If you’re in the market for a home, you may have noticed there hasn’t always been a whole lot of choice in recent months. Fortunately, it looks like property listings are really starting to pick back up. Here’s how to make the most of the increase in choice.

Sure, price is the obvious big barrier when it comes buying your first home.

But that’s often got a whole lot to do with a lack of supply (less supply than demand typically = higher prices).

And in fact, Westpac says supply shortages have been one of the most significant hurdles for Aussies trying to enter the property market, with one in four (26%) first home buyers saying a lack of listed properties was holding them back.

But the tide may be starting to turn.

According to SQM Research, new listings “surged” 48.6% nationally in February, marking the strongest monthly rise since spring 2025.

And new listings continued to climb in the four weeks to mid-March.

Let’s take a look at why a rise in homes listed for sale is a plus for home buyers, and how it could impact your buying plans.

Where listings growth is strongest

According to Cotality, March has seen new listings climb by 10% or more (year-on-year) in Melbourne, Brisbane, Hobart and Canberra.

Sydney (up 4.1%) and Adelaide (4.8%) have seen more modest growth in new listings, though the overall trend is upwards.

Only Perth and Darwin are bucking the trend, with new listings down 12.8% and 12.3% respectively compared to a year ago.

How does an increase in listings benefit home buyers?

Across our capital cities, the four weeks to mid-March saw a For Sale sign pop up in front of an extra 27,772 homes.

An increase in new listings offers several upsides for home buyers.

More homes on the market means more choice, so you may not have to compromise on your wish list of home features.

In addition, increased supply has the potential to keep a lid on price growth.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean values will fall.

Listings are still 9.1% lower year-on-year. So we’re still not in a ‘balanced’ market where supply equals demand.

In fact, delaying your buying plans in the hope that home prices will soften could work against you.

SQM Research crunched the numbers and found that even if the Reserve Bank hiked interest rates by a further 0.25% by mid-year, capital city home values could still end the year 3.0% higher. Home values in several cities including Perth, Brisbane, Darwin and Adelaide could rise by at least 10%.

Long story short, it’s worth thinking about how you could benefit from increased supply right now, rather than postponing your buying plans.

What you can do as a home buyer

There are several ways you may be able to take advantage of an increase in property listings.

First and foremost, understand your borrowing power. This may have changed as a result of the March rate hike.

Talk to us to know how much you can comfortably borrow. It can drive your buying budget.

Next, keep an eye on local sales results and selling times. Values may not fall, but if homes start taking longer to sell, you could have more leverage to negotiate a discount.

Finally – and possibly most importantly – talk to us about having your home loan pre-approved.

Westpac research shows two-in-five home buyers point to rivalry with other buyers as a barrier to getting into the market.

Having pre-approval in place could give you a competitive edge over less organised buyers.

So get in touch about securing pre-approval for a loan that suits your needs – it’s about making the most of a market that could be starting to swing in your favour.

Disclaimer: The content of this article is general in nature and is presented for informative purposes. It is not intended to constitute tax or financial advice, whether general or personal nor is it intended to imply any recommendation or opinion about a financial product. It does not take into consideration your personal situation and may not be relevant to your circumstances. Before taking any action, consider your own particular circumstances and seek professional advice. This content is protected by copyright laws and various other intellectual property laws. It is not to be modified, reproduced or republished without prior written consent.

More bad news for mortgage holders around the country: the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) today raised the cash rate for the second time this year to 4.10% in a 5-4 split decision vote. How might this impact your monthly mortgage repayments?

Hardly seems fair to hike the cash rate by another 0.25% with petrol prices so high right now (which one could argue will reduce discretionary spending) – but it wasn’t enough to sway the majority of the RBA board, unfortunately, which voted 5-4 to increase the cash rate.

Uncertainty surrounding stubborn inflation levels and global economic volatility due to the war in the Middle East had the RBA concerned enough to pull the trigger on a second consecutive rate rise in 2026.

The RBA’s Monetary Policy Board said in a statement that data since RBA’s February meeting suggests that some of the increase in inflation reflects greater capacity pressures.

“In addition, the conflict in the Middle East has resulted in sharply higher fuel prices, which, if sustained, will add to inflation,” the Board said.

“As a result, the Board judged that there is a material risk that inflation will remain above (the 2-3%) target for longer than previously anticipated.”

How could this affect your monthly mortgage repayments?

Unless you’re on a fixed-rate mortgage, your bank will likely soon follow the RBA’s lead and increase the interest rate on your variable home loan.

For an owner-occupier with a 25-year loan of $500,000 paying principal and interest, this month’s 25 basis point rate hike means your monthly repayments could increase by about $77 a month.

That equals about $924 a year. Or $1848, if you also include last month’s rate hike (yikes!).

If you have a $750,000 loan, your minimum monthly mortgage repayments will likely increase by about $115 a month. That’s $1380 per year, or $2760 if you include last month’s hike.

Meanwhile, a $1 million loan could increase by about $154 a month. That’s $1848 a year, and $3696 if you include the February hike.

This all assumes that your lender automatically passes on the full 25 basis point hike to your home loan.

Another thing to keep in mind is that when interest rates came down from the recent cycle peak of 4.35% throughout 2025, many banks around the country kept borrowers on the same monthly repayment amount – meaning they paid more off the principal of their home loan each month rather than the interest.

If this is the case for you, your monthly repayment amount (very likely) won’t increase with this latest rate hike – it’s just that more of your repayment (0.25%) will go towards the interest on your loan, rather than the principal.

To find out what your lender is doing with your loan, get in touch with us in a few days once the dust has settled and the banks have announced their next moves.

Need to discuss your home loan?

Ok, so the RBA has raised the cash rate again. It’s a tough one, sure, but there are still some steps you could potentially take to help offset this rate hike.

If it’s been a while since your last home loan review, now could be a good time to check in. You might be able to improve your situation – and we’re here to help you explore your options.

This could include renegotiating with your current lender, refinancing to another lender, or debt consolidation.

Every household is unique, and we’re committed to helping you find a solution that fits your needs.

Disclaimer: The content of this article is general in nature and is presented for informative purposes. It is not intended to constitute tax or financial advice, whether general or personal nor is it intended to imply any recommendation or opinion about a financial product. It does not take into consideration your personal situation and may not be relevant to your circumstances. Before taking any action, consider your own particular circumstances and seek professional advice. This content is protected by copyright laws and various other intellectual property laws. It is not to be modified, reproduced or republished without prior written consent.

Who wouldn’t want to save on home loan interest and pay off their mortgage faster? Homeowners are increasingly turning to offset accounts to do just that. So today we’ll look into whether an offset account could benefit you.

The recent RBA cash rate hike has led homeowners to embrace a variety of strategies to ease the rate pain, and it turns out one of the most popular options is a home loan offset account.

One of the big 4 banks, NAB, says it is seeing “offset accounts surge” as homeowners, especially younger borrowers, look for low‑effort ways to beat rising rates.

According to NAB, three-quarters of its home loan customers now use an offset account.

While homeowners aged 40 to 60 remain the biggest users of offset accounts, NAB says that among customers aged under 35, the number of offset accounts linked to new home loans has nearly doubled compared to last year.

Let’s dive in to understand the appeal of offsets, the potential savings to be made, and who home loan offset accounts may be suited to.

How an offset account can save on loan interest

A bit of background first.

An offset account is an everyday account linked to your home loan.

You don’t earn interest on money in the offset account. Instead, you save by paying less interest on your home loan.

That’s because the balance of the offset account is deducted from (or ‘offset’ against) the value of your home loan when loan interest is calculated.

For example, if you have a $500,000 mortgage balance and $20,000 in an offset account, you’ll only be charged interest on $480,000.

Your monthly home loan repayment amount will stay the same – it’s just that more of your monthly repayment will go towards paying off the principal, rather than towards interest.

When this pattern is repeated month after month, the savings can potentially start to stack up.

Over time the balance of your home loan may be paid off quicker, which further helps to lower the monthly interest charge.

In this way, an offset account has the potential to be a way to pay off your loan sooner.

How much could I save with an offset account?

The interest savings generated by an offset account will depend on the size of your home loan, the balance of the offset account, and your loan rate.

Here’s an example of the possible savings that we’ve put together using one bank’s offset calculator (most banks have them readily accessible online, just google ‘offset account calculator’).

Let’s say you have a $500,000 mortgage with a 30-year term and an interest rate of 5.99% (comparison rate of 6.37%), plus $20,000 always sitting in your linked offset account.

Over the life of the loan, the impact of the offset account could cut $90,571 off your total interest bill and see you mortgage-free 2.5 years ahead of schedule.

What matters is that you talk to us to know exactly how much you could save with an offset account.

Who is an offset account well-suited to?

There’s a lot to love about home loan offset accounts.

But they may not be the ideal option for every borrower.

The more you have in an offset account, the greater the savings on loan interest. So, you need to be able to resist the urge to dip into the account too often – especially as the funds are usually available at call.

One way around this is to look for a lender that offers multiple offset accounts linked to the same home loan. This way, you can use one offset account for everyday money, and the others to save for personal goals – all while saving on home loan interest.

The other aspect to consider is that offset home loans can come with higher rates and fees. If you have only limited cash savings, you may save more with a lower rate without features such as offset accounts.

Lastly, it’s always worth weighing up whether any money you allocate towards your offset account and paying off your home loan sooner could be better utilised by investing towards your future in other ways.

Refinancing – another way to save on interest

Offset accounts can be one interest savings hack. But you can’t simply add them to every home loan account – adding them can often mean refinancing.

Fortunately, you could potentially double up on cutting the amount of interest you’re paying by refinancing to a lower rate home loan at the same time.

If you’ve had your old loan for a while, it’s worth calling us to see if you could save by refinancing to a loan with a lower rate and/or features better-suited to your needs.

The main point is that you don’t have to just wear a higher interest rate.

Call us to find out if an offset account is a good fit for you – and other strategies that could potentially help you save on home loan interest.

Disclaimer: The content of this article is general in nature and is presented for informative purposes. It is not intended to constitute tax or financial advice, whether general or personal nor is it intended to imply any recommendation or opinion about a financial product. It does not take into consideration your personal situation and may not be relevant to your circumstances. Before taking any action, consider your own particular circumstances and seek professional advice. This content is protected by copyright laws and various other intellectual property laws. It is not to be modified, reproduced or republished without prior written consent.

As home prices climb higher, first home buyers can feel like the goal posts are continually shifting further out of reach. But there is a way to potentially cut years off the time taken to buy a home.

Saving a first home deposit has never been easy – especially in the last decade or two.

And as property prices continue to head north, first home buyers can be left wondering if they’ll ever be able to save a 20% deposit.

But don’t give up on your dream of home ownership just yet.

We can help you explore opportunities that could get you into the market before prices potentially rise further.

A new report by Domain examines a potential solution that could bring your purchase forward by more than five years.

Home price growth is pushing out deposit timeframes

The past year has seen home values across the nation’s capitals rise by 9.9%, according to Cotality.

However, even this eye-watering increase doesn’t show the full picture.

According to Domain, in some places, the price of entry-level homes has climbed over 20% in the past 12 months – a rise it describes as “an extreme rate of price growth”.

Faced with this level of price rises, saving a deposit can be a real pain point for plenty of first home buyers.

Domain found the time taken to save a 20% deposit now ranges from 2 years and 7 months for an entry-priced unit in Darwin, to 7 years and 7 months for an entry-priced house in Sydney.

But here’s the catch.

While you’re working hard to grow a deposit, home prices are likely to keep rising.

Over the past five years, for example, Domain says the price of entry level homes has risen 68%.

Get started in the market up to 5 years earlier

The federal government’s 5% Deposit Scheme may be the solution that could help you bring forward your home buying plans.

The scheme lowers the minimum deposit needed to buy a home down to 5%, or even 2% for single parents – without the need to pay lenders mortgage insurance.

Eligible home buyers do face property price limits.

However, there are no caps on personal income, and no limit on the number of people who can apply for the 5% Deposit Scheme each year.

Domain crunched the numbers, finding that the 5% Deposit Scheme can help first home buyers looking to buy a house in Sydney get into the market 5 years and seven months earlier.

In Brisbane and Adelaide, the scheme can cut more than four years off the time taken to save a deposit.

In every other capital, the 5% Deposit Scheme can bring forward buying plans by more than three years.

Is there a downside?

Saving a deposit is just one of the home buying requirements.

Lenders also want to be sure you can comfortably manage repaying your loan.

A potential drawback of buying with a small deposit is that you’ll likely need to borrow more, and this may mean higher loan repayments.

That’s why we encourage you to speak with us at an early stage for a clear idea of the likely repayments to budget for.

Talk to us

Not surprisingly, the 5% Deposit Scheme is proving very popular, having already helped more than 240,000 Australians into home ownership.

Contact us to see if it could be the solution that helps you bring forward your home-buying plans.

Disclaimer: The content of this article is general in nature and is presented for informative purposes. It is not intended to constitute tax or financial advice, whether general or personal nor is it intended to imply any recommendation or opinion about a financial product. It does not take into consideration your personal situation and may not be relevant to your circumstances. Before taking any action, consider your own particular circumstances and seek professional advice. This content is protected by copyright laws and various other intellectual property laws. It is not to be modified, reproduced or republished without prior written consent.