In recent years, the Reserve Bank has been working on reducing the amount of Interest Only mortgages in New Zealand. In the article below, we look at how it affects…
When you’re looking for an investment property, you are often either looking for capital growth or yield (ideally a positive cash return). There’s a quick and easy trick that we,…
Homeownership is the dream and goal of 99% of New Zealanders. Once achieved, homeowners often to turn to buying their first investment property. How much deposit do you need for…
A lot of the nerves that first home buyers feel when they decide to buy is around the mortgage. When the maximum loan you’ve ever applied for is a $2,000…
For the past 12 years, interest rates (both mortgage and the Official Cash Rate) have been decreasing. That means that almost everyone who has fixed their mortgage at some point…
So you’re looking to purchase. Could a flatmate help you purchase a more expensive house? Will a bank take that extra income into account? How much interest will flatmate income…
With the long-term effects of Covid-19 still unknown, a lot of Kiwi expats are returning from overseas with the intention to purchase a home. That means bringing money home and…
If you have less than 20% deposit, you are referred to (by the banks) as a Low Equity (or Deposit) Borrower. You are required to meet a different set of…
On 30th April 2020, the Reserve Bank announced the removal of LVR restrictions (here is an article on the changes to LVR restrictions) on banks in New Zealand. From 2013-2020,…
With the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a huge resurgence in expat Kiwis who have decided that NZ is, indeed, the best place in the world. Both Real Estate Agents…
Almost every potential house buyer, at some point, will utter some version of the words “what are house prices doing at the moment?”. It’s an understandable concern. You don’t want…
If you’ve ever watched one of the Mortgage Lab’s webinars or Facebook livestreams, you will most likely have heard us rave about this app of the month. It’s one of…
If you happen to be a salary earner, proving your income is relatively easy. As long as your Employer issues decent quality Payslips, you can provide the 3 most recent…
The banks are currently overwhelmed by hardship applications as a result of the Level 4 lockdown for Covid-19. In this article we look at what your options are and why…
Article current as of 1st April 2020 (no April Fools jokes are contained – all information accurate) With the recent announcements with bank relief packages and mortgage holidays, we are…
Previously, we’ve looked at the difference between First Home Grants and KiwiSaver. Another often confused, pairing is the First Home Loan (previously known as the Welcome Home Loan) facility and…
Banks are businesses and their goal is to make money and become the leading brand in the industry. This is the same goal as most other businesses and their reputation…
We are entering an unprecedented time. The Reserve Bank has announced an Official Cash Rate drop of 0.75% leaving the cash rate at a historic low of 0.25%. Most economists…