Posts
LMI: when you pay, when you don't, and how to avoid it
Lenders Mortgage Insurance can add $20k-$45k to a purchase. Three waivers, one workaround, and what each one costs.
January 3, 2026
Building your first home vs buying established
Land + build package vs buying an existing home - price, timeline, stamp duty and FHOG all behave differently.
December 31, 2025
Salary sacrifice to super: limits and timing
$30,000 concessional cap in 2025-26, with catch-up rules for unused caps. When the timing matters.
December 30, 2025
Building and pest inspection: a broker's checklist
Ten red flags we've seen kill finance or renegotiate prices - from rising damp to termite trails.
December 29, 2025
Auction day: what actually happens from 30 minutes out
A play-by-play of a Sydney or Melbourne auction - registration, reserve, vendor bids, the moment of the hammer.
December 28, 2025
Packaged home loans and the annual fee question
A $395 package fee buys you a rate discount, credit-card waiver and an offset. When the package beats no-frills, and when it doesn't.
December 26, 2025
Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee: who actually qualifies
Regional definition, income caps, property price caps by state, and why the scheme fills so slowly.
December 25, 2025
Redraw vs offset: the practical difference
Offset is a transaction account; redraw is money you've already paid to the loan. Tax treatment, flexibility and rate impact all differ.
December 24, 2025
Sydney vs Melbourne 2026: where the demand drivers diverge
Migration, stamp duty reform, interest rates and apartment supply are pulling the two cities in opposite directions.
December 22, 2025
Victoria's first-home stamp duty discount
Full exemption to $600k, concessional to $750k. Plus the off-the-plan concession - often stackable.
December 19, 2025