There’s a saying that you should make hay while the sun shines. And in Australia, it appears the sun is still out for business owners, despite rising inflation and a gloomy global outlook. That’s after NAB’s October monthly business survey found business conditions remained strong across industries and states, with...
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What does the federal budget mean for Australian real estate?
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has delivered Labor's first federal budget in almost a decade, in which he emphasised the government was making “hard decisions for hard times.” But despite this, there was one eye-catching announcement for Australia’s real estate industry: a new National Housing Accord, which sets an ‘aspirational’ target of...
Now might be first home buyers’ best chance to break into the market
It’s not been called the great Australian dream for nothing. But in recent years, buying your first home has become increasingly harder. The biggest challenge? Saving a deposit – with the most recent ANZ CoreLogic Housing Affordability Report finding it takes, on average, more than 11 years for a first...
Why higher interest rates might ultimately benefit homebuyers
The Reserve Bank of Australia might have raised the cash rate by 250 basis points since May to 2.60% – the quickest tightening in nearly three decades – but a senior central bank official has claimed higher interest rates could ultimately benefit new homebuyers. In a recent speech, Jonathan Kearns, the...
Applications open for Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee
Here’s some great news for regional Australians who want to get on the property ladder: 10,000 new places are now available under the federal government’s Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee. The scheme began on 1 October 2022, three months ahead of schedule. With many young Australians making the move to...
Five ways your business can cut costs
It was a great help while it lasted. But Australian motorists are again paying full price at the bowser after the temporary cut to government fuel excise ended on 28 September. As a result, we all have to pay an extra 25.3 cents per litre in tax, according to the...
Should you buy in a falling market?
Spring is in the air. Alongside the warmer weather comes what is traditionally the busiest season of the year for Australia’s property markets, with listings numbers and buyer activity usually significantly higher than during the winter months. This spring season will be very different from the previous two years, with...
How refinancing can help you dodge the full impact of rate rises
With all four major banks and many other home loan lenders passing on in full the Reserve Bank of Australia’s latest interest rate to their variable-rate borrowers, many homeowners are facing yet another jump in their home finance repayments – the fifth in as many months. However, existing variable borrowers will...
How to grow your business, despite rising costs
Australian business owners are certainly made of tough stuff. Just when it looked like things were starting to ease after the challenges of the last couple of years, along comes surging inflation, supply chain bottlenecks and rising interest rates. Yet despite these notable headwinds, NAB reports businesses are increasingly optimistic,...
How to get a good deal on home & contents insurance (and why it’s so important)
The ABC recently reported a heartbreaking story about a Victorian couple who had spent a decade building up a property accommodation business, only to watch it all burn to the ground one night – and they weren’t insured. Insurance is one of those products that can feel like a waste...