Blog | Mortgage Brokers Perth | Focus Property Wealth

Buying an apartment vs a house as an investment

03 November 2024

Do you want to jump into the property market but don’t have the budget to buy a house? A unit or apartment could be a great way to get your leg up on the property ladder. According to CoreLogic data, unit values are now rising at a faster rate than houses in more than half…

Rentvesting: is this a good option for first-time buyers?

15 August 2024

With today’s cost of living pressures and the median dwelling value in Australia now at $794,000, many young Australians feel like they’ll never be able to enter the property market. However, it’s important to remember there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to buying your first property. For some, it could be a home to live in. For others, rentvesting…

Refinancing your home loan: how does it work?

19 January 2024

When you’re busy with life, refinancing can seem like a hassle. However, with a mortgage broker to guide you through the process, it doesn’t have to be! Refinancing may allow you to switch to a more competitive home loan, thereby potentially saving you money in interest. It can also help you achieve other goals, like…

Smart Investing for the Budget-Savvy

18 August 2023

Perth property investment market is going very well, much of this success is to do with the WA property markets affordability in comparison to other states. Is a small budget holding you back from property investment? Think again! So you might be surprised to learn that you don’t need a hefty bank balance to dive…

Home Settlement Process – What you should know

03 July 2023

There’s nothing quite like the buzz of seeing those words in your inbox: Confirmation of settlement of your property purchase. Settlement day can be both exciting and stressful. But once the formalities are done, it’s all worth it. If you’re planning a property purchase and are new to how settlement works, here’s a rundown. What…

Credit Report 101: A Beginner’s Guide

22 June 2023

Have you ever wondered how lenders decide whether to grant you that coveted home loan? Your credit report holds significant importance in their decision-making process. Think of it as your financial report card, showcasing your payment habits and borrowing history. Since the introduction of the Comprehensive Credit Reporting (CCR) rule in 2019, your credit report…

mortgage prison how can you escape it?

16 June 2023

Stuck in an expensive home loan and feeling trapped? You’re not alone. It’s estimated about 16 per cent of households with a mortgage are in a “mortgage prison”, unable to refinance to a more competitive interest rate because they can’t meet strict serviceability rules. But there may be a way out. And we can help. What is…

How your HECS-HELP debt affects your borrowing capacity

11 May 2023

Do you know how much you owe on your HECS-HELP debt? While student HECS and HELP loans in Australia are interest-free, they are indexed every financial year based on a cost of living index. The recent outbreak of high inflation means millions of Australians with student loan debts are facing a 7.1% increase from 1…

How to manage your own investment property

24 April 2023

How to manage your own investment property? It’s time to find some quality tenants and sign them up to a lease. When it comes to this step, you can go one of two ways. You can pay a property manager to take care of the nitty gritty for you. There are all sorts of perks…

Is your Fixed rate home loan finishing soon? Here’s how to manage the shock…

13 March 2023

What you can do to avoid stress and anxiety with a fixed rate home loan expiring! With the recent increase in the cash rate by the Reserve Bank of Australia, many homeowners are concerned about how they will manage heftier repayments under the new higher variable interest rate, especially with the current high cost of…

4 habits of successful property investors

24 September 2019

West Australians love investing in property, and it’s no wonder why. The Perth property market offers a myriad of opportunities to potentially grow wealth, irrespective of one’s professional background or skillset. However, there are certain habits that successful property investors often have in common. Let’s take a look. They are proactive about self-education In order…

Perth property market update

12 May 2019

When will the Perth Property market return to growth? With so much focus on the NSW and Victorian property in media it is important to understand Australia has many individual property markets and Perth has been doing it tough for many years now. You may recall way back in 2006, Perth's median property prices…

When to leave your lender and consider a refinance

14 February 2019

Valentine’s Day makes us think about loyalty – which is an admirable quality in any relationship. But is your devotion to your home loan provider justified? It’s important to ask your mortgage broker to help you review your home loan from time to time. We’re here to check the interest rate, review it’s features and…

Considering buying a property off the plan? It sounds good in theory, with the possibility of stamp duty concessions and other benefits for first home buyers. But in 2018 there were quite a few people who got caught out by the hidden risks. Read on to find out what you need to know if you’re…

Neat ideas for renovating a small home

27 June 2018

Last year, the Federal Government introduced down-sizing incentives aimed at the baby-boomer set. Add this to rising capital city property prices that give just about everyone an incentive to cash-in on their big home, and it’s not surprising that more and more people are looking for smaller, less expensive places to live. However, when faced…

Rent Vs Buy?

15 June 2018

Rent Vs buy? For some, renting makes good financial sense. For others, it’s just money down the drain. For you it may be a question of short-term convenience versus long-term financial growth, which can make it a difficult decision to make. In this article, we break down the pros and cons of renting and buying,…

Fixed Interest vs Variable Home Loans in 2018

07 June 2018

If you’re buying a property or considering refinancing your home loan in 2018, you may be asking yourself whether to fix your interest rate or not. Many people think about switching to a fixed interest rate mortgage when interest rates are low, in the belief that it will insulate them from future interest rate rises.…

Guide to Investing in Property

30 May 2018

When done right, investing in property can help you to build long-term wealth, and who doesn’t like the idea of an additional income stream? (Imagine what you could do with that!) The really great thing about investing in property is that just about anyone can understand the principals. If you’re thinking about building wealth for…

5 Tips to take the stress out of settlement day

26 February 2018

You’ve found your dream property, had your offer accepted and the all-important settlement day is the last hurdle to overcome. The anticipation has been building for weeks! Settlement day can be both exciting and stressful, as sometimes things can go wrong. In this article, we offer some tips about settlement day and explain how we,…

Should I buy an investment property?

22 February 2018

To buy an investment property in 2018, or not to buy? With more than 15% of Australian taxpayers owning at least one investment property, it’s a big question on many people’s minds right now. So, what’s the answer? Last year saw some major curveballs thrown to property investors, which may have left you wondering whether…