During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people began taking stock of their lives, re-evaluating their lifestyle and financial position, with particular attention to their superannuation and its investment potential. This focus, combined with factors like a resilient property market, poor returns on cash deposits, and tax advantages, have led to the growth of self-managed super funds (SMSF). In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the lending options available to SMSF’s as well as the current investment property market.

With historically low interest rates, many Australian homeowners choose to structure part, or all, of their home loan on a variable interest rate. Fluctuations in the variable interest rate mean sometimes mortgage repayments are lower, while at other times a higher repayment is charged. If you’ve ever wondered why the variable interest rate differs from lender to lender, or even how variable interest rates are calculated, here’s a simple explanation.

Many people believe that low income earners – and those who rely on government benefits – are not eligible for home loans. But that’s not always the case. If your household income is supported by Family Tax Benefits (FTB) from Centrelink, the good news is, there are still lenders who will consider this type of home loan application.

The key to success is working with a mortgage broker who understands which lenders to approach. Read on to find out what you need to know about using non-standard income to access home loan lending.

Living through a pandemic has changed our view on many things. From wanting a better work life balance and more focus on health, wellness and exercise, to a greater desire to learn more and the need to connect online.

But it also changed how we live, with flexible working arrangements helping turn long-term dreams of escaping to the country into reality. Holiday rental giant, Airbnb, has responded by changing the way it works, while real estate agents across Australia are already reporting significant spikes in demand for properties in rural areas.

Here’s a closer look at how COVID-19 has changed the way we live.

Government-led housing initiatives have been updated in the Federal Government Budget, announced earlier this month. Along with the Family Home Guarantee, aimed at helping single parents buy a home with a two per cent deposit, the New Homes Guarantee program is being expanded, and the amount that first home buyers will be able to access under the First Home Super Saver Scheme is also increasing. Here’s more on each of these programs.

In this year’s Federal Budget, single parents who may be struggling to get onto the property ladder, received a helping hand from Government, with the introduction of the Family Home Guarantee. Designed to help single income earners with dependents buy a home with just two per cent deposit, the scheme kicks off on 1 July 2021, but with limited places. Read on to find out more.

A new scheme introduced in Federal Government’s 2020/2021 Budget aims to lift the claim limit on depreciating assets for business owners, and incentivise expenditure in small businesses, while an increase in threshold for Instant Asset Write-Offs offers more businesses opportunity to claim deductions in this tax year. Read on to find out more about how these changes may impact your business and where to go for more information.

As house prices across Australia continue to soar, more first home buyers are getting financial support from their parents. So much so that the Bank of Mum and Dad has been named the ninth largest mortgage lender in Australia. And with average financial contributions at just under $90,000, the amounts parents are contributing are not insignificant.

With financial year end not far off, it’s a good time to start thinking about preparing your tax. There are a few things you can do ahead of June 30 to help you get ready for tax time 2021. Things like organizing your paperwork, prepaying any expenses in this financial year, and setting a budget for the new financial year.

Over the past year and a bit, our lives have changed irrevocably. Dealing with a pandemic – and the resulting economic and social fallout – has dominated much of our energy and attention. But importantly, the lessons we’ve learnt over the time spent in lockdown and during the pandemic could pay off for years to come. We asked three Mortgage Express brokers to share some of their learnings. Here’s what they said.