http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.mymortgage.co.nz en-us Fri, 02 Oct 2026 06:46:19 +1300 Rocketspark http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/post/170528/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... Mon, 21 Sep 2026 10:55:42 +1200 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/#post170528 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/post/170431/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... Mon, 21 Sep 2026 09:25:00 +1200 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/#post170431 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/post/170126/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... Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/#post170126 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/post/170047/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... Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/#post170047 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/post/169613/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... Thu, 03 Sep 2026 10:39:40 +1200 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/#post169613 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/post/170048/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... Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/#post170048 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/post/168564/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.... Tue, 25 Aug 2026 10:30:00 +1200 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/#post168564 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/post/168953/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... Sat, 22 Aug 2026 12:09:57 +1200 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/#post168953 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/post/168563/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.... Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/#post168563 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/post/168787/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... Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:10:37 +1200 http://www.mymortgage.co.nz/blog/#post168787