In this month’s IFA News we introduce you to Gina, we chat about the rental crisis and we give you a few reasons to smile.

Read all the news in our August newsletter.

Auctions can be daunting. We are regularly asked for some guidance, so for everyone’s benefit, a list of best auction tips:

The most important thing about getting into debt is being able to get out of debt!  

It’s all too easy to rack up debt – credit cards, car loans – and it may seem all too hard to pay it off. Debt will have a big impact on funds available to repay your home loan, so minimising additional debt is essential.

 Here are eight steps you can take towards minimising your debt.

6th July is a key date, we call it Integrity Day. The registration of the Integrity Finance Australia company was on that day in 2006.

Find out more and read our latest newsletter here.

Overseas interest in Aussie properties has surged to record levels as migration hits highest point in three years.

Amid a national rental crisis, fast recovering population growth, and constrained housing supply, measures to address the housing shortage and worsening affordability featured prominently in this year’s budget. 

While renting is a vital part of Australia’s housing market, it has been failing many.

“Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful” is Warren Buffet’s advice to wise investors, applicable to all asset markets.

Obtaining a home loan is not something just any person can do. 

Assessment processes and rules are complex and convoluted, expert advice is recommended, however as a start point here are the “5 C’s of Credit” underlying the process at all banks.

Average mortgage rates have more than doubled since the Reserve Bank began its hiking cycle in May last year, but not everyone is being impacted equally.

The impact of the 10 consecutive interest rate rises seen so far has been to curtail the average buyer's borrowing capacity by around 30%. With buyers able to borrow less, the total amount they can spend has fallen and this has reduced prices.

Over the coming decades, Australia’s population is set to swell. By 2050, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) tips the latest count of around of 26 million will increase to somewhere between 34m- 41m people. By the same date, Australia has enshrined in law a commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions.  

On one hand, millions of extra people are going to need somewhere to live — and millions of new homes are going to need to be constructed to house them. On the other, the country needs to find ways to dramatically reduce its carbon footprint and embrace a more sustainable way of living.

So, how are we going to get there?

New data shows a lift in housing market activity among sellers, with the number of new listings increasing after a slower start to the year.

The latest PropTrack Listings Report indicates activity is starting to heat up ahead of the usually busy autumn selling season, with would-be buyers enjoying more choice in many parts of Australia.

Interest rates are a big factor in each loan repayment and the total cost over the life of that loan, so staying on top of your current rate, as well as the interest trends across the market, is essential.

 We have seen the Reserve Bank increase the cash rate nine times in the last 12 months, totalling a rise of 3.25% in base rates. If you have not checked your rate lately you need to!

We all start a new year with hopes and dreams and expectations of the year to come. What happens next? French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre described life as being “C between B and D” – explained as C being the choices we make between B – birth and D – death. It is those daily choices each of us make that add up to create who we are. Our choices can be our best friend, or our worst enemy, delivering the life we want, or not. For each choice has consequences, for better or for worse.

Sunshine and rainbows are beautiful, but the sunshine will be broken with clouds, and we cannot have the rainbows without the rain. The best Christmas present for your family this year may well be a review of your financial position, and preparations for 2023. In recessions and tough times some will fall, some will thrive. Which camp would you prefer to fall into?

The story:

“Two men are hiking in the woods, and they see a bear. The bear is really mad, so they start running to get away. The first man says, ‘how are we going to outrun this bear?’ and the other guy goes ‘I don’t have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you.’ (laughs)