How to Unlock the Value of Your Home with a Reverse Mortgage One of the assumptions that many of us make when we invest in property is that over the long term, we will be able to sell our home for more than we paid for it. This is based on the historical trend of
The Overton window represents the range of opinions found in most everyday people. If you express opinions within this window, you can usually keep your social and professional status without much trouble. You only lose the friends who are a tad extreme. This might seem like a sensible strategy, but it also shows a kind
Take the blue-pill take the red, it doesn't really matter to me. Keep your head down and work hard, I'm sure you'll be happy. We've been living in a sweet dream for about 40 years in 'the West', a dream where the markets seem to always go up and the bad news is always "over
When's My House Price Going to Start Rising Again? Ah, the age-old question that's been on the lips of every Kiwi homeowner and potential buyer for decades. If you've been living under a rock, here's a quick recap: inflation is the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services rises, causing
The Doors of Perception "In between the things that are known, and unknown, lie the doors of perception." Jim Morrison was often revered and feared in equal measure. In the world of financial markets, where varying perspectives may reveal hidden truths that govern our economic reality, there are other voices that may carry the knowledge
How Much of a Mortgage Payment Is Too Much? How much of a mortgage is too much of a mortgage in today's world, is a very different discussion than it was just a couple of years ago, and it's certainly a different type of answer that perhaps your parents would have had. No longer is
There's nothing more annoying than just the news. So here's the news the news first, for what it's worth, the OCR has increased by 0.75%. We are now at a level we haven't been since around 2008. Why is the OCR important? This 'official' interest rate that the Reserve Bank of New Zealand sets, indirectly
We've endured quantitative easing, tightening, loosening, accommodative, restrictive... Drop interest rates too far? Property prices and sharemarkets BOOM! Don't act fast enough, inflation kicks in...then interest rates,...BOOM! Markets collapse. Is this a sign of good stewardship, or this a sickness? We're at the knife-edge of the most anticipated market correction of all time. The only
What’s up with property? If it's munted, perhaps we should move on and think about different things. If it's just a little sick, well we know in all probability, it's likely going to get better. Maybe we should we prepare for the season in which property recovers? If you’re currently a home owner, with or
"Would it make a difference if we asked for lower amount instead?" This is one of the most common questions of 2022. Lending criteria, partially thanks to the unbelievably inappropriate but politically highly convenient piece of legislation known as the CCCFA, is something you've likely heard about by now. I was one of the
