RBA Update • August 2026 • Home Loans The RBA hit pause — but it hasn’t hit reverse. On 11 August 2026, the RBA cash rate was left unchanged at 4.35%. For mortgage holders, that’s certainly better news than another increase. But borrowers shouldn’t mistake a pause for the end of Australia’s interest-rate cycle. Inflation […]
The RBA Hit Pause — But It Hasn’t Hit Reverse Read More »
Home Loans • Repayments • New Calculator Where does your mortgage repayment actually go? You make a home loan repayment every month, but the amount leaving your bank account is only half the story. Some pays interest. Some reduces the loan itself. And over time, the balance between the two can change dramatically. Our new
Home Loan Amortisation: See Where Your Mortgage Repayments Really Go Read More »
Loan Location • New Tools • Mortgage Calculators We’ve been rebuilding Loan Location — and there are some very useful new tools to play with We have been giving the Loan Location website a fairly serious overhaul — not just changing colours and moving buttons around, but building better ways to explain home loans, understand
Meet the New Loan Location: Smarter Mortgage Tools, Calculators & Guides Read More »
Property Investment • Negative Gearing • Tax Reform Negative gearing is changing: what Australian property investors need to know before 2027 Australia has changed the rules around negative gearing and capital gains tax, with the main property reforms due to take effect from 1 July 2027. The headlines can make it sound as though negative
Negative gearing changes in Australia: what property investors need to know before 2027 Read More »
Refinancing • Home Loan Rates • Existing Borrowers Your Bank May Have Cut Home Loan Rates — But Did Your Rate Change? Australian lenders are competing hard for new home loan customers. Yet many loyal borrowers are still paying their old rate while sharper home loan refinance rates are reserved for the next customer walking
Your Bank May Have Cut Home Loan Rates — But Did Your Rate Change? Read More »
Home Loans • Offset Accounts • Borrower Protection Is your offset account actually linked to your home loan? An offset account can be one of the most useful features attached to a home loan. Money held in the account can reduce the balance on which the lender calculates interest. As a result, you may pay
Is Your Offset Account Actually Linked to Your Home Loan? Read More »
Property Market • Melbourne Units • Investor Risk Why Melbourne units can be a risky investment — and what buyers need to look out for For years, Melbourne units have been marketed as the affordable way into property investing. Lower entry prices, inner-city locations and strong rental demand have made them look appealing on paper.
Melbourne Unit Investment Risks: What to Understand Read More »
First Home Buyers • Affordability • Government Support Home ownership feels further away — but the 5% Deposit Scheme is quietly getting people in sooner A growing number of Australians are stepping back from buying, with more people shifting from “not yet” to “never”. And when the headlines are full of rate hikes and higher
How First Home Buyers Can Still Buy with a 5% Deposit Read More »
Interest Rates • Budgeting • Mortgage Strategy RBA says most households can handle higher rates — but here’s the part borrowers should not ignore In its March 2026 Financial Stability Review, the RBA said most borrowers are generally well placed to cope with higher repayments as rate hikes accumulate. That’s reassuring — but the RBA
RBA : Households Can Handle Higher Rates Read More »
Interest Rates • Refinance • Mortgage Strategy Westpac now tips the cash rate could hit 4.85% in 2026. What that means for borrowers. Westpac has revised its rate track higher again, now forecasting additional 25bp hikes beyond May — including moves in June and August — which would take the peak cash rate to 4.85%.
Cash Rate to 4.85% in 2026? Read More »