Home Loans - February 14th Rising Building Costs of a House in NZ: Up 10%+ New Zealand is in the middle of a building boom. Last year, a record 48,899 new homes were consented, up 24% on 2020's numbers. As a result, the demand for building materials and skilled construction …
Home Loans - January 20th Five Ways to Pay Off A Home Loan Faster Author: Melanie Tesoriero Typically, when you take out a home loan you are given a period of 25 or 30 years to pay it off. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to chip away at your mortgage for …
Banking & Insurance - December 23rd Canstar’s Top Stories of 2021 Tempus really does fugit. Despite the year being dragged down by the surprisingly tenacious virus, the past 12 months have been a blur of awards, ratings and great stories here at Canstar. We've introduced some cool …
Home Loans - December 16th Cashed Up? Canstar Reveals How to Spend Wisely Lockdown was brutal but, on the upside, it gave us a chance to save some cash. With the ability to spend on ‘want to have’ rather than ‘need to have’ items slashed, many Kiwis will …
First Home Buyers - November 19th Squirrel: Mortgage Rate Forecast for 2022 In last year’s mortgage rate forecast, we were of the view that rates would drop below 2% and stay low, which they did for most of 2021. We also felt that house prices would begin to …
First Home Buyers - November 15th Squirrel: Is it Better to Fix or Float your Mortgage? This is particularly relevant right now, while everyone is talking up inflation and higher interest rates. One thing is for sure, whether you fix or float your mortgage, you cannot avoid paying higher interest rates. …
First Home Buyers - November 8th Mortgage Rates to hit 5%: How Much Will Your Mortgage Cost? Mortgage rates are already on the up. Back in mid-July, the average mortgage rates for 1- and 2-year fixed mortgages looked like this: July 2021, average rates: Term 1-Year 2-Year Average rate 2.55% 2.86% Now they look like this: November 2021, average rates: Term 1-Year 2-Year Average rate 3.44% 4.03% Source: www.canstar.co.nz. …
Home Loans - October 19th Real Estate vs Shares: Which is the Better Investment? Money in the bank, as the old adage goes, is money in the bank. It’s always going to be a reliable, liquid asset. But in these days of ultra-low interest rates, money stuck in a …
Home Loans - October 6th Squirrel: Buying a home in 2021 vs. 2008 Back in 2008, in the middle of the Global Financial Crisis, I founded Squirrel mortgage brokers. One of my first clients was a couple who were looking to buy their first home in Auckland. They had a combined income …
Home Loans - October 1st What is a Reverse Mortgage? Everything You Need to Know Depending on how much you’ve saved over the years, retirement can be an exercise in budgeting. While superannuation payments are a welcome reward for years of tax-paying, they are unlikely to cover the cost of …