Housing 1

The benefits of paying off the mortgage more frequently are grossly exaggerated

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 […..]

Did we choose the right mortgage rate?

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 […..]

How much do solar panels save? 1 year update

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

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

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 […..]

How much do solar panels save? 6 month update

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!

Mortgage rate required when choosing between two or more loan terms

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 […..]

Follow