Jyh Kao’s discusses ‘depreciation schedules’ and their impact on property and investor benefits with Duo Tax Founder, Tuan Duong.

This year in particular, we’ve had to go through so much change after the pandemic. No one predicted interest rates were going to rise this soon, and no one really predicted that inflation was going to hit this high. Alongside so many unknowns, these are the top lessons we’re taking out of this year…

We’re proud to have celebrated with the best in the industry at the Australian Mortgage Awards over the weekend, and be named as a finalist in the ‘Young Gun of The Year’ Award. Like most in the category, we’ve been in business around two years, with the majority of those in the room having been in the industry anywhere from the 1-20+ year mark. Everyone who’s in the room though, has obviously done extremely well. So, it’s interesting to consider – what do we all have in common?

There are three different bank tiers in Australia: Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 – but what does it all mean? Why does it matter? And, how can we use this knowledge to better plan ahead to help future-proof our property portfolios? It’s a burning topic we see as too many buyers still get stuck on their first 1-2 properties. Usually either from a lack of strategy or long-term planning in the investor approach.

At the moment, it seems a lot of people are talking about interest rates going up. In a way, that’s understandable as if you have a look in the media, there’s a lot of doom and gloom on the horizon being sold. I remember when I started investing, I was fixated on interest rates too. The best thing I learnt though, was that if you actually move away from the interest rates, and instead focus on the big picture – on growing your portfolio – you will end up achieving a much better goal overall. So, when it comes to investing, how do we realise the big picture?

When considering a new loan or refinancing, the valuations process can be unknown for some. The idea of, or receiving, a valuation that’s not in line with your expectations might seem nerve-racking or disappointing. In reality, there are steps to prepare, and options at the end of it. You may have more control in the process than you think.

Did you know at least $44 billion in fixed rate loans is due to expire in Australia this year? Alongside recent and planned cash rate rises, that means $44 billion worth of homeowners looking for a new deal.

Choosing a bank or lender is about much more than just the interest rate and thanks to the mortgage broking industry, customers now have choice with lender options. Deciding which bank to go with for a home loan can be overwhelming for many…

Well, it feels like the media finally got their juicy story this week with the RBA’s increase of the cash rate to 0.35% – but a healthy discussion has unfortunately been completely missed as it’s been devoid of a tonne of context…

Interest rates are indeed complex to understand. The reality of their impact, or real drivers beneath them, are not something I myself fully understood until I’d really well and truly entered the property market. The way it works, banks will often advertise the lowest interest rate to captivate an audience, but there is actually always a complex layering of discounts and variables habitually beneath them, that determine the final rate a buyer will pay.

We’ve obviously heard the federal budget announced last night, and while some future forecasting can feel almost superfluous these days with a pandemic notch under our belt, it is very interesting and helpful still to learn what kinds of subsidies and schemes the government is putting into action, their knock-on effect, and the why…

Interest rates have gone up nine times in a row now since early last year. The important news is though, while you may be paying a higher rate, the way the market is currently, you most likely will be paying a lower price. So the issue really becomes, is it the right time for you to enter the market?