Empower Blog

Lenders doing what they do – Lending Money

With all the global economic uncertainty and the flow on effect to the cost of funds for lenders and the risk of possibly a softening Australian economy, one might be thinking the banks will be considering tightening up lending policy. Our read of home loan lending policy is a little bit more macro, driven by the banks’ need to continue to str...

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RBA Rates Decision – December 2011

Although there were plenty tipping this rate cut including the money markets, the RBA’s move to cut rates by a further 25 basis points came as a surprise to me given the minutes of the November meeting suggested it was a close call that we got a rate cut on Melbourne Cup Day. The messages from the RBA following the November cut, was that its Nove...

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‘Off The Plan’ and New Property as an Investment Asset?

You know the saying “I wish I had a dollar for every time…..” Well in my case this saying rings true for people buying ‘off the plan’ properties and seeing the price they paid come in at a lower valuation once the property is actually built. So for me I wish I had all the dollars that made up the shortfall in valuations from the purcha...

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Someone Took a Calculated Risk

Question: How many generations can you trace your family back to? 2, 3 or 4 maybe..... Now looking at your family’s wealth base how many of you can easily see the millions of dollars within the family estates in property, cash, shares etc? What....... your family doesn’t have all those tens of millions in the family estate? (Don’t worry I�...

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Buyer Impatience Drives Property Price Growth

I recall way back when I was studying there were future projections about  how the rapid advances with computers were forecasted to deliver us so much more leisure time in the future,  because they were going to increase our productivity and efficiencies at work, meaning we would get the work done quicker then head home and enjoy life. How wro...

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RBA Rates Decision – November 2011

Finally the planets have aligned and we have our long awaited cash rate cut of 0.25% bringing the cash rate down to 4.50%. I would think all the banks/lenders will be sensible in passing on this full amount without incident, CBA and Westpac have already done that and now I’d expect the others to follow. However history tells me they will set a da...

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Double Christmas Bonus for Mortgage Holders or First Timers

For those of you reading this newsletter with Mortgages I put a challenge out to you, which could give you a double Christmas bonus on top of the RBA announcement to drop rates – the question to you is, do you want a further financial bonus – If Yes read on.... Over the next week or two you are going to receive a letter from your lender anno...

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The ‘Piggybacking’ Strategy

There are many property investment strategies available to investors looking to create wealth through investing in residential property. This month I am going to share with you one of my strategies I call the ‘Piggybacking’ Strategy. Property values are made up of two components, the land value and the ‘improvements’ (more communally ref...

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Complicating Simple

Throughout the business world over the years there has been a lot of discussion about concepts and/or theories around best business practice, thought leadership theories etc, etc.  Great sayings like “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” to the complete opposite of “if it isn’t broke, break it”........ My observations from my time in ...

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Brokers Top of Class

The latest Core Data ACQUIRE index market research findings has brokers top of the class.  Core Data conducted a mystery shop exercise, surveying home lenders and ranked brokers ahead of banks and credit unions on a range of seven different criteria. On the most important criteria of ‘Understanding – or the ability to understand customers n...

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RBA Rates Decision – October 2011

Anyone tired of hearing about the European debt crisis or the US economy yet? Of course we all are, but as the saying goes ‘Money makes the world go around’, so these global events are unfortunately part of Australia and ultimately a part of our personal worlds.  And a clear reminder of this is the equity markets and how they have been so v...

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Reducing the ‘Fear Factor’ in Property Investing (Part Two)

As a Buyer’s Advocate, I get asked all kinds of property related questions. People lean on my expertise and experience for all manner of things.  One of the most common questions I get asked is about the value of any given property. People like to know whether they are paying too much, offering too little, considering selling for the right figur...

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Advisor vs. Salesperson

I’m in the process of finalising the plans for a major renovation of our home, and there are a lot of people involved in the process and a lot of decisions we need to make – BIG Decisions that carry a lot of costs. Through this process it has once again been highlighted to me the wish I have always had regarding making BIG financial decision...

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