RBA’s rate rise catches industry unawares

Source: mortgagebusiness.com.au

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to raise interest rates yesterday by 25 basis points took most by surprise.

According to Mortgage Business’ recent straw poll, 71.8 per cent of brokers didn’t expect the RBA would raise rates in October. Of the 351 respondents only 25.4 per cent tipped the RBA to raise rates while 2.8 per cent were unsure. Read More »

Should I float on variable or fix my home loan interest rate?

There is a common view from the financial gurus in Australia that variable interest rate rises are inevitable. From financial commentators to bank economists to the Prime Minister, the view is that during 2010 the Reserve Bank will move the cash rate up. How much? We don’t know, but the PM suggested about 1% by July. Also, banks have not discounted raising interest rates independently of RBA decisions.

What does this mean to home loan borrowers? Let’s take a look. Read More »

CBA tips mortgage rates to rise

Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s (CBA) competitive pricing on mortgages helped it gain 21.9% of the mortgage market in 2009, but chief executive Ralph Norris has warned interest rates could rise.

“There’s no doubt we will reprice where necessary, we have to do what’s right on a commercial basis,” Norris said during the bank’s full year results briefing. Read More »

Interest rate rise on the horizon

Coinciding with the experts’ suggestion that the worst of the recession is behind us, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has indicated that interest rates  will  rise in the coming months. Read More »

Housing Affordability in Australia

(This article looks at housing affordability on a national basis, covering data available as at March 2009 and analysing each state and territory individually. Historical data back to 1986 is also included.)

QUESTION:

Why is it that you can buy your dream home in one region of Australia for far less than in another region? Not just in different states but in different regional areas within states?

What drives market house prices? The answer is many things, but a few have considerable influence on the amount of money you have to pay for a house in the area you want to live.  Some major factors are: Read More »

Major bank borrowers paying too much

(source: Herald Sun)

AUSTRALIAN home loan borrowers are paying an extra $2.7 billion a year in repayments because they don’t shop around.

Despite the major banks charging higher interest rates than smaller lenders, about 90 per cent of home buyers still choose one of the more expensive big four banks, according to financial research company InfoChoice.

After this week’s interest rate increases by the major banks, more than 60 other lenders had cheaper home loan rates, the research found. Read More »