December cash rate: why 2024 could be the year for first-home buyers

The Reserve Bank of Australia has rounded out 2023 with the decision to hold the nation’s cash rate at 4.35%. 2023 hasn’t been an easy year for homeowners or ambitious first-home buyers. The cash rate increased from 3.10% to 4.35% over the course of eleven months in the RBA’s bid to bring inflation back within … Read more

How office landlords are fighting to secure tenants

Just as employers are dreaming up perks to lure staff back into the office, office landlords are offering incentives to attract businesses to their premises. Ray White Commercial Head of Research Vanessa Rader said the incentives range from drinks and discount food to pilates sessions and special events, and have proved effective. “Post COVID-19 we … Read more

Australians set $19.9bn refinancing record

If you’ve been hearing lots of stories about people refinancing their home loans in search of lower interest rates, there’s a very good reason. Refinancing is at record levels, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Borrowers refinanced $19.9 billion of mortgages in February – 22.6% higher than the year before, when refinancing … Read more

Toyota leading the pack, but Tesla accelerating fast

Consumers are confidently snapping up new vehicles, and while they continue to gravitate towards the biggest brands, they’re also showing increasing interest in greener vehicles. A total of 269,002 new vehicles were sold in the first three months of 2023, which was 2.5% more than the first quarter of 2022, according to the Federal Chamber … Read more

ACCC issues warning about fake bank messages

Australia’s consumer watchdog has sounded the alarm about sophisticated bank impersonation scams that have claimed a number of peoples’ life savings. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said scammers were using new technology to trick their victims. This included: Making calls appear to come from a bank’s legitimate phone number. Sending text messages that … Read more