FIELD NOTES
Field notes
Plain-English property literacy. One mechanism a week, every claim traced to a named source.
A new note lands every Saturday morning.
LATEST NOTE
Mortgage brokers: who pays them, and the duty they owe you anyway
How mortgage brokers are paid by lenders yet legally bound to put your interests first, why their loan panel isn't the whole market, and what to ask before you use one.
Get finance-ready
13 of 16 published
deposithome loansGenuine savings: why lenders care that you saved the deposit, not that you have it
A lender checks more than whether the deposit exists. It checks where the money came from. Here's what "genuine savings" means, why it matters, and how gifts fit in.
5 min readRead
home loansborrowing powerBorrowing power: how a lender turns your pay slip into a loan size
Borrowing power comes from your income minus your commitments minus your living costs, tested against a harder scenario. Here is what actually moves that number.
5 min readRead
credithome loansYour credit report: what a lender sees before they see you
A plain-English guide to what a credit report actually records, how it differs from a credit score, and how to check and correct your own file before a lender does.
5 min readRead
home loanspre-approvalPre-approval vs unconditional approval: what "approved" actually means
Pre-approval feels like a green light, but it is a lender's early indication, not a promise. Here is what still has to happen before the money is actually yours.
5 min readRead
home loansLVRLoan-to-value ratio: the one number that sets your rate and your insurance
A plain-English guide to loan-to-value ratio: how it's calculated, why lenders treat it as their core risk measure, and how it can decide your rate and whether you'll pay for lenders mortgage insurance.
5 min readRead
home loansserviceabilityThe serviceability buffer: why the bank tests your loan at a rate you'll never actually pay
Lenders check whether you could still afford your repayments at a higher interest rate than the one on your contract. Here is why that buffer exists and how to run the same test on yourself before you borrow.
5 min readRead
home loansinterest ratesFixed or variable: the trade you are actually making
Fixing and staying variable are not a bet on interest rates. Here is what each one actually locks in, what flexibility you give up, and how a split loan lets you set the balance yourself.
5 min readRead
home loansrepaymentsPrincipal and interest vs interest-only: what each does to your loan
Ask for the same loan two ways and the repayment can change sharply. Here is what principal and interest does that interest-only doesn't, and why the difference catches people out later.
5 min readRead- home loansmortgage brokers
Mortgage brokers: who pays them, and the duty they owe you anyway
How mortgage brokers are paid by lenders yet legally bound to put your interests first, why their loan panel isn't the whole market, and what to ask before you use one.
5 min readRead 
lenders mortgage insurancedepositLenders Mortgage Insurance: the cost you pay for the lender's cover
LMI can sit inside your loan costs, and despite the name the cover belongs to the lender. Here is what it is, when it appears, and how buyers may reduce it.
5 min readRead
home guarantee schemefirst home buyersThe Home Guarantee Scheme: buying with a smaller deposit and skipping LMI
A government guarantee can let eligible buyers purchase with a smaller deposit and avoid Lenders Mortgage Insurance. Here is how it works, and the trade-off.
5 min readRead
home loanscomparison rateComparison rate vs the advertised rate: why the bigger number is the honest one
Every Australian home loan ad shows two rates. The smaller one sells the loan; the larger one gives a fuller view of the cost. Here is how to read both.
4 min readRead
home loansoffset accountOffset vs redraw: two ways to park spare cash against your home loan
Both use your spare money to cut the interest on your loan. Their rules differ on access, fees, and tax if you ever rent the place out.
5 min readRead
Find and assess
0 of 9 published
Notes in this stage land over the coming weeks.
Offer, contract and auction
2 of 12 published
buyingcooling-off periodCooling-off and building & pest: your two ways out after you sign
Signing a contract to buy a home is not always the point of no return. Cooling-off periods and a building & pest inspection are your safety nets if you use them in time.
5 min readRead
conveyancingsettlementConveyancer or solicitor: who handles your settlement, and what it costs
Between an accepted offer and the keys, someone does the legal legwork. Here is what a conveyancer does, when a solicitor is the better call, and what drives the cost.
5 min readRead
Settle and move in
1 of 5 published
Own it well
0 of 10 published
Notes in this stage land over the coming weeks.
Selling
0 of 3 published
Notes in this stage land over the coming weeks.
Renting well
0 of 4 published
Notes in this stage land over the coming weeks.