When it comes to buying investment properties, younger Australians are punching above their weight, with Millennials taking the title as the nation’s most active generation for property investment. Investors are continuing to flock to the property market, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics saying the volume of new investor loans in February was 21.5% higher compared to a year ago. Investment loans now make up over half of the growth in new loans over the past year. But in an unexpected twist, it isn’t older generations of Aussies who are leading the charge to buy rental properties. Younger investors flex their

You may not feel richer, but if you’re a homeowner, there’s a decent chance your personal wealth has surged over the past 12 months thanks to soaring property values. And it could open up a world of exciting possibilities. Sometimes you’ve just got to shake your head in disbelief at the resilience of the property market. Despite a cost of living crunch and higher interest rates, national home prices have somehow ploughed on over the last year and a bit. CoreLogic says home values nationally are up $71,832 since January 2023 – a jump of 10.2% in just 14 months – which

Nobody likes missing out on a good thing. But then again, who likes overpaying? So how do you strike the right balance when both fears can work against one another? The property market rarely stands still. Interest rate movements, the number of homes listed for sale, and even the time of year can all drive shifts in the market. And change plus commitment isn’t something we’re all comfortable with. It can even see us put mental traps in place that mean we panic about missing out on a good buy, or alternatively, we convince ourselves it’s better to sit things

There’s something very special about moving into a newly built home or putting the finishing touches on a major renovation. Maybe it’s the look and feel of new paint and fresh flooring, or just knowing you’ve kicked a worthwhile goal. Whatever the motivation, plenty of Aussies are rolling up their sleeves right now, with the value of building approvals jumping 14.7% from December 2023 to January 2024. Meanwhile, on the renovation front, we’re not just pimping our pads for looks and lifestyle. Almost half the home renovations carried out in 2023 were designed with a ‘green’ focus to improve energy efficiency, according to Houzz

Spare cash can be tight right now (cost of living crunch, anyone?). But if you’ve still got some savings plus a home loan, there’s a way you could make your surplus funds work harder. Ever heard of an offset account? They’re becoming an increasingly popular add-on feature to home loans, with new data showing that homeowners are stashing money in their offset accounts at a record pace. In fact, balances in offset accounts have increased to 11% of credit limits, the highest share since APRA started collecting data on this particular stat in March 2019. This essentially means that, on average,

Need a home loan in a hurry? You could be in luck. Plenty of lenders are keen to crunch loan approval times at present – but there’s a lot borrowers can do to potentially speed up the process, too. Finding a home to buy can take time, and when the right place comes along it can feel as though you need to sign the sale contract fast to stake your claim. But from there you’re going to need a home loan, and that’s where timing becomes critical. The good news for home loan applicants is that average turnaround times have