Interest Rate Shifts: What They Mean for Today’s Real Estate Market

With first-home hopefuls set to face rising prices already in the housing market this year, the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme will offer help to a select number of buyers who may not have the backing of wealthy parents.  The scheme will allow 10,000 first-home buyers to purchase their first home each financial year with as little as a 5 per cent deposit, without incurring lenders mortgage insurance.

186-190 Lygon Street, Carlton, a former hotel and now commercial office building has sold for $6.8m, the first and only sale on the iconic strip for 2019. The imposing corner freehold was offered as a blank canvass, appealing to occupiers, investors and developers.

Keen buyers are being urged to keep their eyes peeled for property bargains over summer, as experts report an emerging trend for vendors to list earlier in the year.

Many home owners are tempted to sell agent free and save thousands of dollars in fees, but is it really that simple?

The biggest reason to sell without using an agent is the age old burden of commission. Every home owner thinks right at the moment they decide to sell ‘maybe I could sell it myself and save heaps of cash. 

Low interest rates are good news for home owners. Although banks haven’t passed on the recent cuts in full, most borrowers have still seen their mortgage repayments reduce.