Mortgage holders rejoice – the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept the cash rate on hold in August for the second month in a row. So have we finally reached calmer waters? Or is there one last rate rise wave headed our way? In what many will see as better news than a Matildas’ World Cup win, the RBA held interest
With plenty of pundits tipping interest rates will start to fall in the next 12 months, we look at why the big banks are hiking their fixed rates – and unpack what it means for the rate outlook. The past few months have seen interest rates on fixed home loans deliver more ups and downs than a rollercoaster. As recently
Australians are showering their homes with $1 billion worth of love each month as home improvement spending ramps up. We look at the cost of popular renovations – and how to foot the bill. Belts may be tightening but not, it seems, for renovators. The latest figures from the ABS show Australians spent a whopping $1,044 million on home renovations in May
Buying a home for the first time can be challenging, especially with house prices soaring in recent years. So could switching from house hunting to unit searching be the way forward for you? There’s no denying that getting into the property market in today’s economic climate ain’t easy. The average Australian house price is now $725,000 – that’s 30% more expensive than
Phew! The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has today decided to put the official cash rate on hold. So is the end of this rate hike cycle finally in sight? The decision to keep the official cash rate at 4.10% will be welcomed by homeowners around the country after monthly repayments increased by about $1,135 per $500,000 loaned (for a
Have you been keen to refinance but told you can’t? You’re not alone. Many Australian households are currently locked into their home loans due to rising interest rates. But some banks have recently started to lower their serviceability thresholds. As interest rates have climbed, Australians have refinanced in unprecedented numbers. In fact, a record high of $21.3 billion in refinancing took place
