01/04/2026
🏡 Could your siblings hold the key to home ownership? 🏡
Siblings can often be relied on to share a drink or a game of backyard cricket. 🏏
But now more Aussies are teaming up with their siblings to share the keys to a first home. 🔑
NAB reports a 33% increase in friends and family members buying property together.
Pooling your resources can potentially help you crack the market sooner, or buy in an area you couldn’t afford solo.
If you think you and your sibling could make a great property team, talk to us to find out if co-buying could work for you. 👇
To find out more, contact Julie on:
☎ – 0409 115 446
💻 – [email protected]
30/03/2026
🏡 Gen X takes top spot for property wealth 🏡
Baby Boomers no longer hold the top spot for housing wealth in Australia.
Research by KPMG reveals Gen X (1965-1980) have average property wealth of $1.455 million per household. 📈
The Boomers? They now average $1.36 million.
That’s because Boomers are dialling down their property holdings ahead of retirement.
Turns out younger Aussies aren’t doing too badly in the property stakes, either.
KPMG says 25-34-year olds have seen household wealth rise 63% over the last 5 years, thanks mainly to rising home ownership. 🏠
Keen to get started building your property portfolio?
Talk to us about government schemes that provide support for first home buyers. 👇
To find out more, contact Julie on:
☎ – 0409 115 446
💻 – [email protected]
26/03/2026
🗞📰 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 – 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 📰🗞
If you’re in the market for a home, you may have noticed there hasn’t always been a whole lot of choice in recent months. Fortunately, it looks like property listings are really starting to pick back up. Here’s how to make the most of the increase in choice.
Sure, price is the obvious big barrier when it comes buying your first home.
But that’s often got a whole lot to do with a lack of supply (less supply than demand typically = higher prices).
And in fact, Westpac says supply shortages have been one of the most significant hurdles for Aussies trying to enter the property market, with one in four (26%) first home buyers saying a lack of listed properties was holding them back.
But the tide may be starting to turn.
According to SQM Research, new listings “surged” 48.6% nationally in February, marking the strongest monthly rise since spring 2025.
And new listings continued to climb in the four weeks to mid-March.
Let’s take a look at why a rise in homes listed for sale is a plus for home buyers, and how it could impact your buying plans.
👉🏻 Where listings growth is strongest 👈🏻
According to Cotality, March has seen new listings climb by 10% or more (year-on-year) in Melbourne, Brisbane, Hobart and Canberra.
Sydney (up 4.1%) and Adelaide (4.8%) have seen more modest growth in new listings, though the overall trend is upwards.
Only Perth and Darwin are bucking the trend, with new listings down 12.8% and 12.3% respectively compared to a year ago.
👉🏻 How does an increase in listings benefit home buyers? 👈🏻
Across our capital cities, the four weeks to mid-March saw a For Sale sign pop up in front of an extra 27,772 homes.
An increase in new listings offers several upsides for home buyers.
More homes on the market means more choice, so you may not have to compromise on your wish list of home features.
In addition, increased supply has the potential to keep a lid on price growth.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean values will fall.
Listings are still 9.1% lower year-on-year. So we’re still not in a ‘balanced’ market where supply equals demand.
In fact, delaying your buying plans in the hope that home prices will soften could work against you.
SQM Research crunched the numbers and found that even if the Reserve Bank hiked interest rates by a further 0.25% by mid-year, capital city home values could still end the year 3.0% higher. Home values in several cities including Perth, Brisbane, Darwin and Adelaide could rise by at least 10%.
Long story short, it’s worth thinking about how you could benefit from increased supply right now, rather than postponing your buying plans.
👇🏻 What you can do as a home buyer 👇🏻
There are several ways you may be able to take advantage of an increase in property listings.
First and foremost, understand your borrowing power. This may have changed as a result of the March rate hike.
Talk to us to know how much you can comfortably borrow. It can drive your buying budget.
Next, keep an eye on local sales results and selling times. Values may not fall, but if homes start taking longer to sell, you could have more leverage to negotiate a discount.
Finally – and possibly most importantly – talk to us about having your home loan pre-approved.
Westpac research shows two-in-five home buyers point to rivalry with other buyers as a barrier to getting into the market.
Having pre-approval in place could give you a competitive edge over less organised buyers.
So get in touch about securing pre-approval for a loan that suits your needs – it’s about making the most of a market that could be starting to swing in your favour.
25/03/2026
🏡 5% Deposit Scheme fuels price surge in affordable homes 🏡
Is the newly expanded 5% Deposit Scheme pricing first home buyers out of the market? 🤔
Well, property price data analysts Cotality think so, pointing out that homes falling within the scheme’s price limits saw price growth of 3.6% in just the December quarter alone.
Homes priced just above the price caps also rose 2.4% in the same period.
The bottom line: lock in, as it looks like competition for affordable homes is heating up. 🔥
One option?
Start a conversation with us. For starters, we’ll help you calculate your borrowing power.
Then, you may need to be open to being flexible on your choice of home and location - a first home doesn’t have to be a forever home, for instance.
But it can help you get a foothold in the market before prices potentially go up further. 👇
To find out more, contact Julie on:
☎ – 0409 115 446
💻 – [email protected]
18/03/2026
🏚️ How much could your 2026 reno cost? 🏚️
Thinking of buying a fixer-upper?
Or just keen to show your current home some love? ❤️
Knowing how much the renos will cost is essential to any home improvement project. 🛠️
Archicentre has just released its 2026 Cost Guide. 📘
Keen for a new kitchen? Allow upwards of $23,000. 🍳
New bathroom? Your budget should likely start at around $17,500. 🛁
Planning an extension? It can cost from $2,700 per square metre.
But most importantly: how to pay for it all? 🤔
Talk to us. 💬
We can run you through some finance options that can potentially turn your renovation plans into reality. 👇
To find out more, contact Julie on:
☎ – 0409 115 446
💻 – [email protected]
17/03/2026
🗞📰 𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲! 𝗥𝗕𝗔 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟱 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝟰.𝟭𝟬% 📰🗞
More bad news for mortgage holders around the country: the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) today raised the cash rate for the second time this year to 4.10% in a 5-4 split decision vote. How might this impact your monthly mortgage repayments?
Hardly seems fair to hike the cash rate by another 0.25% with petrol prices so high right now (which one could argue will reduce discretionary spending) – but it wasn’t enough to sway the majority of the RBA board, unfortunately, which voted 5-4 to increase the cash rate.
Uncertainty surrounding stubborn inflation levels and global economic volatility due to the war in the Middle East had the RBA concerned enough to pull the trigger on a second consecutive rate rise in 2026.
The RBA’s Monetary Policy Board said in a statement that data since RBA’s February meeting suggests that some of the increase in inflation reflects greater capacity pressures.
“In addition, the conflict in the Middle East has resulted in sharply higher fuel prices, which, if sustained, will add to inflation,” the Board said.
“As a result, the Board judged that there is a material risk that inflation will remain above (the 2-3%) target for longer than previously anticipated.”
👉🏻 How could this affect your monthly mortgage repayments? 👈🏻
Unless you’re on a fixed-rate mortgage, your bank will likely soon follow the RBA’s lead and increase the interest rate on your variable home loan.
For an owner-occupier with a 25-year loan of $500,000 paying principal and interest, this month’s 25 basis point rate hike means your monthly repayments could increase by about $77 a month.
That equals about $924 a year. Or $1848, if you also include last month’s rate hike (yikes!).
If you have a $750,000 loan, your minimum monthly mortgage repayments will likely increase by about $115 a month. That’s $1380 per year, or $2760 if you include last month’s hike.
Meanwhile, a $1 million loan could increase by about $154 a month. That’s $1848 a year, and $3696 if you include the February hike.
This all assumes that your lender automatically passes on the full 25 basis point hike to your home loan.
Another thing to keep in mind is that when interest rates came down from the recent cycle peak of 4.35% throughout 2025, many banks around the country kept borrowers on the same monthly repayment amount – meaning they paid more off the principal of their home loan each month rather than the interest.
If this is the case for you, your monthly repayment amount (very likely) won’t increase with this latest rate hike – it’s just that more of your repayment (0.25%) will go towards the interest on your loan, rather than the principal.
To find out what your lender is doing with your loan, get in touch with us in a few days once the dust has settled and the banks have announced their next moves.
👇🏻 Need to discuss your home loan? 👇🏻
Ok, so the RBA has raised the cash rate again. It’s a tough one, sure, but there are still some steps you could potentially take to help offset this rate hike.
If it’s been a while since your last home loan review, now could be a good time to check in. You might be able to improve your situation – and we’re here to help you explore your options.
This could include renegotiating with your current lender, refinancing to another lender, or debt consolidation.
Every household is unique, and we’re committed to helping you find a solution that fits your needs.
16/03/2026
💛 Does having a home loan = feel-good vibes? 💛
For most of us, taking on a mortgage is essential to buy a home. 🏡
But how does that big transition (generally) affect one's mental wellbeing?
Interestingly, there's a bit of a difference between the financial anxiety levels of debt free households vs mortgage holder households, according to Agile Market Intelligence.
When asked to describe their current financial situation, 31% of debt-free households were feeling financially anxious - up 2% from this time last year.
Meanwhile, just 25% of mortgage holder households were feeling financially anxious - down 1% from a year earlier.
If you'd like to explore whether home ownership is within reach for you - and how mortgage repayments would sit within your monthly household budget - then get in touch today. 👇
To find out more, contact Julie on:
☎ – 0409 115 446
💻 – [email protected]
18/03/2026
17/03/2026
16/03/2026