooms and local amenities often see house hunters carried away in a deluge of daydreams and anticipation. But, before you get carried away, it’s important to check off the essentials first. Although organising your finances may seem drab in comparison to perusing sales listings, gaining pre-approval with a lender will give you confidence about how much you can afford to borr
It’s often said that Australians are more likely to divorce their spouse than switch banks. But with plenty of competition in the home loan sector, refinancing can be a good move. There are a number of reasons why you might want to refinance: you can consolidate debt from high-interest credit cards into a home loan with a lower rate of interest; you can release cash from your home loan equity for other major purchases; or you might want to simply save on your repayments by moving to a loan with a lower interest rate. What’s my rate? If you aren’t 100% sure exactly much you’re paying, how can you find a better deal? Luckily, finding out your interest rate can be as simple as logging on to you
Property markets around the country are still finding their feet a little in the wake of the election result and relaxations by APRA. Some will respond more dramatically than others, and there are more factors at play than simply politics and finance, but it does seem as if there is a little more confidence among the property people we deal with. This month, Herron Todd White's residential teams are tackling our regular Month In Review July theme on where to invest a lazy $500,000 in locations around the nation. Not only do they give their take on the best places to park this amount, but also look back on last year's advice to see how markets have changed. Wandering around the Brisbane r
At its meeting today, the Board decided to lower the cash rate by 25 basis points to 1.00 per cent. This follows a similar reduction at the Board's June meeting. This easing of monetary policy will support employment growth and provide greater confidence that inflation will be consistent with the medium-term target. The outlook for the global economy remains reasonable. However, the uncertainty generated by the trade and technology disputes is affecting investment and means that the risks to the global economy are tilted to the downside. In most advanced economies, inflation remains subdued, unemployment rates are low and wages growth has picked up. The slowdown in global trade has contribut
