Finance
What is a mortgage?
A simple, easy to understand explanation of what mortgages and construction loans are, and how they work.
Negative gearing, positive gearing and neutral gearing
Find out what negative gearing is, how it works, and how it can be used for deductions from your income tax.
What's the best place to get a home loan?
A rundown of the many different types of lenders you can talk to for a loan - and what to expect from each.
Variable vs. fixed interest loans
Learn the difference between variable and fixed interest loans - and get the information you need to decide which is right for you.
What is 'equity'?
A simple, easy to understand explanation of how home equity works - and what it means to you.
What is Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI)?
A simple guide to Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI), explaining what it is, why you might need it and how to avoid it.
Sort out your finances
Unless you're swimming in cash, finances are a very important consideration when it comes to renovating sensibly. While they aren’t usually cheap, they’re often very easy to justify in terms of the value they’re likely to add to your home.
Get finance to build
The first step to building a house is to find out how much you can afford to borrow (if you need to) - and to arrange for the necessary finance.
Tax implications for investment properties
Find out what kinds of tax issues you may need to consider for your investment property.
How to calculate projected rental yields
A guide to gross and net rental yields, how they're calculated and what they're used for.
Refinancing your house
Straightforward advice on what to expect if you're thinking of refinancing or consolidating your debt.
What happens if I miss my loan repayments?
Find out what happens if you skip a mortgage repayment - and how to stay on good terms with your lender.
Loan serviceability
Part of getting a home loan is ensuring you can afford repayments. Find out how 'serviceability' is assessed.
Learn more about
Gas installation and use
There are special laws and regulations in place in Australia that control to how gas appliances should be chosen, who can install them and who can maintain them. Here's what you need to know.
What is plumbing?
Find out more about what plumbers actually do, why it's important to use a plumber, what kind of work plumbing involves and what plumbing's needed for new homes and renovation projects.
Wind power regulations
There are certain regulations and some paperwork you'll need to know about if you're planning on installing wind - especially if you're hoping to feed energy back into the grid or claim government rebates in the form of STCs.