With rates having risen when most people expected cuts, the fixed-vs-variable question is back on everyone’s desk. Here’s how to actually think it through, rather than just guessing which way the RBA goes next.
A good credit score does not guarantee approval. How lenders assess living expenses, debts and borrowing capacity.
The RBA lifted the cash rate to 4.60% on 29 September 2026. Here’s the mechanics of how a cash rate move turns into a different number on your repayment schedule — and why the gap between “the RBA moved” and “your bank moved” matters.
There’s no rule that says you should refinance after any set number of years. Here’s the simple break-even calculation that actually tells you if switching is worth it.
How lenders assess self-employed income for a home loan in Australia, including add-backs and how many years of returns they use.
Searches for “mortgage stress” hit a record high in 2026. Here’s a plain-English breakdown of the finance terms people are Googling most right now — no jargon explaining jargon.
Negative equity headlines are back, but most people are misjudging both the odds and who’s actually exposed. Here’s the real math, and what it means depending on your position.
Everyone expected the RBA to start cutting rates in 2026. Instead, it raised four times, to 4.60% by the end of September. Here’s why, what it’s costing borrowers, and what to do now.
Cost-of-living pressure has genuinely changed how people approach a home loan conversation. After 30 years in banking, here’s how the sale actually needs to adapt — not through more pressure, but a different conversation.
A 2024 snapshot of the regional NSW and ACT market, from tight rental vacancies and rising yields to population growth and the federal housing supply target, kept as a record of that market. I’ve added a 2026 note on how the rate outlook it assumed turned out, because rates rose rather than fell.