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There’s a certain buzz in the air at this time of year, as the weather warms up and the property market gets into full swing. Buyers continue to come out of hibernation and snap up properties during the spring selling season. If you’re one of the lucky ones about to make an exciting property purchase, we’d love to help you find a home or investment loan that suits your financial circumstances and goals. Please get in touch!
Interest Rate News

This month, the Reserve Bank of Australia kept the official cash rate unchanged at 1.5%. The RBA’s decision to hold the cash rate was widely anticipated by economists. In September, some of the major banks lowered interest rates on fixed rate loans, so it could be a good time to speak to us to see if this option works for you. Overall, interest rates remain low and there are some very competitive products out there, so call us if you’d like us to check your home loan features and rate!

Property Market News

Dwelling values increased in all capital cities except Sydney and Darwin last month. Hobart led the way, with a month-on-month change in dwelling values of 1.71%. In Melbourne, values rose 0.86%, while in Canberra they were up 0.56%. Brisbane saw increases of 0.28%, and Perth experienced 0.08% growth. Adelaide was slower, with an increase of 0.03%. In Sydney, home values decreased by 0.13% and in Darwin they fell 0.68%.

While auction activity was strong earlier in September, it dropped off during the final week of September (week ending October 1). In Victoria, there were only 137 scheduled auctions, with 89% of properties selling, while in New South Wales, 690 auctions were held and only 67% of properties sold. That’s a big drop in volume compared to the previous week (ending September 24), when both states had a combined 2,672 properties go to auction and clearance rates of 74% for Victoria and 70% for New South Wales. Perhaps everyone was just too busy watching the footy Grand Finals!

In South Australia, 78% of the 45 properties scheduled for auction went under the hammer in the week ending October 1. The ACT held 45 scheduled auctions and achieved a clearance rate of 76%. Western Australia had 17 scheduled auctions (67% clearance rate) and Queensland had 306 scheduled auctions, with a 39% clearance rate. The Northern Territory had 6 scheduled auctions (25% clearance rate), while Tasmania only had one property go to auction, and it sold!

Spring is traditionally the most popular time of year for vendors to sell, and with more competition out there, you may score an attractive deal on the property of your dreams! So please give us a call to talk about your spring property plans, we’re here to help you find you a mortgage that is tailored to suit your financial circumstances and goals, and we’d love to help!Welcome to our October Newsletter

The clever investor knows that assessing your investments regularly is key to identifying opportunities to build wealth. Knowing when to refinance an investment property could be vital to a successful strategy. So is now the time for you to refinance?

Talk to us and we’ll help you to decide! Despite recent tightening around investor lending, there are still some very competitive interest rates available from a variety of lenders. In this article, we cover some of the common questions we get from our property investor customers – and if you do decide you’re ready to refinance, you can rely on us to make it easy!

Why should I refinance my investment property?

There are generally two main reasons why you may want to refinance your investment property. These are to access your equity, or to change to a different loan.

If you’d like to expand your investment portfolio, refinancing to access your equity could be a good move. You could potentially use your equity as a deposit to buy another property, or to take advantage of some other kind of investment opportunity – talk to your financial planner to see what strategy is right for you.

Accessing your equity to renovate could also be a good move. It could help you add value to your investment property, fast-track its capital growth and perhaps improve the rental value to increase cash-flow.

What kinds of fees are involved?

The good news is that when you refinance an investment property, the costs involved in exiting your existing loan and setting up another are usually tax-deductable. That includes the borrowing expenses and any exit fees or penalties. In the first five years of owning your investment property, you can usually claim borrowing expenses back incrementally, and if you refinance within that timeframe, you can claim the remaining tax deductions immediately. Talk to your tax accountant about the benefits appropriate to your situation. If you don’t have one, we’ll be happy to help you with a referral.

Should I use one lender or multiple lenders?

Professional investors often prefer to use multiple lenders to avoid cross-collateralisation. Cross-collateralisation is where you secure a loan against two or more properties instead of one – which can be inconvenient when the time comes to sell, and risky if property prices should fall. If you use one lender, your properties may be cross-collateralised by default. Having said that, some investors may prefer to use one lender. Overall, it depends on your individual financial situation, goals and the size of your investment portfolio, whether you may choose to go with one lender or several. Talk to us and we’ll help you decide which loan structure is right for you.

Should I refinance all my investments at the same time?

If you’re reviewing one mortgage, you might as well ask us to assess all of your investment loans to make sure they are up to scratch. You may decide you are happy with the deal you are receiving for some of the loans, and only proceed with refinancing others. Or you may decide it’s time to change the way all your loans are structured and if so, we’re here to help.

Talking to your financial planner or tax accountant is also a good idea, to make sure refinancing is the right strategy for you financially. If you’d like to chat or explore the kinds of investment loan options out there, please get in touch today. We’d love to help you find the right finance to fulfill your needs!Investment property refinance made easy!


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