Calculating the amount of interest expected in a progress-payment contract on a newly built house can sometimes seem daunting. In this article, we walk you through some easy calculations. Recently…
Retirees often find themselves in a difficult financial position. Short on income but lots of equity, usually stored in their homes. A typical mortgage top-up won’t work in this scenario. …
It’s the time of the year when the Mortgage Lab buffs up our Crystal Ball, gazes into the infinitely complicated world of economics, and comes up with sufficiently generic interest…
just don’t miss out on it. In order to grow your savings, you need to earn money. And you have to pay tax on that money. So, you might earn…
Just a couple of years ago, the use of the words “cost fluctuation” in the residential building industry was about as common as the use of the word “liquefaction” prior…
We are entering an unprecedented time. The Reserve Bank has announced an Official Cash Rate increase from the historic low of 0.25% up to 2%. Some economists expect a recession…
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…
This article is available in Chinese here. If you’re looking into whether you can afford an investment property, you’re not alone. Owning rental properties is a common kiwi dream. Many…
We love a good list, and a list of ten is universally acknowledged to be the best kind of list. So we’ve pulled together the 10 things home owners should…
As of 25th May 2022, the Official Cash Rate (OCR) for New Zealand is set at 2% What is the Official Cash Rate? The Official Cash Rate (OCR) is an…
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…
First home buyers can often get tangled up in the pile of new concepts to learn. In this article, we explore the basics of withdrawing your KiwiSaver and meeting the…
With house prices at record heights and not everyone having access to help from the Bank of Mum and Dad, many Kiwis are asking whether it is worth buying with…
You’ve got a fixed-term account maturing soon and the bank or your broker has sent you some interest rates. Maybe your current bank is offering 0.1% higher than another bank…
When you’re buying a house, there are a lot of things to think about. One of the steps that is often a mystery for homebuyers is what happens with their…
With interest rates getting higher and higher, you may be wondering whether it is best to break your fixed rates early and re-fix your interest rate now to get ahead…
Getting a flatmate to help pay the mortgage is a big decision. You have to share your home, and you wanted to keep the spare room for guests. But look…
Typically, when you use a mortgage calculator, you want to know what your mortgage payments will be (obviously). A couple borrowing, say, $800,000 for an investment property might want to know…