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COVID-19 repayment amnesty over: how to avoid a bad credit rating

The COVID-19 loan deferral program and credit reporting amnesty is now over, which means banks will report any late repayments on mortgage or small business loans to credit agencies unless you’ve entered into a hardship arrangement. The banks’ mortgage deferral program and subsequent credit score reporting amnesty officially ended on April 1. The package was created during the peak of COVID-19 to provide loan repayment relief for almost one million home and business loan borrowers facing financial hardship. Luckily, many…...
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Digital transformation: how does your business compare?

How well placed is your retail business when it comes to its digital transformation? Today we’ll look at some of the ways your competitors might be complementing their bricks and mortar stores with online empires. For some retailers, COVID-19 was the death knell for their business. For others, it gave a much-needed nudge to supplement in-store sales with thriving online hubs. So how well did you transform your business compared to your competitors in 2020? Well, Retail Express conducted a…...
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Back up for grabs: 1800 first home buyer scheme spots reissued

Great news just in for first home buyers: the Australian government will reissue 1800 First Home Loan Deposit Scheme (FHLDS) spots from the 2019-20 financial year.  The 1800 spots are back up for grabs because people who previously reserved a spot in the Australian government scheme were unable to complete the purchase of their first home. Their loss can be your gain! The FHLDS allows eligible first home buyers to break into the property market sooner, as you only need…...
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Record-breaking: 5 big property trends in 2021

After a bumpy 2020, 2021 is already rewriting the record books. From property prices, to interest rates, to refinancing - no matter which way you look records are being broken. Today we’ll look at why property market sentiment is riding so high. How quickly things can turn around. It wasn’t too long ago (9-10 months, to be more precise) that many highly-regarded economists were predicting property prices could plummet 30% due to COVID-19. Instead, now we’re seeing official RBA documents…...
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CoreLogic’s Home Value Index in 2021 shows Australian housing values reached a new record high in January.

Housing values continued to rise through the first month of 2021 with CoreLogic’s national home value index up 0.9% over the month. The January movement takes Australian home values to a fresh record high.Housing values have surpassed pre-COVID levels by 1.0%, and the index is 0.7% higher than the previous September 2017 peak. Every capital city and broad rest-of-state region recorded a rise in housing values over the month, ranging from a 2.3% surge across Darwin to a relatively mild 0.4% rise in Sydney and…...
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How did your suburb fare during the COVID-19 crisis?

When coronavirus broke out across Australia, doomsday reports tipped the property market could fall as far as 30% across the country. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. Here’s how to find out how your suburb actually fared. A realestate.com.au analysis shows that property prices actually grew in most Australian suburbs throughout 2020. Yep, that’s right. Despite prolonged lockdowns in some parts of the country (especially Melbourne), most suburbs experienced year-on-year growth in 2020. Go and have a look for yourself using…...
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How will your business bounce back from 2020?

If you’re worried about how to recover from the horror show that was 2020, you’re not alone. Two-thirds of Australian small to medium businesses feel the same way, research shows. As SMEs look towards “COVID-normal” in 2021, many are wondering how they will rebound from the stresses and strains of the past year. In fact, as many as 65% of businesses are worried about having a clear recovery pathway, according to findings from business banking analysis firm East & Partners.…...
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House prices projected to jump 30% in three years: RBA

It’s the document that was never meant to see the light of day. But a Freedom of Information request reveals the Reserve Bank of Australia projects a 30% increase in house prices if interest rates remain low for the next few years. The internal, not-meant-for-public-viewing analysis by the RBA looks at the impact of low interest rates on asset prices, including property. The November 2020 document projects that housing prices could increase by 30% after about three years, so long…...
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Still haven’t found what you’re looking for? Listings to pick up soon

While you were kicking your feet up over the festive season, did you flick open your phone and scroll through real estate listings in your dream location? If so, you might’ve noticed there were fewer properties listed for sale than usual. Here’s why. If you couldn’t find exactly what you were looking for, don’t stress - it’s actually much harder to find ‘the one’ at this time of year. That’s because property listings traditionally drop in December, with 2020 no…...
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What are Australia’s most popular vehicles? The 2020 results are in

Long gone are the days of Holden vs Ford. These days it’s all about the SUV vs the great Australian ute. So which vehicle type topped the list in 2020? Let’s wind back the clock a bit. It’s the year 2000: we’ve dodged Y2K (phew!), you can still photograph your kids sitting next to the pilot, and you’re either a fan of Peter Brock (Holden) or Dick Johnson (Ford) - never both. Back then the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon…...
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