James Giff - Mortgage Broker
Offering my clients a personalised, free service combining years of traditional experience with a s
24/03/2021
🙋♀️ Does thinking about money make you anxious? 🥺
It does for almost three-quarters of Millennials*, who admit they struggle to prioritise their financial wellbeing due to anxiety around money issues. 😬
Half of the Millennials surveyed said exercising daily (like running 🏃♀️ or yoga 🧘♀️) was their top stress reliever, along with paying all their bills on time ⏱ (48%).
Another confidence builder 💪 was consistently putting money towards a long-term savings goal, such as a first-home deposit, car or big holiday.
For more tips or info on saving towards your first home, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
*Source: Commonwealth Bank Millennials survey.
22/03/2021
📰🚨 Good vibes news alert: Investor presence bouncing back 💪 strongly 💪
Property investment activity has been growing over recent months, and it's expected to ramp up further this year. 📈
Latest data shows more than $6bn worth of new investor loans were recorded in December – the highest level since July 2018.
Promising signs indeed for the foreseeable future! 🌈
So if you're feeling optimistic about the year ahead and want to explore your property financing options, then call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
* Source: P**A
17/03/2021
📌 Have you got a JobKeeper exit strategy for your business? 📊
JobKeeper is due to wind up at the end of March, and if you've been relying on it to pay staff, then it's high time to consider a transition plan.
If the numbers are looking tight 😬 it may be worth considering some potential financing options before crunch time hits. ⏰
To explore your options, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
15/03/2021
🙃 Did somebody say ... first home buyer incentive!? 🥳 🎊 🎉
If you're an FHB who's keen to crack the property market sooner, here are 5 first home buyer initiatives we commonly get asked about:
1️⃣ First home buyer grants (state-based)
2️⃣ Stampy duty exemptions/concessions (state-based)
3️⃣ First Home Loan Deposit Scheme (federal - begins again July 1)
4️⃣ HomeBuilder (federal - ends Mar 31)
5️⃣ Lenders mortgage insurance discounts (some lenders offering).
To find out more, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
10/03/2021
⏰ Time to switch it up? ⏰
Below are three key reasons we see people wanting to refinance their home loan 🏡
1. To get a lower rate and/or less fees: we're currently seeing record low interest rates on offer, and competition amongst lenders is fierce. 🥇
2. More features: you could switch to a mortgage with an offset account, redraw facility, or one that allows extra payments. 😁
3. Access equity in your home: you may want to invest these funds for a reno, a big expense, or as a deposit for another property. 🏠
To find out more about your refinancing options, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
08/03/2021
😇 Your good money habits are about to get more attention 👍
In the past, banks have only been required to report 'bad' behaviour to credit agencies: defaults, serious infringements and inquiries.
But now that new Comprehensive Credit Reporting (CCR) laws have passed parliament, banks will also be sharing your positive financial behaviour too. 👍
Types of additional information shared will include account open and closed dates, types of credit, credit limits, financial hardship information and up to 24 months of repayment history information.
If you needed any more motivation to put good money habits into practice this year, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
03/03/2021
🤳 How's your Insta game? What about your reno game? 👷
There's been no shortage of homeowners combining the two over the past year, due to an Instagram-inspired home renovation boom.
Renovation and property experts have reported a big increase* in people following inspiring renovators on social media apps, which has then got them thinking, ""we can do that too!""
So how about you? Been inspired to take on a reno project lately? 💪
If you need a hand with finance to tackle the project, then call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
*Source: Domain
01/03/2021
🥁 🎶 It's all about confidence, baby 🎶 🎸
Confidence among those in the property market has reached a record high*, and house prices are tipped to surge in 2021 & 2022. 📈
Commonwealth Bank forecasts dwelling prices will rise 8% in 2021 and 6% in 2022, with house prices to rise 16% in that time and unit prices by 9%.**
If you're feeling confident 😎 about the housing market right now and want to explore your finance options, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
Sources: *Me Bank survey & **Commonwealth Bank report
24/02/2021
💪 How resilient and adaptable has your business been over the past 12 months? 💪💪 💪
From bushfires 🔥🔥🔥to a global pandemic 🏥, 40% of Australian businesses had to make big changes to their service or product to get through 2020.*
Now, we understand more than most that making big changes to your business takes time and money - both of which are finite resources.
So if you're starting to run low on capital to help fund these changes into 2021, rest assured there are a number of financing options you can explore.
To see what's available to your business, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
* ABS & ASBFEO
22/02/2021
🔨🤔 How much do you think the average home owner spends on renovations? 🤔👷♀️
Don't let the big, lavish upgrades on 'The Block' fool you... Turns out the average reno costs $63,188 in Australia.*
So... how would you improve your home with $60-$70k?
A new porch? A backyard pool? Or a garden upgrade complete with a Scotty Cam gnome statue? 😆😆😆
To explore your reno funding options, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
* Suncorp
17/02/2021
🤑 🤑💰 💰 What are you saving towards this year? 🤑 🤑💰 💰
If there's one thing that COVID-19 made us better at, it's saving!
Turns out the pandemic made us a little bit cautious, and as a result, we're saving nearly 20% of our income at present (usually that figure is around 5-10%)*
So what are you thinking about putting those hard earned dollars towards this year?
A new car? A business launch? Or even a new home?
If you'd like to explore your options when it comes to financing those dreams, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
* ABS
15/02/2021
🏰🏡You've heard the saying "your home is your castle", yeah? 🏡🏰
Well, which state or territory is currently building the biggest castles on average?
That title currently belongs to the ACT (256sqm floor area), followed by Victoria (250sqm).*
Not far behind is NSW (235sqm), WA (233sqm) and then QLD (226sqm).
Then there's SA (205sqm), NT (190sqm), and Tasmania (179sqm).
But hey! They're just averages. You can build your own castle 🏡🏰 as big as you can comfortably afford to.
To find out more about funding your next 🏡🏰, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
* CommSec report
10/02/2021
🤔🚙Noticed something strange about used car prices lately? 🧐 🚘
From May to August, used car sale prices jumped anywhere from 6% to 11% on a monthly basis.*
This was because of constrained supply due to COVID-19.
However, the good news is prices could level out soon. Especially if you're after an SUV or ute.
That's because in November, price growth was just under 1%, with the truck/ute/SUV segment falling in price slightly.
So if you're keen to purchase a vehicle, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
* Moody's Analytics
08/02/2021
🙃🚨 Optimism alert! Optimism alert! 🚨😁
We're an upbeat bunch around here, but we don't even hold a 🕯 candle 🕯 to first home buyers right now.
Turns out a huge share of first-home buyers are confident about the housing market, with 53% saying they're likely to buy in the next 12 months.*
So why are first home buyers so upbeat?
Well, it doesn't hurt that there's a range of generous government incentives currently available, such as the HomeBuilder scheme, not to mention state government first home buyer grants and stamp duty exemptions.
To find out more, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
* ME Bank
03/02/2021
😫 👉 Do you hate missing out? 👈 😫
Did you know that you could be missing out on big savings by not switching your home loan?
For example, a borrower with a $250,000 home loan that's between three and five years old could save more than $1,400 in interest in just the first year alone, simply by switching lenders.*
So if you'd like to switch things up, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
* ACCC
01/02/2021
🏠 Considered downsizing to a more manageable property lately? 🏠
You're in good company.
Turns out 26% of Australians aged 55 or older have, and a further 29% have thought about doing so.*
The top three reasons for downsizing are:
1. To achieve a particular lifestyle (27%) 🏄♂️
2. For financial outcomes (27%) 💰
3. The current garden or property requires too much maintenance (18%) 🛠
To discuss your downsizing finance options, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
* AHURI
27/01/2021
🚚 If you could buy one asset to improve your business in 2021, what would it be? 🤔
A new van to help your hip new ice cream shop become more mobile? 🚛
A whiz bang coffee machine to help your barista make more lattes? ☕️
Or a new and improved tractor to help out around the farm? 🚜
Whatever you've got your eye on, know that you can now immediately write off any eligible depreciable asset, at any cost, up until 30 June 2022.
It's called 'temporary full expensing', and it's to help businesses like yours improve cash flow during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To find out more, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
25/01/2021
🎉 With 2020 finally done (good riddance), what's in store for 2021? 🎉
Well, early signs for the housing market are promising.
That's because properties across the country are being tipped to bounce back strongly and surge by 5 to 9% in value this year.*
So if you're thinking of purchasing a new property soon, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
* SQM Research
20/01/2021
👫 Think you're too young to be a property investor? Think again! 🤔
Did you know that more than 40% of Australian property investors are under the age of 50?*
That means there's almost 900,000 property investors aged between 19 and 49 across the country.
If you'd like to help nudge that figure closer to the 1 million mark, then call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
* ATO
18/01/2021
📰 Did you hear the good news? The HomeBuilder scheme has been extended until March 31! 📰
Contracts signed between January and March will now attract a lower rate of $15,000 (down from $25,000), but hey, that's still nothing to sneeze at. 🤧
The good news is that the property price caps have also been lifted to $950,000 in NSW and $850,000 in Victoria (but it'll stay at $750,000 for everywhere else).
To find out more, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
13/01/2021
🤔 Been thinking about buying a new car to go exploring lately? 🚙
You're not alone.
Turns out that our inability to travel overseas at the moment is leading to a big increase in car purchases (always gotta be on the move!).
New car sales for November 2020 were 95,205, an increase of 12.4% on November 2019.*
So if you've been thinking about buying a new car for personal or business use, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
* Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries
11/01/2021
📣🏠 Attention first home buyers! 🏠📣
Did you know the number of first home buyers looking to enter the propery market has more than doubled since 2019? *
What's getting them excited to make the leap? 😁
Mostly more affordable house prices, low interest rates, and the opportunity to live in a new area.
Better yet, there are a range of federal and state government incentives currently available to give first home buyers a leg up into the property market. 😎
To find out more about these incentives, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
* Westpac
06/01/2021
🙇♂️ Ok, fess up, who here doesn't know their home loan rate? 🤦♂️
No need to hang your head in shame, it's all good 🤙. Almost half (46%) of mortgage holders can't recall their rate.*
But... it's usually a very strong sign that it might be time to refinance, as putting it off could be costing you thousands 💵.
So if you don't know your home loan rate, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
* Rate City
04/01/2021
🧐 Want a new property to call your own? This could be your year, as supply should outstrip demand! 😜
New residential construction supply is expected to exceed demand by 127,000 dwellings in 2021 across Australia, and 68,000 dwellings in 2022.*
That's because almost one million fewer people (than expected) are projected to be living in Australia by 2025, due to the dramatic impact of COVID-19 on net overseas migration. 🛬
So, if you've been umming and ahhing about purchasing a property, 2021 (or 2022) could just well be your year to do so!
To find out how to make your dream home become a reality, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
* NHFIC
30/12/2020
🎉 Thank you for your support in 2020!
Here's to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2021! 🥳
From the team Reactive Finance Group
28/12/2020
🤓 Thought about becoming a 'property investor'? 🧐
It's not as out of reach as you might think.
As a matter of fact, 43% of Australian property investors own 2-4 properties, whereas 19% own 5 or more*.
So if you've ever thought about making the leap from homeowner to property investor, or if you want to add to your property portfolio, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
* 2020 P**A survey
23/12/2020
🎅🏽 Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season! 🎄
(We've all earned it this year, that's for sure!)
From the team Reactive Finance Group
21/12/2020
🤔 Have you been paying .5% more on your home loan interest rate than you should be? 🙃
Never settle for less than you deserve!
The average existing mortgage holder had a home loan rate of 3.19% in August, yet new owner-occupier customers were offered a rate of just 2.69% on average.*
If it's been a while since you last refinanced then simply get in touch with us today - we'd love to help you save hundreds (and possibly thousands) of $$$ each year.
To find out more, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
* RBA
16/12/2020
😁 How to save $25,000 on a new home or renovation 🤑
The Australian government is currently handing out $25,000 grants through what's known as the HomeBuilder program.
It's available to eligible Australians building a new home for less than $750,000, or to those who spend between $150,000 and $750,000 renovating an existing home.
But if you want to take advantage of the scheme, you’ll want to get in touch with us asap as the deadline for the $25,000 grant is Dec 31.
Not only can we walk you through how to apply for it before the upcoming deadline but, just as importantly, we can assist you when it comes to applying for finance.
To find out more, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.
14/12/2020
👵🏻 New granny flat tax exemption 🏡
Ever looked into building a backyard granny flat for a friend or family member? You might have been put off by the capital gains tax (CGT) implications, but that roadblock is being removed.
As of July 2021, CGT will not apply to formal written granny flat arrangements providing accommodation for older Australians or people with disabilities.
So if that's just the green light you need to dust off your granny flat plans, call 0451 009 812, email [email protected] or DM us.