First Home Buyers - July 30th What are the Risks of Buying Off the Plan? What does buying off the plan mean? Buying a property off the plan means buying a property that has yet to be constructed, such as an apartment in a complex that’s yet to be built or …
First Home Buyers - July 26th Top Tips for Building A New Home 1. Build to your section The key to good home design is to build to the section, not the other way around. You should design or choose a house plan that is going to make the …
First Home Buyers - July 25th How Does a Mortgagee Sale Affect Tenants? What is a mortgagee sale? A mortgage is a home loan secured against a property. If the borrower fails to make their mortgage repayments, the lender can sell the property to recover the money they are …
Home Loans - July 25th How to Get a Home Loan For a New Build Most people apply for finance to purchase a section and to build a new home at the same time. This requires two finance offers, one for each stage of the project, which means a range …
First Home Buyers - July 23rd SBS Bank the Best for First Home Buyers Over the past three years, economic conditions have conspired against first home buyers. A weak economy, job insecurity and high interest rates have put many Kiwis’ home ownership plans on ice. However, throughout this period, …
Home Loans - June 21st Squirrel: What Do the new DTI Limits Mean for Borrowers? Almost nine years after the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) first tossed around the idea of implementing DTI (or debt-to income) lending restrictions in New Zealand, DTIs are finally happening. The new DTI rules will …
Home Loans - June 5th Low Deposit Home Loan: What are Low Equity Premiums? Recent rule changes around mortgage lending to borrowers with small deposits means it's easier to secure a low deposit loan. However, if you've only got a small deposit, it's likely you'll have to pay more …
First Home Buyers - June 4th What is a Loan-to-value Ratio (LVR)? Loan-t0-value ratios (LVRs) were first introduced in 2013 in an attempt to cool the overheated property market. Over the years, they've been amended a few times. They were removed entirely in response to the economic impact …
First Home Buyers - June 4th What Are Debt-to-income (DTI) Ratios? In an attempt to further strengthen financial stability in New Zealand, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has introduced new debt-to-income (DTI) restrictions on banks' mortgage lending. But what are DTI ratios and how will …
First Home Buyers - May 24th How to Buy a House with a Small Deposit It’s been a tough few years for first home buyers (FHBs). First, house prices soared, due to pandemic-induced low interest rates. Then, as a consequence of rising inflation, mortgage rates more than doubled. In August 2021, …