First home buyers, we can help turn your dream into reality
Buying your first home is exciting, the prospect of a place that is truely your own.
Your head fills with thoughts of where and what to buy. You spend hours scrolling through property listings, going to open homes and discussing (sometimes arguing over) the pros and cons with loved ones.
With all that, having to then navigate the finance process can turn an exciting time into a stressful one. It’s a big job to get your head around the different banks’ lending criteria; criteria that can change at any time. What one bank may approve, another may decline.
That’s where we come in.
We manage the finance process for you. We navigate the various banks and lenders and negotiate the best possible terms on your behalf. Keeping you informed and involved every step of the way, we minimise your stress and save you time.
We do not charge you for any of our services. Whether you need some initial advice or are ready to go through the application process it will not cost you anything.
Realise your dreams without the stress, contact us today!
Our mortgage brokers can help you…
- Calculate affordability
- Find the best bank for you
- Give you step-by-step guidance
- Help you get up to 95% LVR
- Get KiwiBuild pre-approval
Not sure whether now’s the right time?
It’s never too soon to start preparing for your first mortgage.
Talking to one of our mortgage brokers will clarify your situation for you. You may be ready to buy sooner than you think.
In many cases, it’s just a matter of rethinking your strategy to be in line with the bank’s lending policy. Or perhaps you qualify for a Home Grant or are eligible to access your Kiwi Saver.
Now is always the best time to get all your ducks in a row. Contact us for a consultation today.
Can you get KiwiSaver help?
When you are buying your first home, one of the first things to confirm is whether you have access to KiwiSaver and/or a HomeStart Grant. Our article tells you everything you need to know about these options. The use of your KiwiSaver increases your deposit, which can make borrowing significantly easier and cheaper.
Remember, we’re here to help: for all questions contact your local mortgage broker directly. A quick conversation will give you immediate answers, at no cost.
FAQs
Almost all Mortgage Lab services are at no direct cost to you as our brokers get paid a commission by the banks and other lenders when a mortgage is finalised or refixed.
The exceptions to this:
- If a mortgage is paid off or discharged within 27 months, a fee may be incurred. See our FAQ: What if I sell my home or refinance my mortgage shortly after using a mortgage broker?
- Finance companies may require a fee to be added to the loan rather than paying us a commission. You’ll always be made aware of these fees long before they are locked in.
- If, following the service provided by the adviser, you elect not to continue engaging Mortgage Lab to settle the mortgage or finalise the insurance product, the adviser may charge you an hourly rate of $250 for the work provided. The maximum charge we will typically invoice for is $2,500.
The commissions paid are below. These commissions are accurate at the time of writing – 21st June 2022
Lender | Upfront | Trail | Refix |
ANZ | 0.85% | N/a | $150 |
BNZ | 0.55% | 0.15% | N/a |
ASB | 0.85% | N/a | $150 |
Westpac | 0.60% | 0.20% | N /a |
Sovereign Home Loans | 0.60% | 0.20% | N/a |
ASAP Finance Limited | Fee Charged | N/a | N/a |
Avanti Finance | Up to 0.80% | N/a | N/a |
Cressida | Fee Charged | N/a | N/a |
DBR | Fee Charged | N/a | N/a |
First Mortgage Trust | Fee Charged | N/a | N/a |
Heartland Bank (Reverse Mortgage) | 1.50% | N/a | N/a |
Liberty Financial | 0.60% | 0.15% | N/a |
NZCU (Personal Loans) | 1.00% | N/a | N/a |
RESIMAC | 0.60% | 0.15% | N/a |
SBS Bank | 0.80% | N/a | $150 |
Southern Cross | Fee Charged | N/a | N/a |
The Co-operative Bank | 0.70% | N/A | $150 |
The banks all have different policies and risk tolerances. Buyers can get frustrated and waste a lot of time going to banks that won’t suit their needs.
Using a mortgage broker gives you a view of all the banks and their policies. It means you find the right bank faster and with less stress. With a mortgage broker, getting a mortgage isn’t complicated. It’s about proving you have enough deposit and enough income and then heading to the right bank with that information.
Some tips to making your mortgage application easier: get your documentation sorted early and keep your spending as low as possible in the 3 months leading up to your application.
If you’d like to learn the basics, we have a course which teaches you everything you need to know about buying your first home. You can find out more here.
The First Home Grant is a Kainga Ora cash grant designed to help lower-income purchasers buy lower-priced houses. There is a maximum amount of income that you can earn and a maximum purchase price that you can pay to be eligible for the grant. Here’s an article that we wrote on the First Home Grant.
You will want to apply for the grant early as it takes time to process.
You absolutely can! That’s what it is meant for. One thing to know is that you will usually need to have saved at least 5% of the purchase price on your own and the First Home Grant doesn’t count towards this goal.
Using a mortgage broker generally means no direct costs to you but there will be a couple of unavoidable costs there. These may include:
- A Registered Valuation ($800 – $1,200)
- Solicitor Costs ($800 – $1,500)
- LIM report ($150 – $400)
- Builder’s Report ($100 – $500)
- Weather Tightness Report for Monoclad houses ($300 – $1,000)
- Finance fee for non-bank lending (~1%)
Prices can vary. Always request a quote before ordering a report. For a list of property professionals that you’ll likely work with, see our article here.
The banks typically try for 5 working days. The timer starts when we receive all the required documentation and submit your application. Sometimes turnaround can be as low as 2 days or sometimes it can be slightly longer. If your application is urgent (required in less than 10 working days), let us know as soon as possible and we will mark it as urgent.
It’s important to get us all the documents before we can submit the application. This includes proof of income (payslips or year-end financials) ana bank statements (click here to learn how to correctly export your bank statements).
As above, sometimes a bank just isn’t looking for you as a client. In this instance, they can either decline you or make the terms of your lending so ridiculous that you either accept (sucker!) or you go away. We know what banks have an appetite for and send you to the right bank without you shopping around banks.
Why Choose Us?
Because when it comes to your first home, you deserve the very best…
Stress-free process
We act quickly to reduce the hassle and hold-ups of the financial approval process
Expert advisers
We’re highly experienced and trained to help you through the mortgage approval process
Friendly service
We’re here for you and we genuinely care about helping make your dream a reality
What Past Clients Say…
Roger did an amazing job. He’s outstanding at his job. As a first home buyer, I was quite anxious about the entire process of buying a house. Roger made my anxiety disappear, guided me through the process with quality advise, checked in regularly with me and responded quickly to any questions I had. I c…
Roger Fairbairn
Brett was amazing, he really looked after us and made every effort to get us our home loan. I would recommend him any day.
Brett Davies
Lynne, was fantastic from start to finish. She took the stress out of buying a house and even helped us look for a house which we now proudly own. Thank you!
Lynne Dent
Cindy, who’s a very professional and very kindly to the client. I am very Lucky choose her to be my adviser.
Thank you so much for your support Cindy.
Cindy Huang
Brett was wonderful and professional patient! Nothing to improve.
Brett Davies
Keith was excellent to work with, especially in helping me to navigate through what could have been quite a stressful process as a first home buyer. Not all of it was straightforward, and his additional work was much appreciated.
Keith Munro
Roger was amazing and made our dream come true after being declined by another mortgage company who didn’t even give us a chance. Roger was prepared to put the extra time in and make it work for us.
We are now comfy, happy and secure in our first home. Thank you for making our dream come true.
…
Roger Fairbairn
Brett was a real pleasure to work with. Being first home buyers in New Zealand, Brett guided us through every step along the journey. Always available and very responsive, we couldn’t be happier.
Brett Davies
Serina was absolutely amazing, she made us feel empowered to make big decisions as she was so knowledgeable and experienced within her field. She was easy to communicate with and was so friendly. We now have a beautiful home that we adore, it’s all thanks to her! We would highly recommend her to anyon…
Serina Nicholson
Serina was easy to work with, particularly regarding our time poor and geographically different circumstances. She often needed to conduct duplicate meetings for myself and husband at different times. All whilst liaising with the bank on our behalf to ensure their understanding of our position. Ngā mih…
Serina Nicholson
Roger was honestly the absolute best!
I was looking for the right house for well over a year and Roger was such a gem. My situation changed during that time through changing jobs and also what I was looking for, but Roger was always patient, helpful and made everything work perfectly.
Having Roger’…
Roger Fairbairn
Cindy Huang provided perfect customer service. She helped us to go through options to achieve a positive and timely outcome. I am incredibly grateful to her for assisting me and my partner to purchase our first home. Cindy provided comprehensive guidance and helped me to navigate the complexities of the…
Cindy Huang
Susan is very helpful and professional.I had a fantastic experience working with my mortgage broker Susan Wu. Her expertise and dedication made the mortgage process smooth and stress-free. She went above and beyond to find the best rates and options for my unique situation. I truly appreciate her profes…
Susan Wu
He was great heaps of help awesome. Thank you very much was awesome.
Roger Fairbairn
We were first time buyers who didn’t know much about the process. Going in blind, we really needed someone who would take the time to talk everything through. We also had a few unique aspects to our situation which needed to be worked through. Roger was incredibly patient and helped us to smoothly…
Roger Fairbairn
Serina has been so lovely to work with. As first home buyers it was nerve-wracking going into it, but Serina made sure to explain everything to us and really listened to what our goals were. We felt comfortable at every step with her guiding us. She was also very accommodating with organising meetings w…
Serina Nicholson
Keith is absolutely incredible to work with and we could not be happier with the outcomes he’s provided for us. If you are looking for an Adviser who always gets back to you promptly, explains everything clearly and gets you the best deal possible, Keith is the who you are looking for.
Keith Munro
Johnny Ang was very helpful and outstanding. He went above and beyond our expectations, and gave us excellent deal on a mortgage, also make the process easy assisting step by step, given the current climate. Highly recommend to anyone.
Johnny Ang
Christiana was indispensable in me purchasing my house. Her knowledge, experience and willingness to help made what could have been a very stressful time far far easier than I was expecting.
She was only ever a phone call away to answer questions or explain my options to me in what is quick a tricky market an…
Christiana Pollock
Johnny was exceptional throughout the process. I will definitely recommend his services.
Johnny Ang
Lynne is great, she showed me how to manage my finances more effectively and how this affected my application with the bank and went above and beyond to get my loan through for me!
Lynne Dent
We are taking Keith’s advice for life, he helped us beyond getting a mortgage. Because of his advice we are now able to save a lot of money and we are already planning our next house.
Keith Munro
We are so grateful to have Nicola as our mortgage advisor who has been so kind, professional, helpful and flexible to walk us through every step of getting our first home.
Nicola Winters
Brett was awesome! Very thorough with his explanations, always available and going the extra mile. Loved dealing with him and he made the process very easy for someone who had never had the experience of buying property in NZ.
Brett Davies
Nicola was exceptional. We had other mortgage broker contacts but it was just fortunate that Nicola in her proactive nature reached out to us in a timely manner and so we decided to go with her. Nicola was calm, friendly, positive and her communication skills and attention and care were outstanding. I w…
Nicola Winters
We have approached many companies for our loan for First Home but Susan made it happen so that we were able to achieve getting loan and buying first home. She is very clear and communicative. Highly recommend Susan.
Susan Wu
Both my partner and I really enjoyed working with Nicola. She was extremely knowledgeable and provided great guidance to help us get in to our first home.
She was always responsive and helpful, had excellent contacts and recommendations, efficient and very friendly.
We couldn’t ask for anyone bett…
Nicola Winters
Laura was absolutely amazing and I know how difficult me and my situation where to deal with! Without her I would not have bought my first home! You can’t ask for a better mortgage broker, or person, to be guiding you through it!
Thank you Laura!!!!!
Laura Cates
Johnny maintained a professional, yet warm attitude throughout the whole process. All questions were answered promptly, and succinctly.
He really made the whole mortgage process smoother, allowing us to focus on the house hunting aspect. I would recommend Johnny to anyone and everyone. No mess, and no l…
Johnny Ang
Johnny helped me with every step of my first home purchase. He’s very responsive and helpful. He patiently assisted me through the entire process. I found Johnny to be extremely knowledgeable and was very prompt on communication with the many queries I sent to him. Definitely saved me a lot of str…
Johnny Ang
Two thumbs up for Johnny, his excellent service and hard work. I would 100% recommend Johnny to my friends and family without doubt.
Johnny Ang
Brett was fabulous to work with and hung in with me through lockdowns and doubting I would find anything. His advice was pragmatic and no nonsense just what I needed. Highly recommended.
Brett Davies
Nicola was nothing short of amazing!!!She was professional and a pleasure to deal with. Her communication was awesome, she kept us updated every step of the way and was very patient with us as first home buyers we had a lot of questions! I could email/text her any time of the day/night and she would get…
Nicola Winters
I approached Christiana earlier this year for advise around purchasing my first home. Although I was not yet in a position to do so Christiana formulated a plan to get me there which I am now following and hopeful to buy in the new year. When the time comes I will definitely look to work with Christiana…
Christiana Pollock
Lynne was fantastic to work with and we are so glad we went with her as our advisor. The whole process was easier than I expected thanks to Lynne’s help. We would definitely recommend her to our friends and family.
Lynne Dent
I cannot recommend Christiana enough. So knowledgeable, helpful, very quick to respond. Also the process was so easy. All your documents are uploaded via a website and all visible in the one place. Will 100% be using her next time to re-fix our mortgage. Christiana really goes above and beyond for you!
…
Christiana Pollock
Karen was an absolute pleasure to work with! She took all our concerns seriously, had a great answer to every question and worked with us long-term to achieve our goals. I will absolutely recommend Karen and Mortgage Labs to anyone looking for mortgage advice in the future! 🙂
Karen Latimer
Karen has been absolutely amazing, she took all the stress out of getting the mortgage for our first home.
Karen Latimer
Nicola is an amazing person, we really enjoyed working with her. Thank you Nicola.
Nicola Winters
Roger was absolutely incredible to work with. He was easy to communicate with, answered all questions, made us feel at ease with all decisions. Kept us up to date every step of the way and worked really hard to get us into a good position to owning our first home. I have already been recommending him to…
Roger Fairbairn
Nicola made purchasing my first home easy and not at all scary. Right from our first interaction she was pleasant, friendly but also very efficient.
She was confident right from the start I would be approved and provided useful tips along the journey. We were in constant contact with Nicola updating me every …
Nicola Winters
Roger was awesome! We were looking to purchase for a while and working with Roger about what was possible for us really helped get things moving. It made the process so much less stressful and he never made me feel bad for all my check in calls for updates. Would recommend Roger and would use him again …
Roger Fairbairn
Mr Johnny Ang was very reliable adviser with integrity and sound knowledge.
He made my first home buying experience as seamless as possible even though the settlement was delayed due to other factors.
Johnny Ang
She’s very professional and advised us well, definitely one in a million, couldn’t have been happier with the outstanding service she provided. Serina is a very professional advisor, that offers service beyond expectations.
Serina Nicholson
From the moment we met Karen, she was able to provide us with all the advice we needed. Any questions we had were explained in ways that were easy to understand and we didn’t feel overwhelmed by the process at any point. Karen was great with communicating to us and helped to ensure that everything was…
Karen Latimer
We had an incredible experience working with Roger on our journey to securing our first home. From our first meeting he instantly made us feel at ease. His expertise and knowledge in the mortgage industry were truly impressive.
He patiently guided us through the entire process, explaining every step and…
Roger Fairbairn
I met Dustin through Mortgage Lab. He was very good hassle free service, very clear on what was needed and not. He updated us clearly. He’s one of the best in business.
Dustin Lindale
Roger is amazing! He is very supportive, straightforward and made the home loan process easy. He is magnificent in his profession. Roger is a highly recommended mortgage broker. He made our dream come true. Thank you very much Roger. You are awesome!
Roger Fairbairn
Roger has changed my life. I had previously approached 2 other mortgage brokers from other companies, with neither understanding complex financial/legal situation I was in due to being involved in trust. Roger was going to be the last person I contacted before giving up the house hunt, but I’m so …
Roger Fairbairn
Karen was exceptional to work with. She was diligent, compassionate and patient throughout the process. I would recommend Karen to anyone that is considering applying for a mortgage or even starting to save for a deposit.
Karen Latimer
We approached Dustin after watching a webinar he arranged.
At the start he arranged a meet and greet to get to know us better and clearly explained the process.
He made us feel comfortable and safe and answered any questions we had, not only at the beginning but right throughout the process.
If you think you have n…
Dustin Lindale
Highly recommend Christiana for any and all first home buyers, she has a wealth of knowledge and expertise and is a safe set of hands to handle your first mortgage and home loan. Thank you for all your help!
Christiana Pollock
Lynne was excellent to deal with, very friendly and very knowledgeable. I would recommend her service.
Lynne Dent
Roger was a well informed, patient and quick communicator. We really appreciated his calm approach to sticky situations especially on the days when we needed it the most. There were times when he went above and beyond to make things happen quickly and he was always good at checking in with us along th…
Roger Fairbairn
Dustin helped me get my mortgage for my first house, he was super knowledgeable and helpful for all the questions I threw at him. He followed up regularly to keep me in the loop with how things were tracking which was great reassurance to know I wasn’t missing anything. He took out all the hassle …
Dustin Lindale
Dustin has been fantastic in educating us and suggesting options to finance our first home. Greenhorns like us wouldn’t have made it to securing a loan if not for Dustin. We are happy to secure Dustin’s advice over a long term as we feel Dustin is well aware of our financial commitments and …
Dustin Lindale
Michael Shrubsall made the experience of buying my first home easy and positive! He has a real can-do attitude/approach and was able to look at my entire financial situation to not only help me buy my first home but set me up to be in the best financial position moving forward.
I felt really well-informed thr…
Michael Shrubsall
Dustin was great to work with! We originally reached out to Dustin to see if it was possible to buy our first home, 6 months later we moved in!
We have also started passing on Dustin’s information to friends and family for their financial needs because of our great experience. This was our first i…
Dustin Lindale
Brett was awesome in helping us navigate the mortgage process as first home buyers. He was patient and answered all of our questions and concerns.
Brett Davies
My wife and I would like to say thank you to Johnny for his excellent service. He has a broad knowledge and provided us with good options and clear information which really helps us with the decision making. He handled all our enquires professionally, accurate and with kindness. We were glad to have him…
Johnny Ang
I liked that Dustin wasn’t afraid to tell us how it is – that if we didn’t get strict on our budget, we are not likely to get approval. This helped us to budget more and structure finances to allow us to get approval from the bank.
Dustin Lindale
We had the most awesome experience, we had been trying to buy a house for the entire 2020 and used a number of mortgage brokers but each asked more and more from us. They wanted us to cancel our KiwiSaver deposits and cancel this and that. We were about to give up when a friend told us about Lynne and w…
Lynne Dent
Laura was so amazing and understanding. Really helpful especially as all the work was done during level 4 lock down. I can’t recommend the service and experience highly enough.
Laura Cates
Serina was amazing from our initial contact right through to our house purchase. As first home buyers, we were new to the process and had many questions throughout. Serina was always available for support and was amazing at organising our application. 10/10, thank you Serina.
Serina Nicholson
Lynne is the best! She helped us a lot. Always answer our questions. Thank You Lynne
Lynne Dent
We were so grateful to have Keith to guide us through the process to get a mortgage for our first home. Keith was very helpful and knowledgeable, he took us through all of the options and provided very sound advice on each. We really appreciated his expertise throughout our application process, when our circu…
Keith Munro
Lynne was very easy to work with and got my mortgage sorted for me fast. I would highly recommend her.
Lynne Dent
Laura was very helpful throughout the process, answering any and all my elaborate questions as a first home. Laura was great.
Laura Cate
Highly recommend Cindy Huang, professional, knowledgeable of first home loans, and patient. She’s made the whole process very smooth and straightforward. Have recommended her to our friends for future business already.
Cindy Huang
Susan was awesome. Very helpful and answering along the way. Joyful to work with. Highly recommend her. All the best.
Susan Wu
Johnny is a legend! He is efficient, knowledgeable and professional. Always available to answer any questions and concerns. Thank you so much for making our first home journey a positive and less scary experience. Highly recommend 🙂
Johnny Ang
Lynne was recommended to me by a previous customer and for good reason, she was AMAZING and made the whole process of buying our first home so much easier! She went above and beyond! Would totally be recommending! Thanks Lynne!!
Lynne Dent
Very happy with the professional service provided by Cindy, high recommend!!
Cindy Huang
Now I own my own home! Thanks to Roger the process was really straightforward. He was there every step of the way and the first person to congratulate me on settlement day! Roger listened to my specific needs and therefore gave me advice based on this, which means moving forward I have heaps of options …
Roger Fairbairn
Johnny is an absolutely amazing adviser. He made our first home purchase a breeze, kept our stress at bay and was the one keeping us well & sane throughout the whirlwind of a process. We will always be true & loyal to Johnny, he is the greatest!
Johnny Ang
Serina helped us get a mortgage even though we thought we couldn’t get one she made the whole process really easy, she was always just a phone call away and would call us back straight away, I love that now we have our mortgage Serina is still going to be advising us on other things thank you Seri…
Serina Nicholson
Nicola was kind, polite, professional, smart, articulate, punctual, helpful, easy to contact and very easy to talk to. I would recommend Nicola to anyone looking at getting a home loan as she truly does go above and beyond expectations.
Nicola Winters
We’ve worked with Roger for almost one year, and he was amazing during the whole difficult process… I guess sometimes he even worked as therapist, calming us down and giving us good insights every step (thank you for not charging this!)
Roger helped us to secure our house and was magnificent at detailing our …
Roger Fairbairn
I am a middle-aged single female buying a first property in Christchurch post-COVID lock-down; the most difficult market to not only get finance but actually get a property to put an offer on! My excitement quickly turned to agitation, anxiety and straight out confusion. Lynne was ready, willing and able to g…
Lynne Dent
Serina Nicholson was absolutely amazing she went above and beyond for me, I would definitely recommend her to anyone she is the best person in the business 🙂
Serina Nicholson
Christiana has been an amazing MA to buy our first home, she knew exactly what our situation was and did everything to make our journey smooth. We are in Christchurch and she was based on Auckland, but she was only one call/text away- always replying my answers/doubts anytime of the day. Recommending to building inspector/lawyer/insurance, etc
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Serina was amazing. Incredibly knowledgeable and patient with all my questions. She worked magic to get me and my partner into a home, and we cannot recommend her enough.
Serina Nicholson
Karen was extremely helpful and made us feel like no question was too silly, which we really appreciated as first home buyers! She was very attentive and kept us informed during the entire process. I am really pleased with our outcome and highly recommend her services.
Karen Latimer
Nicola was very patient with me- being a First Home Buyer. She communicated well on a regular basis & made sure everything went through to the Bank as needed. Would definitely recommend her.
Nicola Winters
Lynne did a brilliant job organising us into our first/down sizing home. We didn’t think we had things quite in place but non the less when a place popped up we were really interested in she was able to work her magic and we have now been in our own home for a couple of months.She was so knowledge…
Lynne Dent
Lynne was very helpful, positive, and worked hard to get the best deal for us. She made it possible for us to be able to buy a house much sooner than we expected. She respected our wishes, explained things well, and adapted to the changes necessary with lockdown very well. She always conducted herself p…
Lynne Dent
Very much enjoyed working with Lynne, made the process less daunting, without Lynne I don’t believe I would have had the confidence to complete the home purchase as she was able to explain what the bank wanted in everyday English! Very impressed and will definitely be recommending Lynne.
…
Lynne Dent
Cindy is very friendly and helpful to answer all of my questions so the whole process is very smooth and effective. She evaluated what the best of mortgage condition and the kind of property I should look for. I am so happy that I can buy the house so quick and hassle free. You can contact her and you w…
Cindy Huang
I really enjoyed having Roger as our advisor. I have spoken with many mortgage advisors, and I can very well tell that he is far more knowledgeable than anyone else. He was listening to our requirements and suggesting with the best options. This was for our land purchase to construct our first home. I w…
Roger Fairbairn
Found Michael amazing to deal with, helped us get the financial side of our life sorted, after the bank I had been with for 25 years wasn’t interested in letting us keep our existing mortgage but move to a bigger place due to our business only being 18 mths old, Michael managed to turn what I thou…
Michael Shrubsall
Want to DIY but need a little more help?
Purchase our book online to become the next successful first home buyer
Our paperback book “The Successful First Home Buyer” walks you through the entire process of preparing to buy your first home.
The goal? By the end of the book, you will present to the bank as the perfect buyer! Follow the To-dos at the end of each chapter and make the entire home-buying process easy.
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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…
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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…
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The Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act (CCCFA) came into force on the 1st December 2021 and was largely meant to protect consumers from high-interest loan sharks. Unintended effects of…
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Tiny homes are all the rage these days. With more people looking to downsize their lives, these little houses are popular among homeowners and renters alike. However, one of the…
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Recently Labour and National shocked New Zealand by not only agreeing on something but also working together on a new housing bill: the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other…
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If you’re interested in property investment in New Zealand, you’re likely no stranger to the increased lending restrictions put in place this year. These restrictions were intended to discourage small…
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No one likes being rejected. Some of us still blush when we remember being turned down by Patrick Summers at the Year 9 dance. That’s just for instance. We’re not…
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There’s a lot to weigh up between a new build or an existing house. Some of it is a personal preference; the beauty of a stained glass window in a…
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In no way does this article condone the investment in Bitcoin. Invest to your personal level of risk tolerance and always seek advice before engaging in any form of speculative…
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This article is current as at 1 September 2021. Interest-only mortgages can be the right strategy in certain circumstances. Unfortunately freeing up money in order to go on holiday isn’t…
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Surrounding yourself with property experts is not just a good idea; it’s absolutely necessary. And while it sounds expensive, you don’t need to be rolling in cash. In fact, in…
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On 16 June 2021, the Government announced that the Reserve Bank has been given the authority to use debt-to-income lending restrictions as another tool in the toolbox to help settle…
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Living for the moment. Carefree long wavy hair and lots of paisley clothes. Sounds blissful, but in reality you might feel better having read the menu online before going to…
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Debt can be a bit of a scary word, but don’t worry, this is a safe space! This article covers what it is, how it affects your mortgage application and…
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之前,我们已经研究了First Home Grants和KiwiSaver之间的区别。另一个经常引起混淆的配对是“首次购房贷款”(以前称为“Welcome Home Loan”)和“首次购房补助”(以前称为“HomeStart Grant”)。它们都由新西兰住房协会(房屋局)经营,但实际上有很大的不同。
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首次购房者通常会被很多新概念所困扰。在本文中,我们会解释KiwiSaver首套房资金提取,还有“首次置业补助金 – First Home Grant”(以前称为HomeStart补助金)的基本知识。
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银行是企业,目标是赚钱并成为该行业的领先品牌。这是与大多数其他企业的目标相同,归根结底,它们都是很注重销售的。因此不用说,他们不太可能为您提供涉及使用多个银行的建议。以下有两条提示是银行不会告诉你们的 。
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Applying for a mortgage is much like creating a Tinder profile. You want to make yourself as attractive as possible to get a bank to “swipe right”. Banks aren’t interested…
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申请房屋贷款就像创建Tinder个人资料一样。您想使自己的申请有足够的有吸引力,让银行“向右滑动”选择你。他们对您的照片不感兴趣,但他们确实想知道您有足够的存款。他们不在乎您是否喜欢去滑板冲浪,但是他们确实在乎您是否有收入来支付贷款。他们不在乎您是否喜欢阳光与沙滩,但他们确实在乎您是否能为自己的钱负责。
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Buying at auction can be exciting but also intimidating. Much like your year 5 school production, knowing what to do and when to do it will help you feel more…
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Updated 16th February 2021 It might feel like decades ago, but on 30th April 2020, the Reserve Bank announced the removal of LVR restrictions on banks in New Zealand. In…
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如果您的存款少于房屋价钱的20%,这就称为low equity borrower 。对于20%或以下的借款人,您需要满足一套不同的贷款标准。
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Apartments are a very tempting purchase, especially for first-home buyers. They tend to cost less and therefore be much more within reach. And you can pretend you’re living in Manhattan,…
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For some time now the Reserve Bank has tried to encourage mortgage lending on newly constructed properties. In other words, getting finance is slightly easier if you are purchasing a…
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The thinking behind weekly payments saving you money is this; If you pay $2,000 in monthly payments there are 30/31 days of interest charged before your next payment reduces your…
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Below is a list of standard mortgage terms to help buyers and investors understand the finance journey. This list is taken from “The Successful First Home Buyer” book. Asking price…
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An offset mortgage is when you have one or multiple bank accounts allocated to your mortgage The money in these accounts lower the amount owed. Instead of earning interest on…
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对冲账户(Offset Account)是与房屋贷款账户相关联的日常交易账户。顾名思义,它的功能就是对冲您房屋贷款帐户中的本金,因而降低您所需要支付本金所产生的利息。
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There are several reasons why you might need a Registered Valuation when purchasing a property: if you are purchasing a property privately (not through a Real Estate Agent) and are…
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This article is current as at September 2021 Being prepared isn’t just for Scouts. When applying for a mortgage you can significantly reduce wait time by providing all required documentation…
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Most homeowners are familiar with fixed-term mortgages. Over 80% of NZ mortgages are on some sort of fixed-term; the majority are currently for 1 to 2 years. But it’s easy…
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Purchasing your first home can be confusing, getting organised can help. Here are 3 things that you can do today to get ready to apply for your mortgage. Order your…
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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…
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相信很多人在决定购买他们第一套房子的时候会感觉很紧张和不安。 如果你最高贷额只是一张$2000元的信用卡,那么去申请$ 400,000的贷款可能会觉得很有压力。
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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…
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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…
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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…
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The Reserve Bank today announced that the OCR would be reduced by 0.75% to a new level of 0.25%. International markets around the world have been severely affected by the…
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First home buyers are often nervous about the size of their Student Loan and how it will affect their chance of getting a mortgage. But how much does it really…
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Kiwis like Credit Cards… a lot. If you’ve got 10 minutes, you could get one online right now (don’t). And the price for easily-acquired, unsecured debt is usually ~20% p.a.…
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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…
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Smoking is a difficult habit to quit but there are some powerful motivators to do so. For some, it’s the wish to live a healthier, longer life. For others, it’s…
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Whether you’re getting serious about buying a house or are thinking you’d like to buy sometime in the future, doing these three things today will help you get ready for…
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“My income is too high to be able to use KiwiSaver to purchase my first home”, was a comment made in passing to me today. Article written and submitted by…
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One of the simplest ways to grow your deposit is KiwiSaver. Below, we take a quick look at how quickly your deposit could grow and the numbers around this. Robyn…
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Good news! You’ve completed your application, handed over a mountain of paperwork (just kidding, our system is paperless) and now you’re pre-approved for your mortgage! After a phone call from…
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As you may know from our other blogs, there are some key levels of deposit that you need to get to in order to buy a new home. The main…
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Recently we looked at some tips for bidding at an auction. But what if the house you love is for sale by tender? Tenders are much less time-pressured than auctions…
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Saving is a long, slow process. That’s why so many of us are so bad at it. You could put $20 aside every week and after a year, you’ll have…
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This month our Mortgage Advisers take a good look at the property sector in the beautiful city of Tauranga. Tauranga Property Prices It would be fair to say that property…