In early August, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) lowered the official cash rate to a record low of 1.0%, and indicated it could go lower. Along with some of the other possibilities described below, this has revitalised the old saying that “cash is trash” – or in other words, cash left for the long term in bank accounts is rubbish compared with what can be achieved by properly investing...
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Investment
Financial advice plans and pricing
Deciding what to do with deployment allowances or an inheritance? Deciding whether to invest in property? Not sure what to do after paying off the mortgage? Not sure what your retirement will look like? Wondering if you're overpaying for insurance? Retiring and need to know what to do and how much you can spend each year?
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Mortgages
First home buyers
Buying your first home can be a daunting undertaking, so we’re here to remove technical language, simplify the process, and make sure you get a great mortgage.
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A report recently sent by QV has shown the property trends that we’ve become used to are finally starting to change. This could mean major things for first home buyers, especially those who live in large city centres. The key change reported is that housing is becoming more affordable for home buyers due to the following reasons:
Changes in growth rates or property
The...
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Articles
Give your finances a spring makeover
We have now officially said goodbye to winter and are enjoying the first days of spring. Now is the time to take a fresh look at your finances to ensure you are on track to achieve your financial goals. Talk with us about your financial plan but, before doing so, consider the following:
Are you getting the best from your mortgage?
Interest rates are likely to start rising, so...
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Articles
How could proposed banking changes impact your mortgage rate?
Recently proposed changes to the amount of financial backing New Zealand banks need to operate could have a significant impact on all New Zealanders with a mortgage – or about to get one. Such changes could also impact those saving money in the bank.
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Articles
How to buy your first home
Buying your first home can be tricky. It’s difficult to visit any New Zealand news site and not see an article about property unaffordability. While the increase in property values over recent years has slowed a little, purchasing your first home can still seem like a far-fetched pipedream. Despite this, home ownership is still achievable – with some forward planning and smart money...
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Articles
How to get a bigger home deposit
While it’s always been a challenge to get together the deposit for a home, it’s certainly not got any easier for first-home buyers over recent years. Having a roof over your head to call your own is the cornerstone of most people’s financial plan, so to help out, here are the top five ways you can get a bigger home deposit:
1. Increase your savings
Increasing your savings is a...
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Articles
How to improve your credit rating
Even if you have a faultless record of repaying any debts, if you’ve ever applied for a credit card, home loan, phone contract or hire purchase agreement, you probably know the feeling that comes when you hear the words, “I’ll just have to run a credit check”.
When a lender runs a credit check, they’re requesting information that relates to your history of repaying debt to help...
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Mortgages
Mortgage advice
When it comes to finding a great mortgage, we have the know-how to help you get an impressive deal. After you reach out to us, we’ll assess your situation and provide you with professional advice on your options, how to strengthen your application, how to structure your mortgage to suit you, and how to become mortgage-free faster. You could save thousands. Best of all, in most cases...
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Enter your loan amount, interest rate and loan term below then click "calculate". To compare different combinations, add calculators using the "add another calculator" link.
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Articles
Mortgage rates to increase
Interest rates on mortgages and other loans are estimated to rise by between .20 and .60 percent as a result of the Reserve Bank's decision to require banks to put an extra $20 billion of capital into their businesses. The Reserve Bank put the figure at .20 percent, while ANZ believed the impact could be up to triple that, with other estimates somewhere in between.
This is because the...
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Articles
Mortgage traps to avoid
Mortgage mistakes are nearly always costly, especially as collectively we all owe more mortgage debt than ever before. Here are the top five mortgage traps you should avoid, along with a few tricks to get your mortgage working for you.
1. Forgetting to shop around
Many people make the mistake of using their existing bank and give other options no thought. Just as you would with...
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Investment property has been a very popular investment up and down the country for reasons including the following:
Leverage. Real estate is one of the few investments where you can borrow funds to invest more than your available capital, and increase your overall return on investment. Control. You have control over most parts of the investment. This includes...
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Mortgages
Property investment loans
Property investors are sought-after by lenders due to their equity position, borrowing history, and potential level of future borrowing. It’s important that you use this position to secure the right investment loans to meet your finance needs.
Regardless of your situation, we’re comfortable assisting property investors, including if you are:
Seeking your first investment...
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Articles
Record low interest rates - and what it means for you
Earlier this month, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand lowered the official cash rate to the lowest it’s been in New Zealand’s history. This is a significant financial event, with practical implications for most Kiwis. So what does it mean for you?
First, let’s summarise what the Reserve Bank is.
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Mortgages
Refinancing your mortgage
Refinancing is the process of switching your mortgage from one bank to another and renegotiating the terms of the loan. In most cases this is to make savings by getting a better overall deal.
The opposite of refinancing is accepting the status quo, as it’s easy to simply set and forget your home loan and keep making your regular repayments. While accepting the...
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Mortgages
Refix or restructure
Refix
When any fixed rate mortgage is coming to the end of the fixed rate term, your bank will offer you a new rate. When you refix your mortgage, you can, and should, take advantage of the situation to reduce the rate the bank offers. Just like when you first got a mortgage, securing the best rate requires a lot of negotiation with your lender. Most often, a professional who has...
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Articles
Relief for first home buyers
Recent research confirms what many of us may have been thinking – that things are looking better for first home buyers. This particular study is called the Massey Home Affordability Index, and to determine their conclusions, researchers ran a series of calculations which consider the cost of borrowing (mortgage interest rates) as well as incorporating house prices and wage levels.
In...
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