Many Australians are stubborn when it comes to their mortgages. Once they find a home loan that they are comfortable with, they tend to stick with it for many years, often ignoring the arrival of new lenders, changes in rates, and new loan products. Given the enormous sums of money that most of...

What is due diligence? If you’re unfamiliar with these words then they will be meaningless to you. They have to do with commercial transactions between buyers and sellers of real estate and other commodities and articles. It’s probably best condensed as “caveat emptor” which is Latin for...

What is a trust and what is a company? A trust is a private arrangement created by a person to meet specific needs. It’s terms and conditions are contained in a tailor-made specially crafted document called a ‘deed of trust’. The deed of trust sets out the purpose of the trust, its terms and...

The resurgent Australian property market is good news for sellers and the economy – and potentially for those looking to build wealth through undervalued property.  Imagine for a moment that you have access to a time machine and can travel back exactly a year into the past. You step out of...

While the media focus has largely been on tenants, tens of thousands of Australian landlords have also been badly hurt by the economic impacts of COVID-19. Now, the end of the moratorium on evictions in many parts of the country is being seen as a light on the horizon for rental property...

When you are preparing to purchase a property and make a significant investment, it is essential to seek the necessary assistance to complete the transaction. It is important to engage the service of a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to make the process smoother and avoid common mistakes. If you...

Building a home is not something anyone takes lightly. There are so many decisions to make from where you want to build, whether you want a unit or a house, and of course, which builder to choose to work with. Finding a builder you can trust to create your dream home is essential. Many Victorians...

Building a new home is not something that most people do every day. Therefore, when you do take the home-building plunge, you want to work with a builder who can help guide you through the complicated process. This isn’t always easy. Creating a wish-list of what you want in a home is one thing,...

Building your own home should be a joyful experience. But there are so many decisions to make and potential pitfalls to fall into that the stress levels can skyrocket before you even start. Choosing the right builder for your vision is probably the most important part of the process; getting this...

For many Australians, the idea of building their own home from scratch is more attractive than buying an existing home or unit that has already been occupied. Those who follow this path can build the home that best suits them and their family. However, finding a builder you can trust is not always...

Building a new home is a project that comes with many possibilities – but also one that comes with the need to make many decisions to ensure you end up with the house you want for you and your family. Ensuring you have the right builder who shares your vision is one of the best ways of achieving...

Deciding to build your own home gives you a lot of freedom, especially the freedom to design every room to suit you and your family’s lifestyle. But while this is a major advantage, building from scratch can also be a little overwhelming – there are many decisions to address and consider and...

Finding the ideal builder for your home isn’t an easy process. You want a builder who shares your vision and works with you to create a property that reflects your lifestyle, tastes and budget.  And while it should also be fun and exciting, it’s important to do the right research upfront to...

With Britain’s Vestey family again in the news, light is being shone on the ingenious wealth-protection strategy they devised to help build one of the greatest family empires in the world. When British Lord Samuel Vestey died in the UK in early 2021, much of the space in his obituaries focused...

You’ve found your dream home or discovered the perfect investment property. Now, how do you go about making an offer to acquire it? First-time property buyers often find the process of making an offer nerve-wracking. If you offer to high a price, you may end up paying too much for the property....

There’s more to putting an offer on a house than simply finding your dream home and letting the agent know you’re interested. For instance, do you have to pay the asking price or is there room for negotiation? And what happens when you do make an offer that’s below the asking price? Table...

Dealing with the end of a long-term relationship is never easy. Apart from the emotional turmoil, there is also the practical side of working out living arrangements, custody of any children and finances. If you and your spouse have a joint mortgage, things have the potential to become even more...

Salary sacrificing into superannuation is a popular savings strategy in Australia. Less well known but potentially just as effective is the practice of salary sacrificing to your mortgage. Also known as ‘salary packaging’, the strategy involves making an arrangement with your employer under...

Increasing numbers of Australians are turning to self-managed super funds (SMSFs) to grow their retirement savings, rather than relying on traditional industry and retail funds. Table Of Content SMSF property rules to be aware of Pros and cons PROS Tax-effective Discounted...

Just because you’re retired doesn’t mean that life – or your need for finance – stops. The financial situations of most older Australians tend to evolve and fluctuate over time, and many retirees encounter situations where they need to extend or otherwise refinance their mortgages. For...

Many investors view mortgagee-in-possession sales as a golden opportunity to add a property to their portfolio at a price below its true market value.  In simple terms, a mortgagee-in-possession sale comes about when a mortgage holder has repeatedly failed over an extended period to make...

Taking on a mortgage to buy a property is one of the most significant milestones in many adults’ lives – and also one of the biggest financial responsibilities read on for a definitive guide to mortgage defaults.  Table Of Content What happens if you default on a mortgage How long...

Australia first introduced a Commonwealth first home owner grant back in 2000. Researchers predicted the GST (introduced the same year) would have a negative impact on the real estate market and so the grant was introduced to offset the effects of the GST. Table Of Content First Home Owners...

We Australians tend to watch so much American television that we sometimes become confused between their institutions and laws and our own. An Australian might talk about ‘ringing 911’ when they in fact mean ‘ringing 000’. Or we might expect someone to be ‘read their rights’ when they...

Not everyone selling a property has the luxury of waiting until they obtain the best possible price. The term ‘distressed property’ refers to situations where property owners are forced to seek a quick sale, often due to financial or personal difficulties. In such circumstances, people who have...

One of the most successful strategies for making money through property is to buy a house or unit for less than its true market value and then re-sell it later for a higher price. This can be achieved through sales of bank possessed properties read on to learn more. Table Of Content Banks...

Mortgage brokers play a useful role in the property market, helping to connect would-be real estate buyers with suitable loans. Their deep understanding of the different lenders and loan products available means brokers can often track down far better mortgage options than a consumer could on their...

They say the only two certainties in life are death and taxes. If you’re an Australian who owns an investment property, a home that has been rented out, or a share portfolio and you plan to sell your asset in the future, then there’s a very good chance you will be liable to pay capital gains...

Over the past decade, the DG Institute has helped thousands of Australians struggling with debt to regain control of their lives – and to rebuild their self-esteem. Founder and CEO Dominique Grubisa explains her passion for helping others fight debt stems from her own personal experience of going...

For more than a decade, DG Institute’s Real Estate Rescue Program has been teaching students the secrets of making money from distressed property. A core principle is ensuring that both investor and property owner walk away winners, explains DG Institute Founder and CEO Dominique...