First Home Buyers - February 16th Squirrel: Fixing your Mortgage Long-Term? Beware of the Break Fee! Squirrel's John Bolton explains why you should beware of the break fee if you are tempted to lock in your mortgage to earn a lower long-term rate… Beware of the break fee In an uncertain interest rate …
First Home Buyers - January 19th How to Reduce your Home Loan Repayments As all homeowners with mortgages know, interest rates have soared over the past 18 months. Back in August 2021, the average one-year fixed rate for owner-occupiers on Canstar’s mortgage database was 2.58%. Now, at time …
First Home Buyers - January 17th Best First Home Buyer Home Loans There’s a lot to consider for first home buyers (FHBs). Sure, you need to look at a home's location, its layout and whether it's structurally sound. But your finances need some serious thought, too. While house …
First Home Buyers - August 1st Squirrel: What’s the Deal with Interest Rates and House Prices? First thing’s first. What’s the deal with interest rates? Last month, the Reserve Bank brought in its third 50-point Official Cash Rate (OCR) increase this year, taking it from 2% to 2.5%. At the same time, …
First Home Buyers - July 22nd SBS Bank is the Winner of Canstar’s Bank of the Year | First Home Buyers It remains an uphill struggle for buyers to seal the deal on a first home. Despite softening house prices, aspiring first home buyers face higher mortgage interest rates, tighter lending restrictions. Plus, houses in New …
First Home Buyers - July 20th Squirrel’s Launchpad: Helping Kiwis into First Homes If you're a prospective home owner, you'll know that one of the hardest parts of buying a first home isn't managing the mortgage, it's saving for the deposit. But thanks to Squirrel's Launchpad – a …
First Home Buyers - July 6th Squirrel: First Home Buyers – A Time to Buy Mortgage rates have peaked and the market has cooled. Squirrel's John Bolton explains why it's a good time for first home buyers to enter the market. Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about the shift …
First Home Buyers - June 14th Fixed or Floating Mortgage Rates? Over the ditch in Australia, floating rates tend to be lower than fixed mortgage rates. Therefore they are the mortgage rates of choice for most homeowners. But here in NZ, it's the other way around. Currently …
First Home Buyers - June 2nd What Does Debt-to-Income Ratio Mean? Keeping debt at a manageable level is important for good financial health. And your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) is a measure that may be used by lenders when you apply for a home loan or personal …
First Home Buyers - May 30th Co-buying with Friends? Kiwibank’s New Co-Own Scheme Can Help What is Kiwibank's Co-own? While co-buying a home with friends and family has always been possible, it's never been easy. The more people involved with the process of securing a mortgage, the more paperwork involved with …