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14 June 2022

The dangers property investors face by having all their eggs in one basket

For those who have strayed down the treacherous path of having all your loans with one bank, the consequences have started to bite.

19 January 2022

Beyond the purchase price: The 5 big costs to be aware of as a first home buyer

Buying a home is (probably) going to be the biggest investment you’ll ever make. As a first home buyer, when you’re already fronting up such a hefty chunk of change, you’ll want to make sure you’re not getting stung by any unexpected costs along the way. Let’s take a look at the things you need to factor into your budget to avoid any big surprises.

28 October 2021

Is it better to fix or float your home loan?

In this article we’re looking at how to pick the right fixed home loan rate term in a rising interest rate environment.

10 August 2021

Seven ways to save money on your mortgage

In a perfect world, your bank would let you know every time there was an opportunity for you to save money. But the world isn’t perfect so it’s up to you to stay on top of your home loan. It could save you thousands of dollars. How? Here are seven things to consider.

22 April 2021

Saving for a house deposit? Grow your savings faster

Saving for a house in the post-covid age isn’t easy. With house prices becoming stratospheric, the Kiwi dream might start to seem more like a pipe dream.

26 March 2020

Financial anxiety in a crisis

I’ve been in a few crises. The first was launching Squirrel at the height of the GFC, with a crashing housing market. Then my head contractor went bankrupt part way through my big property development. Now? We're faced with Coronavirus. But this one is different. We're all in it together and it's out of our control.

23 March 2020

How to manage your mortgage through the coronavirus crisis

The adage 'cash is king' is never truer than in a crisis. Cash gives you the flexibility and freedom to respond to changes. Now is a good time to have a small cash buffer in your mortgage. The thing to remember is banks don’t want you to default on your mortgage, and they have temporary options in place which are designed to support those who find themselves in financial hardship.

27 February 2020

Advice for those about to purchase property using KiwiSaver

What does Coronavirus have to do with your KiwiSaver funds? More than you might think. No need to panic, but we thought it was worth putting a word of caution out there for anyone who is looking at purchasing a property in the near future with KiwiSaver as part (or all) of their deposit.

30 January 2020

How to pay off your mortgage faster

Making it onto the property ladder is a huge milestone, but the journey doesn’t end there. Now you're in a huge amount of debt. We've put together some of our top tips for helping you manage and pay your mortgage off faster.

20 May 2019

Looking after your Credit Score

Credit bureaus in NZ are now looking at monthly account behaviour for all lending products as well as account behaviour for a number of utility bills. Basically, if you miss a payment, everyone will know about it. Here's everything you need to know.

08 March 2019

Mortgage Broker Commission

At a superficial and generally uninformed level, it’s easy to have an opinion on mortgage broker commissions. It’s also easy to have an opinion when you have a vested interest as banks do, and yes, I do too.

05 December 2018

Squirrel HomeBuild – The Smart Way to Build

As New Zealand’s leading mortgage broker, Squirrel has engineered a new financial product called Squirrel HomeBuild that makes building a new home simpler, and without the traditional hassles associated with building.

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