Finance Lab

One-in-five investors snatch up interstate properties

Finance Lab — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:05:37 +0000

Is the grass really greener on the other side? Maybe. Australia has seen a surge of investor activity in recent years, with investment loans reaching record highs. But as home prices rise, plenty of investors are looking beyond their own backyard and making interstate purchases. Australian homes have delivered plenty of pluses for investors in recent …

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5% Deposit Scheme helps more than 300,000 Aussies buy a first home

Finance Lab — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:56:46 +0000

Buying a first home doesn’t have to mean years of eating beans on toast while you scrape together a 20% deposit. Here’s how you could break into the property market with just a 5% deposit. The Australian government’s 5% Deposit Scheme has been around since 2020, and in that time it’s been a game-changer for more …

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Good news for buyers – surge in homes hitting the market

Finance Lab — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:23:04 +0000

If you’re in the market for a home, you may have noticed there hasn’t always been a whole lot of choice in recent months. Fortunately, it looks like property listings are really starting to pick back up. Here’s how to make the most of the increase in choice. Sure, price is the obvious big barrier …

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Double trouble! RBA lifts cash rate by another 25 basis points to 4.10%

Finance Lab — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 04:20:49 +0000

More bad news for mortgage holders around the country: the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) today raised the cash rate for the second time this year to 4.10% in a 5-4 split decision vote. How might this impact your monthly mortgage repayments? Hardly seems fair to hike the cash rate by another 0.25% with petrol …

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Offset accounts surge as homeowners race to beat higher rates

Finance Lab — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:39:32 +0000

Who wouldn’t want to save on home loan interest and pay off their mortgage faster? Homeowners are increasingly turning to offset accounts to do just that. So today we’ll look into whether an offset account could benefit you. The recent RBA cash rate hike has led homeowners to embrace a variety of strategies to ease …

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How first home buyers can buy up to five years sooner

Finance Lab — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:09:25 +0000

As home prices climb higher, first home buyers can feel like the goal posts are continually shifting further out of reach. But there is a way to potentially cut years off the time taken to buy a home. Saving a first home deposit has never been easy – especially in the last decade or two. …

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How much do you need to earn to buy a home in 2026?

Finance Lab — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 01:02:13 +0000

Sure, saving a deposit is important, but your income can hold the real key to getting into the market. That’s because it shapes your borrowing power. It stands to reason that lenders will look closely at your personal income when you apply for a home loan. It’s not just about you being able to comfortably …

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Thinking of a tree change? You might find more affordable homes

Finance Lab — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:53:06 +0000

Growing numbers of younger Australians are opting for regional living, and part of the lure of a ‘seachange’ or ‘treechange’ can be the chance to get more bang for your buck. As property values climb higher, the median home price across our combined capitals has just pushed past the $1 million mark. That’s seeing a rethink …

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Which generation tops housing wealth in Australia?

Finance Lab — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:45:23 +0000

Myth busted! Baby Boomers no longer own the bulk of housing wealth in Australia. We reveal who does, and how you could get started in the property market. As many Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) start to enjoy their retirements, they are passing the baton of property ownership over to the next …

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RBA hikes the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.85%

Finance Lab — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 04:14:17 +0000

Bad news for mortgage holders around the country: the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) today raised the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.85%. Today we’ll look at why it did so, and how this rate hike could impact your monthly mortgage repayments. Well, those three rate cuts in 2025 were nice while they lasted! But recent …

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