7 ways parents can help children buy their first home
Many first-time home buyers, often younger people, are finding it difficult to get their first mortgage. For many of you, this will be affecting your nearest and dearest, and it’s you, as family, they’re looking to for assistance. Lifetime’s Financial Adviser Robbie Crawford has a few tips (or mortgage hacks) for those hoping to give their loved ones a helping hand onto the property market.
With most banks requiring a 20 percent deposit to obtain a home loan, raising the initial capital can be the most difficult part for many first-time buyers, here’s how you can help.
Interest rate drops: What this means for homeowners and aspiring home owners
As a home owner myself, the interest rates changes offered by the banks will often grab my attention. In my role here at Lifetime as a Home Loan Adviser, I work with people from all walks of life who are trying to buy their first home. Most people have to overcome the obstacle of saving a decent deposit and KiwiSaver comes to the rescue for a number of people.
Is paying off your mortgage early the best financial decision?
Paying your mortgage before you reach retirement age is the ultimate milestone for many Kiwis. But could your net worth be higher and your home loan repaid sooner, if you re-invest the equity in your home elsewhere instead? Home loan adviser Christine Hazeldine considers the options.
How millennials can overcome barriers to getting into their first home
Buying your first home is undoubtedly one of the biggest financial steps you can take, but not completely out of reach for the millennial generation, writes Josh Martin.
Is it the right time to re-mortgage your home?
OPINION: A mortgage tends to be the single biggest expense most home owners face, and what most of us don’t realise is that it can often provide the biggest opportunity for cost saving.
The dos and don'ts of raising finance for an investment property
OPINION: Whether it’s a bach at the beach, house in the suburbs or small apartment in the city, the prospect of owning an investment property has long been part of the Kiwi dream.
According to Statistics New Zealand, residential property now accounts for 32 per cent of all Kiwis’ investments (as at March 2017) – making it the highest share of investment New Zealand has seen in 45 years. This comes despite concerns about primary residential home ownership levels.
