Home Loans

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 …

Home Loans - May 24th

Squirrel: Are New Builds Still a Good Investment?

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. No matter your investment of choice, it’s a wild and risky market to be operating in right now. Putting money into shares feels kind of crazy. Fixed-interest …

First Home Buyers - May 24th

What is First Home Partner? All You Need to Know!

Update September 29, 2023: Due to high demand, the First Home Partner scheme is fully subscribed. As a result, currently, it is not accepting any new applications. There's little doubt that aspiring first home buyers (FHBs) …

Banking & Insurance - May 16th

Mortgage Rates: Could You Save $872 Per Month?

Over the past few months, the rise and rise of mortgage rates has been precipitous. Last August, the average one-year fixed rate for owner-occupiers on Canstar’s mortgage database was 2.58%. Now it is sitting around …

First Home Buyers - May 12th

Squirrel: Moving to NZ from Overseas: How to Get a Mortgage in NZ

How to get a mortgage in NZ: After a brutal 708 days of border closures and MIQ lotteries, New Zealand finally began its grand reopening to the world at midnight on Friday 4th March, 2022 …

First Home Buyers - May 5th

Squirrel: House Prices Hit, but Will They Fall Further?

It probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone who checked out the housing market recently, but house prices are officially on the way down. While some may be treating it like breaking news, in reality, …

First Home Buyers - May 4th

7% Mortgage Rate Stress Test: Will Your Mortgage Survive?

Banks are now stress testing new home loan applications with mortgage rates over 7%. What does this mean for where mortgage rates are headed and what does it mean for the average Kiwi mortgage? Canstar …

First Home Buyers - April 28th

How to Bid at Auction: Eight Top Tips to Help You Succeed

Author: Alasdair Duncan If you’ve ever been to an auction, you’ll know that the experience can be both exciting and tense. As a property goes under the hammer, rival buyers compete to present the highest bid, …

Home Loans - April 28th

What Is Mortgage Stress?

Author: Amanda Horswill The cost of living has been rising, with petrol and groceries, in particular, soaring in recent months. And interest rates have been rising along with it. So if you're one of the thousands …