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Financing

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Justin Flowers, a 52-year-old Maribyrnong local who runs his own graphic design business, cannot get a bank loan to buy an appropriate house for his family due to his age, but his savings prevent him from accessing other government assistance.

Justin has $300,000 in the bank but can’t get a home loan

He’s among many Australians getting closer to retirement who are trying to solve the puzzle of owning a home that suits their life.

  • Caroline Zielinski

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Property investors are buying in Warrnambool, and demand is spilling to nearby towns.

The new type of regional town that’s booming

Property prices have jumped by double digits to record highs in a string of regional areas, but not Byron Bay or Torquay.

  • Elizabeth Redman
Interest rates were on hold on Tuesday.

How home owners are cutting years off their mortgage with zero admin

Even though the Reserve Bank left home borrowers disappointed, many are taking the opportunity to get ahead.

  • Caroline Zielinski
Interest rates are expected to drop, affecting arrears rates.

The suburbs where home owners can’t afford their mortgages now

Five years ago, the types of neighbourhoods struggling to keep up with repayments looked very different.

  • Alice Uribe
Jennifer Dowd. 52, recently bought her first home in Sydney’s inner-west.

Jennifer bought a home. But buyers like her face an $85,000 penalty

She’s not alone in finding high property prices a challenge, but new modelling lays bare how the playing field is stacked.

  • Caroline Zielinski
Even workers on high incomes could not afford a house in all suburbs.

The suburbs where workers on $300,000 can’t afford a house

A high-income earner could not borrow enough to buy a house in 16 per cent of suburbs, even after two interest rate cuts.

  • Emily Power
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Home buyers are asking about borrowing as much money as possible.

‘Stretch themselves to the max’: The risky property trend that’s back

Home buyers were worried last year about interest rates going up again, but they’re starting to change their tune after two cuts.

  • Elizabeth Redman
Home values look set to rise.

What property prices will do as interest rates fall

NAB this week forecast the official cash rate to fall as low as 2.6 per cent within the next 12 months, the most bullish of the big four.

  • Alice Uribe and Elizabeth Redman
Interest only loans are preferred by investors, experts say.

How home owners could save $143 a month – and the reasons not to

More home owners are worried about paying off a home loan into retirement, but experts suggest people think long and hard about the options.

  • Melissa Heagney-Bayliss
Home values bounced in affluent areas.

The bellwether suburbs leading a new round of property price gains

Home values in several areas bounced last month as interest rates fell, improving sentiment and borrowing power. Will it last?

  • Elizabeth Redman

Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/topic/financing-1nq2