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KiwiSaver became the most popular kid at school

Something funny has happened this election. KiwiSaver, the thing most of us set up, and then (honestly?) ignore for a decade or so until we need it for our first home, has become the absolute star of the show.Every second press release has something to say about making it better, grow it faster, adjust it’s tax, start it earlier for babies. And I get it. It’s something common to everyone, it’s important, long term investing and it’s also the future of how we all look after ourselves in r...

How much can we borrow for an investment property?

Investment lending is where I see the most people working off information that was true a few years ago and is not true now. It is also where the math behaves differently enough from a normal home loan that intuition tends to let people down.Here is how the banks actually look at it....

Non-bank lending: a real solution for the right situation

Most of my clients are well looked after by the main banks. But some situations call for a different kind of lender. Maybe the property needs work, the deal has a tight deadline, or your plan doesn't fit neatly into a standard box.That's where non-bank lenders shine. They offer flexible, practical solutions that help you secure an opportunity and keep moving forward.In this post I'll explain what non-bank lending is, share four real client stories, and cover how to use it well....

Has the amount we can borrow changed? Why the number you were given is no longer correct.

If you were told a lending amount six or twelve months ago and you are wondering whether it still stands, the short answer is that it probably does not. It may well have moved in your favour.This comes up constantly. Someone was approved for a certain amount, life carried on, and now they are looking at a bigger place, a renovation, or helping a child into their first home, and they want to know whether the old number is still good. It is a sensible question, and here is what sits behind it....

My fixed rate ends in 2027. Should I act now?

I’m getting this question a lot at the moment, and it’s almost always from the same group of people - those with fixed rates rolling off between Christmas 2026 and mid-2027They’re on rates that have a 4 in front of them, and they’re staring down the barrel of rates with a 5… and wondering whether they should take action now to lock in some certainty for the next few years.If that’s you, it’s a great question to be asking. Plenty of people get a reminder from their bank (or their ad...

How much can we borrow? A straight answer for first home buyers.

If you have spent an evening putting your income into a bank's online calculator, you have probably come away either quietly excited or quietly gutted. Either way, there is a good chance the number you got is wrong.That is not because the calculators are badly built. It is because the question they are answering is far simpler than the one the bank actually asks when it looks at your application. So let’s walk you through what is really going on, because once you understand it, you can stop gu...

Where NZ political parties stand on housing ahead of the 2026 election

Now, before we kick into political chat, a quick disclaimer! This is a neutral summary for general interest. It's not financial or voting advice, and policies may change before election day. None of this is locked in until it survives the campaign, and quite possibly, coalition negotiations afterwards. With the general election on 7 November, housing is shaping up as one of the biggest battlegrounds. If you're a first-home buyer, a landlord, or just curious, here's a plain English rundown o...

The Mortgage Myths holding first home buyers back

Most people who tell me they can’t buy a home yet are being held back by beliefs that simply aren’t the case anymore.They’re wrong, but in all the best ways!Last week, I had a great chat with Frances Cook, the well-known financial journalist, about all the commonly accepted “myths” in the mortgage and lending world.Here are six myths we hear every week, and what’s actually true in 2026.1. You need 20% deposit to get into your first home.This one is a big one, and it’s common for us...

How to choose your fixed term without trying to predict rates

Every time a fixed rate comes up for renewal, the same question lands in my inbox. How long should I fix for?And almost every time, the person asking has already been down a rabbit hole. They have read a headline about where rates are heading, or they have had a conversation in the lunch room, or their neighbour has told them what they did and it sounded confident. So they arrive wanting me to confirm a prediction.Here's the reality. Nobody knows where interest rate...

Waiting for the perfect time to buy?

The conversations I’ve been having in the past few months have been increasingly “wait till” orientated.I’ll wait till…Interest rates come back downThe market goes back upAfter the electionPrices dropThere’s a funny thing happening in the property market right now.Interest rates are starting to creep back up. The OCR has already increased once. On Wednesday, the Reserve bank is widely expected to increase it again.On the surface, none of those “wait till’s” are really happening...

Rate Watch: What To Do Now - Part 3

When rates are climbing, it's tempting to just keep your head down and hope things settle. That's exactly when a proper review of your mortgage pays off the most....

What our local professionals have to say about the property market

I called twenty Waikato real estate agents from across the region to get their take on the market, and this is what I learnt.The property marketing isn’t tanking – and especially not locally – and some of the national data and that coming out of our largest cities are not reflective of the full story.This week there has been a bit of noise out there, and as always I wanted to do something positive, and tell a story that’s staring me in the face every day at the moment.From where I’m si...

Rate Watch: What To Do Now - Part 2

With rates on the move again, "should I wait for a better deal?" isn't really the question anymore. It's "how do I lock in properly, right now?" Term length and structure both matter more when things are heading up, not less....

AI gave my client advice that would have cost him thousands

This week, a client came to me with a detailed loan structure recommendation - courtesy of ChatGPT.It was actually quite impressive.Well researched, detailed, and incorporated information he’d given it around some very aggressive short term goals.The problem was that it was totally wrong for him.The AI didn’t know a range of things about him that he wouldn’t have known were relevant details.He had a lower deposit, which meant he was already going to be paying a higher margin on his rate.It...

Rate Watch: What To Do Now - Part 1

For the last year or so, rates did what everyone wanted, they came down. That run is over. The Reserve Bank has started lifting the OCR again, and mortgage rates are following....

The three things people apologise to me for

I find it wild how many apologies I get from new clients.“I’m not good with money, I don’t understand this”.No worries, I am. And I can teach you.“My bank statements look bad, because I went on holiday last month”Me too, how exciting is that? I hope you had fun!“Sorry, we don’t have much of a deposit”I bought my first home with $3K in my KiwiSaver.Believe me, mortgage advisers are not the fun police. Or the judgement police either.We all took years to learn money, finance and l...

Selling & Buying Part 3 - Finding Our Backup

If you read part one and two, you’ll know our house sold before we had anywhere to go. So part three picks up where the pressure really kicks in, the house hunt itself, and the slightly wild way we ended up in our new home....

Selling & Buying Part 2 - Getting Pre-Approval

If you read the last post, you'll know our house sold a lot faster than the 20 months leading up to it suggested it might. Offer on Monday, unconditional by Friday. Which meant something else moved fast too: getting our own pre-approval sorted, because suddenly we needed to know exactly what we could work with....

Homeownership isn't just a game for couples

When my husband and I split in 2019, I brought him out of our jointly owned home.I was absolutely terrified.Low equity, a large loan, one income, a business that was still growing, and an uncertain property market.I remember the conversation with one of my trusted advisers at the time who encouraged me to take the leap.And when I ran the numbers I realised it was possible. Tough, but doable.That decision has changed the course of my life, and set me up for absolutely everything I now have.And if...

Selling & Buying Part 1 - It's been a long time coming, but we sold our house

Twenty months. That's how long our house has been for sale in one form or another, and then it all happened in five days flat. If you're in the middle of your own slow-burn sale, or wondering whether "quietly listed" is even a real thing, this one's for you....

Using Home Equity to Buy a Business

If you've built up equity in your home and you've got your eye on a business, you're actually in a pretty strong position. A lot of people don't realise that home equity can be a legitimate path into business ownership - and for the right situation, it works really well.Here's how it works and what to think about:...

Nobody told you this, but 2026 might actually be your year

If you’ve been putting off buying your first home, or not sure whether the time is right, there have never been such great options for buyers.While most of the headlines have been dominated with interest rate rises and endless talk of house prices rising and falling across the country, there’s another positive story in the wings and it’s all coming up trumps for first home buyers.A few interesting shifts have happened across the lending landscape across the last few years to build a meltin...

Student Loans and Mortgage Serviceability

A student loan doesn't stop you from buying a home. For most people, it's just one more thing to factor into the plan - and there's usually a good path forward.Here's what you need to know....

What to do when your building report flags some issues

So you've made an offer, got a building report done, and it's come back with a few things flagged.Before you panic, it's worth knowing this happens all the time. Very few properties, even beautifully presented ones, come back completely clean. It doesn't automatically mean your finance is in trouble, and it definitely doesn't mean the deal is over.What the bank actually wants to know is how much risk they're taking on by lending against this particular property.So let’s cover off the best ways...

How to Switch Your AIA GO Home Loan to ASB (and Get a Cashback)

If your home loan is with AIA GO Home Loans, or it started life as a Sovereign loan years ago, this one’s for you. ASB has launched a cash offer for AIA GO Home Loan customers who move their lending across. It’s a genuine opportunity, and the switch is simpler than you’d expect....