A mortgage isn't something you set and forget. It should be reviewed regularly with the ups, downs, plot twists of life and interest rate fluctuation. Especially if you want to pay it off as fast as possible and save money on interest. If you haven't had yours reviewed in a while, here are 5 simple things to consider.
For the last while we’ve been grappling with ever tightening rules on interest-only for investors, and that’s just the beginning of the hurdles. Servicing is getting stricter and investors are having to jump through a few hoops to keep the banks happy.
Over the last 12 months there has been a huge influx of investors into the Commercial Property market. Those chasing yield are shifting towards it because it historically gives you a better bang for your buck than residential property. We see plenty of investors who don't fully understand the finance side of these investments, so here's our advice.
As New Zealand’s leading mortgage broker, Squirrel has engineered a new financial product called Squirrel HomeBuild that makes building a new home simpler, and without the traditional hassles associated with building.
We're covering off some quick things to look out for when doing a development so you don’t get caught high and dry. I'll talk GST, development costs, two key ratios and second tier lenders.
Feel like you’re missing out on a good mortgage rate? If you only recently bought your first home, you’re not alone.
Most media commentators are hooked on the new ‘rate war’, and the question being asked is if this is the new ‘norm.’ It isn’t, and more than that, you could easily miss out if you procrastinate.
12 Month interest rates are at all time lows for New Zealand, however it may not be prudent to fix over that term. In part 1 we covered the OCR, inflation the connection between inflation and interest rates. Let's now talk about forward interest rates and current inflationary drivers in NZ.
Time to cut through the noise, try and make sense of what’s going on in the world, and explore what could happen with house prices and mortgage rates in 2019.
It's become common practice in NZ for banks to offer cash backs with new mortgages, whether that's a refinance or a new purchase. One of the advantages of using a mortgage broker is they can help maximise your cash back.
12 Month interest rates are particularly appealing at the moment. Kiwibank has most recently offered a 12-month fixed rate sub 4% and many banks are moving in the same direction. This is fantastic for the next 12 months, however it pays to think about what you are going to do post the expiry of this rate.
A common misconception with borrowers, brokers and buyers is that the most important thing is how much deposit or equity you have. Whilst important, changes to lending standards have changed the focus over the past 12 months.