Mortgage rates are down. House prices are flat. Incomes are up. So how is housing affordability in 2026 and why aren’t more people buying homes?
For big financial decisions social media 'experts' are not in your best interests
I commonly see bad advice handed out on social media for people looking for advice on their financial situations.
Typically, good advice requires a deep dive into the individual’s situation which you are not going to get on social media. Strangers on the internet are not going to give advice that is right for you.
One question I often see incorrectly answered for is […..]
How much do solar panels save? 2 year update
Best mortgage terms and historical interest rates
I’ve developed another couple of spreadsheets that are free to use.
The ‘historical mortgage rates’ spreadsheet is a one stop shop for historical mortgage interest rates (since 2005) across a wide range of mortgage terms. The sheet also provides a summary of the average rates for each term over this timeframe too.
As it stands in early 2026, the 1 year mortgage rate has […..]
Historical housing affordability data
Housing costs make up the single biggest spend category for many people, so housing affordability is always an important consideration when trying to get in top of your finances and grow your wealth.
It’s also interesting to see how affordability is trending over time. Is it on an upwards trend? Downwards trend? Or is it a bit up and down? How does current affordability measure up against historical periods? Are you paying more than the average?
All these questions, if answered correctly, can […..]
Squirrel Launchpad home loan as an option for first home buyers with a low deposit
The benefits of paying off the mortgage more frequently are grossly exaggerated
An article with tips on how to pay of the mortgage faster landed in my attention over the weekend.
There was one tip in particular that caught my attention. The reason being it is not the first time I have seen this tip. In fact, I frequently see or hear about it and it isn’t actually true. Well barely anyway.
It’s the tip that suggests you change your mortgage payments from monthly to fortnightly, or even weekly. Why stop at weekly? Lets make mortgage repayments hourly! Ok that last one was tongue in cheek, but let me show you what I am talking about the only way I know how. With maths […..]
Are houses affordable in 2025?
Did we choose the right mortgage rate?
Six months ago I wrote an article discussing my thought process around the decision to select a six month or a one year home loan mortgage.
Talk at the time was to fix for as short as possible as interest rates were expected to drop rapidly.
I ended up on deciding to get a one year home loan which expires in September. The […..]
You Own shared home ownership - Is it worth it?
How much do solar panels save? 1 year update
In August I provided a 6 month update for the solar panels we had installed on our home. A $19,000 6.4kw system. After 6 months we had almost recovered 5% of the cost of the solar panels.
Now we have an extra half years data. How did we fare? Is it still worth it? Are we regretting the decision?
Stay tuned to find an answer to all these questions!
Debt recycling in New Zealand
With interest rates decreasing for many people, it has made it more attractive to invest again, rather than paying down the mortgage,
With this, there has been an expression of interest in debt recycling. If someone is going to invest rather than pay down the mortgage, they want to legitimately minimize their taxes.
Debt recycling is not at all popular (or familiar) in New Zealand. So today, I thought I would share […..]
Anchoring to 2021 house prices may be a mistake
House prices in most of the country have dropped significantly since late 2021. This has led to many households who want to sell their house, to holding onto it. Many are tied in to 2021 prices and won’t sell until prices get back to near that point or higher. It feels like a loss in money even though in reality it isn’t a loss. It is just a change a value. This is […..]
Which mortgage rate to choose?
How much do solar panels save? 6 month update
In February I provided a 1 month update for the solar panels. Of course, was looking like a great a great decision. It was the sunniest month of the year after all.
Now we have an extra half years data, including the worst of winter. How did we fare? Is it still worth it? Are we regretting the decision?
Stay tuned to find an answer to all these questions!
Are you paying any interest to your mortgage?
Mortgage rate required when choosing between two or more loan terms
I’ve had a few clients recently wonder about how much mortgage rates will need to be at a future point in time to make up for taking a higher short term mortgage rate now.
The thinking is that the general populace believe mortgage rates are going down in the next year, so many people are considering fixing for […..]
How to pay off your 30 year mortgage in 10 years or less!
Should I rent or buy a house?
Are houses expensive in 2024?
Since affordability of housing is such a hot topic at the moment, we will provide an up to date analysis of house prices today, also relative to the past.
Median house prices nationwide are $790,000 currently. That is an increase of just $10,000 since 2021. An increase of just 0.5% per year for the last three years.
So what is […..]