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AI in Housing Approvals: Will It Really Ease the Crunch?
The NSW government has launched an AI planning tender to speed up approvals for new housing. Ministers say it will “blitz the approvals backlog” of roughly 26,000 homes currently stuck in environmental assessments, letting builders focus on construction instead of paperwork. Housing Minister Clare O’Neil even put it bluntly: “It’s too hard to build a […]
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Mortgage Brokers’ Guide: Fixed Home Loan Rates Drop Below 5%
Westpac has just slashed its two-year fixed home loan rate to 4.89%, making it the first of Australia’s big four banks to go under 5%. This 0.70-percentage-point cut applies to principal-and-interest loans with a 30% deposit. The reductions aren’t just for Westpac – the cuts extend across its brands (St George, BankSA and Bank of […]
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Australia’s Property Values Climb with New Home Guarantee Update
Cotality Data Highlights Why Finance Readiness Matters New information from Cotality demonstrates Australia’s property market is regaining speed, resulting in an increased sense of urgency for buyers and investors to prepare their finances. National dwelling values increased by +0.7 in August 2025, the largest monthly increase since May 2024, with the median value now $848,858 […]
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From 5% Deposit to $1.5M Homes: Major Shake-Up in Home Guarantee Scheme
A key enhancement of the forthcoming Home Guarantee Scheme is the elimination of the annual cap on the index of State guarantee allocations. Previously, the Scheme enforced an annual cap, causing a persistent shortfall that regularly excluded prospective first-home purchasers from programme benefits. Effective October 2025, the cap will be abolished, and every eligible applicant […]
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2025 Housing Accord Progress Stalls, Raising Stakes for Buyers and Renters
The Housing Industry Association (HIA) called on the Australian government to recalibrate its housing affordability initiatives, contending that the contours of the National Housing Accord create a trajectory that will not meet the nation’s pressing demand for affordable accommodation. Launched in the preceding year, the Accord commits to the production of 1.2 million new dwellings […]
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AMP Bank Posts Steady Mortgage Growth Amid Market Pressures
AMP Bank is quietly expanding its business even when the overall housing finance market in Australia is facing pressure here and abroad. During the second quarter of 2025 the Sydney-based bank increased its home lending by 2.8%, pushing its total home loan book to $23.3 billion. While the figure is less dramatic than the larger […]
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Over 60% of Aussies Never Switch Banks And It’s Hurting Their Wallets
A new survey has shown that many Australians are still banking where their parents did, a habit that could be affecting their financial health. The survey, commissioned by the Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA) and executed by Pureprofile in July 2025, probed 1004 Australian adults. The data reveals that 33% had their first bank account […]
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Buyers Stay Alert as RBA Holds Rates and Supply Stays Tight
The Reserve Bank of Australia has decided to hold the cash rate steady, and that news has plenty of buyers paying close attention. Although inflation is coming down and the overall economy is growing only slowly, the bank felt it was wiser to wait rather than cut the rate right now. For anyone looking to […]
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Super, Wages and Power Bills to Rise on July 1: What Every Australian Needs to Know
Australians are starting a new financial year on Tuesday with a suite of changes that will affect their income, savings and costs. From amendments to superannuation and minimum wages to increased electricity bills, July 1 sees the pushing of a raft of crucial changes that will impact workers, employers and families across the nation. While […]
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Property Prices Soar Again as Australia’s Total Home Value Passes $11 Trillion
Statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) indicate that the housing sector remains surprisingly robust. Despite the usual economic headwinds, the numbers keep favouring real estate. In the March quarter of 2025, the cumulative valuation of all residential buildings hit $11,366.4 billion, an uptick of $130.7 billion in three months. Observers note that such […]
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