Getting ready to buy your first home? As your mortgage broker, we’re here to help you every step of the way. It’s an exciting time and it’s easy to make mistakes. Here are 5 common mistakes that you should try to avoid!

1. Relying on advice from family and friends

Family and friends are people you can trust, so it’s understandable that you listen to their advice. However, while they may have the best of intentions, it’s always best to seek independent professional advice when buying a property. Things may have changed a lot since your mum and dad purchased their first home, and your circumstances are likely to be different. They may also have made mistakes without even realising it.

As a first-time buyer, you’ll want a team of experienced professionals in your corner. That means a reputable mortgage broker (like me), a solicitor or conveyancer, plus a building and pest inspector. A good accountant can also be invaluable, particularly if you are self-employed. If you need recommendations, please let me know and I’ll give you a referral.

2. Blowing the budget

The last thing you want is home loan repayments you can’t really afford – you might end up eating baked beans for years to come! That’s why it’s so important to have a solid grasp of your financial situation and budget.

As your mortgage broker, I can help you understand your borrowing power and create a home-buying budget. That will help save time when you start looking for your dream home. I’ll also organise pre-approval on your home loan, so that your finance is ready to go.

3. Underestimating the costs involved

Many first home buyers don’t understand the full costs involved in buying a property. There’s a lot to consider – your deposit, stamp duty, lender fees and charges, solicitors fees, and so on.

Then there are the ongoing costs associated with home ownership. These may include rates, insurance, body corporate fees, maintenance and repairs. Remember, if you need help crunching the numbers, I can assist. I’ll also let you know about any grants or concessions you may be entitled to (like the First Home Owner Grant), which could help get you into your own home sooner.

4. Getting the wrong mortgage

As a first-time buyer, getting your head around all the different home loan products out there can be overwhelming. Offset accounts and redraw facilities. Fixed versus variable rates. Split home loans and lines of credit. It’s enough to give you a head spin! It’s important to choose the mortgage that is most suitable for your needs and saves you as much money as possible.

My role as your mortgage broker is to: 1) understand where you’re at financially and where you want to be; 2) compare the home loan market; 3) find you the right home loan, based on your specific financial circumstances; and 4) walk you through the home loan application process.

5. Being blindsided by emotion

When you’re new to the property hunt, it can be easy to let emotions cloud your judgement. However, try not to let your daydreams get in the way of the facts. Do your research to ensure you’re buying the right property for the right price. If you need help, we can give you some guidance about how to research a property properly to make an informed decision.

With careful planning and support, buying your first home will be a positive experience. As your mortgage broker, I’ll help you every step of the way and can refer you to other professionals whom you can rely on. Please call us at Element Finance Fremantle – let’s make your home ownership dream a reality!

Christmas is just around the corner and isn’t it a wonderful time of year? It’s a time for family and friends, a little self-indulgence, of recognising how hard you’ve worked all year and rewarding yourself for your efforts. If you’ve been contemplating a property purchase, why not make that dream a reality? Talk to your mortgage broker about the right finance for your needs today.

Interest Rate News

Thankfully, there was no pre-Christmas surprise this month from the Reserve Bank of Australia. The board decided to leave the cash rate on hold at 1.5 per cent. The central bank’s board will next meet in February 2019.

Property Market News

On the whole, national dwelling values were largely steady in November. Again, Melbourne seems to be proving more resilient than Sydney, with dwelling values up 0.52%. In contrast, Sydney’s housing market saw prices fall -0.72% in November. Canberra’s dwelling values rose by 0.86%, while Hobart experienced 0.64% growth. Things are looking up for property owners in Perth, where values rose by 0.21% in November. The city recorded the first rolling quarterly capital gain since late 2014 (up 0.3% in the three months to November). In Brisbane and Adelaide, there was less fluctuation (0.07% and 0.01% growth respectively). Darwin, like Sydney, experienced a fall in property values – the month-on-month change was -0.42%.

In the week ending December 3, there were 3,276 auctions held across the combined capital cities. According to CoreLogic, the preliminary clearance rate was 63.5% – up from the previous week’s clearance rate of 61.6%. Auction volumes remain in line with last year’s figures, but this time last year the clearance rate was much higher, at 72.3%.

Melbourne and Sydney’s clearance rates picked up compared to previous weeks. In Victoria, there were 1,800 scheduled auctions and a clearance rate of 67%. New South Wales held 1344 scheduled actions and cleared 62% of the stock. Meanwhile, the ACT had the highest clearance rate – 76% on 105 scheduled auctions. Tasmania only held 11 auctions and cleared 67% of stock, while South Australia had 148 scheduled auctions and 65% of properties sold. In Western Australia, 61 properties went to auction and 46% went under the hammer. Queensland held 395 auctions and the Northern Territory had 17. Both had clearance rates of 36%.

As the sun sets on 2018, we’d like to take the opportunity to wish you a safe and happy festive season. Remember, now is a great time to purchase a new property for the New Year, or to re-evaluate your mortgage. If you’d like advice about finding a mortgage that suits your financial circumstances and plans, talk to your mortgage broker at Element Finance Fremantle. They’ll do the hard yards for you, so that you can concentrate on the fun stuff this summer, like playing beach cricket and being with the family. Here’s to an exciting 2019 – hopefully one that includes an exciting new property purchase!

Everyone looks forward to Christmas and the summer holiday season. After all, ‘tis the season to be jolly. To indulge in festive fare. To get out in the great outdoors and enjoy quality time with family and friends. But this year, it could also be the right time to buy a home. Here are 5 reasons why clever property buyers are considering making a purchase this holiday season.

Motivated sellers

Spring is one of the busiest times of year in Australia’s property markets. That’s when all the buyers are out in force and vendors have the best chance of getting their price. If a vendor is still trying to sell come summer, they’re often highly motivated – or even desperate – to get a sold sticker on that notice board.

This year, spring auction clearance rates were lower than they’ve been for a while. Now summer has arrived, there are many more properties on the market than usual. Motivated sellers are good news for you – they may be more willing to negotiate.

Less competition

Looking for a property during spring can be a nightmare. Open home inspections are packed and by the time you decide you might be interested in a property, there’s usually several offers already on the table. This can be frustrating and detrimental to your capacity to negotiate.

If you start your property hunt when others are away on holidays, you can avoid all the hassle and drama. Again, fewer buyers means vendors may be more willing to negotiate.

Lower prices

Traditionally, property prices fall in December. Last year, the average national home price fell by 0.3%. This year, we can expect this drop to be larger than usual – particularly as there was still a lot of properties left on the market at the end of spring. Prices are already starting to drop in our bigger property markets like Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

The moral of the story? Summer could be the time to buy property – it’s a buyer’s market right now and it probably won’t last for long. CoreLogic are predicting home values are likely to move back into growth territory in most markets by June 2019.

More time

There’s no getting around it. Buying a property takes time and energy. It takes considerable research and a lot of time travelling around to open home inspections.

If you’re working full-time, it can be hard to make time to do it right. You’ll likely be devoting weekends and evenings to your property hunt. The solution? Do your research and inspections while you’re off work and on holidays. That way you’ll get it done faster.

Smoother settlements

Nothing motivates people to wrap up a deal quickly like the idea of taking a break. That goes for real estate agents, lenders, vendors and buyers! Things tend to go much more smoothly when demand is less, so you’re more likely to see a hassle-free settlement during summer than a busier time of year. There are also more special home loan offers available during the off-season, so talk to us to find out more.

So, why not put beach life on hold for a while, and spend the holiday season looking for a bargain on a fantastic new home? If you’re in the market to buy, talk to us at Element Finance about getting pre-approval on your home loan now. It could be a great way to start the new year off with a bang!

Mortgage Protection Insurance vs Income Protection Cover

Injury, Illness and death are not often at the forefront of our minds. Unfortunately, these are also the issues that can have the greatest impact on our lives. When people are considering the importance of income protection, some people believe that they have already taken out an income protection policy with their mortgage. However, upon further discussion we discover they often have mortgage protection insurance, not income protection.

With products as complex as income protection and mortgage insurance, it is inevitable that clients can have a misunderstanding as to what cover they have, what they may or may not be covered for and more importantly, who the benefit is designed to protect.

How does Mortgage Protection Insurance differ from Income Protection?
Mortgage Protection Insurance is designed to protect the portion of the client’s income that is used to pay for their mortgage. This contrasts with income protection where one can generally insure up to 75% of their income. Since the income is what services your mortgage repayments (as well as other living expenses), income protection can provide you with greater financial security should the worst occur. Many other differences exist aside from this, they are discussed below.

Your greatest expense will most likely be your mortgage repayments and your greatest need may well be to place a roof over your head. It’s common to reach a point in life where your financial responsibilities increase significantly. However, in the unfortunate event of you needing to claim on your policy, you will most likely find that the range of expenses to be far greater than simply your mortgage repayments. The flurry of additional expenses that are often incurred at such a time, render mortgage protection insurance inadequate. An income protection policy that replaces the large majority of your income would be able to provide for such a time in a far more appropriate manner. An income protection policy also increases in value the longer you hold it, where as a mortgage protection policy would do the opposite.

Example
A client is on $100,000 a year with monthly mortgage repayments of $2,500. They are involved in an accident over the weekend with a broken leg and are subsequently off work for 3 months. Under mortgage protection insurance the maximum payout for this would be $7,500. Under an income protection policy with 1^st day accident cover, the client could be entitled to $18,750 for the 3 months off, a further lump sum of $12,500 for the broken leg, any rehabilitation expenses as well as a range of other ancillary benefits should the need arise. If the same income protection policy had a benefit period to age 65 and the client was not able to go back to work in any capacity, then the policy would pay out until age 65, subject to approval by the insurance company or until the client went back to work.

Summary
Mortgage protection insurance provides you with basic cover that focuses on one particular expense and is often designed to protect the lender and not the borrower. It is not a substitute for a quality income protection insurance policy. Income protection insurance is about protecting more than just the mortgage repayments. Covering 75% of your income and allowing you to protect your lifestyle, if you are unable to work as a result of illness or injury.

Daniel Cox AdvDipFP
Risk Adviser
Authorised Representative No. 339519
Spectrum Wealth Advisers AFSL. 334400
M: 0403976859