Should you consider an interest only loan?
Few of us are fortunate enough to be able to afford buying a house without taking a home loan. For the rest of us, there are a number of decisions that need to be...
Category: Mortgage
Mortgage rates as cheap as chips at under 4% – to fix, or not to fix?
Last week we looked at how changes in headline interest rates in New Zealand versus other countries can affect your overseas travel plans. But, such changes in interest rates will impact on your other...
Money Week – How to manage long term debts
In keeping with the theme of Money Week, being ‘financial resilience’, we looked at smart ways to use your credit cards in the first part of this series. The concept of resilience is relevant...
What is negative gearing and how does it affect me?
Like Lindsay Lohan circa 2007, negative gearing seems to always be in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. While negative gearing is more relevant to investors than property newbies, there’s a high chance...
Will you lose your home if mortgage rates rise?
The Kiwi property market has a lot of parallels with our neighbours across the ditch, which has made the results of a recent study all the more worrying. The research found that a substantial...
What are the cons of a fixed rate home loan?
A combination of attractive market conditions and greater budgeting certainty has seen more and more Kiwis taking out fixed rate home loans in recent years. While current rates are certainly making fixed mortgages appealing for first...
Why use a mortgage broker?
The good ol’ Kiwi DIY mentality is pretty bloody useful when it comes to servicing your car or knocking up a fence, but when it comes to taking out a home loan in New Zealand sometimes...
Apartments: The new Kiwi dream?
The Kiwi dream of a quarter acre block on a quiet cul de sac in the suburbs is still alive and well, but such properties are often beyond the financial means of many first...
When does it make sense to refinance your mortgage?
While making use of a mortgage repayment calculator in New Zealand can help you secure the best home loan at any given moment, market conditions can and do change over time – and this...
What are the pros of buying a house with your mates?
The most recent figures from QV reveal that the average New Zealand house costs a hefty $627,905. This means the average Kiwi home buyer needs a deposit of more than $125,000 – a pretty...