News & insightsFinance
Finance
Every finance article on Burbfinder, sorted by latest. 15 articles in this category.
Finance8 min
Rate lock fees and the pre-approval window: when paying $750 to fix today's rate actually pays off
Rate lock is the option contract most home-loan borrowers don't realise they're being offered. The fee is sometimes worth paying, sometimes a quiet upsell, and the deciding factor is rarely the buyer's view on rates.
Finance8 min
Mortgage broker vs going direct to a lender: the economics, the duty, and when each wins
Brokers write the majority of new home loans in Australia, and they're paid by lenders rather than borrowers. That arrangement saves money on average and bends incentives at the edges.
Finance8 min
First Home Guarantee Scheme 2026: the 5% deposit, no-LMI path explained
The First Home Guarantee skips Lenders Mortgage Insurance on a 5% deposit, saving most buyers $20-35k. The trap is trading that saving for a worse rate.
Finance6 min
Guarantor home loans explained: how a family pledge skips LMI in Australia
A family pledge can get a buyer into a home years earlier with zero LMI. It also puts a slice of the parent's equity on the line. Here's how the structure actually works.
Finance6 min
Pre-approval vs unconditional approval: the four stages of an Australian home loan
Pre-approval is not approval. It's the bank's polite maybe, conditional on a valuation that hasn't happened and a serviceability check that hasn't been re-run. The only stage at which you can safely go unconditional on a contract is the one most buyers confuse with the others.
Finance6 min
Offset account vs redraw: which one actually wins for Australian borrowers
Offset and redraw save you the exact same dollar of interest while the money sits there. The difference shows up the moment you pull cash out — especially if you ever rent the place.
Finance6 min
Interest only vs principal and interest: the Australian decision in 2026
Interest-only loans look cheaper every month and end up more expensive in almost every scenario except one. That one scenario is why investors still take them.
Finance7 min
Switching home loans: the Australian refinancing checklist that actually pencils
Half the people who refinance in Australia end up worse off because they modelled the rate gap and not the switching costs. The math is simple once you put every number on the same line.
Finance7 min
Lenders Mortgage Insurance explained: how much LMI costs in Australia
Most buyers assume LMI protects them. It doesn't. Here's what the premium really buys, what it costs at 5% and 10% deposits, and when paying it still makes sense.
Finance7 min
Bridging loans in Australia: how they actually work, and when they bite
Every extra month your old home sits unsold can cost roughly $11,000 in capitalised interest at peak debt. Here's how bridging loans really work.
Finance7 min
APRA's 3% serviceability buffer: how the mortgage stress test caps your borrowing
Every Australian home loan is tested at the offer rate plus three percentage points. That single rule shaves tens of thousands off what most buyers can borrow.
Finance6 min
How Queensland stamp duty is calculated in 2026
QLD transfer duty looks gentler than NSW until you cross $1M. Here is how the brackets, the home concession, and the post-2024 first-home rules actually combine.
Finance6 min
How WA stamp duty is calculated in 2026
WA transfer duty tops out at 5.15%, with no NSW-style premium bracket. The first-home rules end abruptly at $600k, and the off-the-plan rebate quietly resets the math.
Finance7 min
First Home Owner Grant by state in 2026: what you actually get
Every state still calls it the First Home Owner Grant, but in 2026 it only pays out on new builds. Here is what each state hands over, and the duty concessions that stack on top.
Finance6 min
First Home Super Saver Scheme explained: how to save your deposit through super
FHSS turns voluntary super contributions into deposit cash taxed at the concessional rate. For a 37% earner, that is roughly 22 cents in the dollar back.