FIELD NOTES

Field notes

Plain-English property literacy. One mechanism a week, every claim traced to a named source.

A new note lands every Saturday morning.

LATEST NOTE

Guarantor home loans: how a family guarantee works, and the risk it carries

A guarantor isn't only moral support on a loan application. Here's what a family guarantee actually promises, how it can help a buyer get in sooner, and what it puts on the line for the person who signs.

26 September 2026 5 min readRead

Get finance-ready

14 of 16 published

Finance
Genuine savings: why lenders care that you saved the deposit, not that you have it
A lender checks more than whether the deposit exists. It checks where the money came from. Here's what "genuine savings" means, why it matters, and how gifts fit in.
25 July 2026 5 min readRead
Finance
Borrowing power: how a lender turns your pay slip into a loan size
Borrowing power comes from your income minus your commitments minus your living costs, tested against a harder scenario. Here is what actually moves that number.
1 August 2026 5 min readRead
Finance
Your credit report: what a lender sees before they see you
A plain-English guide to what a credit report actually records, how it differs from a credit score, and how to check and correct your own file before a lender does.
8 August 2026 5 min readRead
Finance
Pre-approval vs unconditional approval: what "approved" actually means
Pre-approval feels like a green light, but it is a lender's early indication, not a promise. Here is what still has to happen before the money is actually yours.
15 August 2026 5 min readRead
Finance
Loan-to-value ratio: the one number that sets your rate and your insurance
A plain-English guide to loan-to-value ratio: how it's calculated, why lenders treat it as their core risk measure, and how it can decide your rate and whether you'll pay for lenders mortgage insurance.
22 August 2026 5 min readRead
Finance
The serviceability buffer: why the bank tests your loan at a rate you'll never actually pay
Lenders check whether you could still afford your repayments at a higher interest rate than the one on your contract. Here is why that buffer exists and how to run the same test on yourself before you borrow.
29 August 2026 5 min readRead
Finance
Fixed or variable: the trade you are actually making
Fixing and staying variable are not a bet on interest rates. Here is what each one actually locks in, what flexibility you give up, and how a split loan lets you set the balance yourself.
5 September 2026 5 min readRead
Finance
Principal and interest vs interest-only: what each does to your loan
Ask for the same loan two ways and the repayment can change sharply. Here is what principal and interest does that interest-only doesn't, and why the difference catches people out later.
12 September 2026 5 min readRead
Finance
Mortgage brokers: who pays them, and the duty they owe you anyway
How mortgage brokers are paid by lenders yet legally bound to put your interests first, why their loan panel isn't the whole market, and what to ask before you use one.
19 September 2026 5 min readRead
Finance Finding a home
Lenders Mortgage Insurance: the cost you pay for the lender's cover
LMI can sit inside your loan costs, and despite the name the cover belongs to the lender. Here is what it is, when it appears, and how buyers may reduce it.
16 May 2026 5 min readRead
Finding a home Finance
The Home Guarantee Scheme: buying with a smaller deposit and skipping LMI
A government guarantee can let eligible buyers purchase with a smaller deposit and avoid Lenders Mortgage Insurance. Here is how it works, and the trade-off.
30 May 2026 5 min readRead
Finance
Comparison rate vs the advertised rate: why the bigger number is the honest one
Every Australian home loan ad shows two rates. The smaller one sells the loan; the larger one gives a fuller view of the cost. Here is how to read both.
6 June 2026 4 min readRead
Finance
Offset vs redraw: two ways to park spare cash against your home loan
Both use your spare money to cut the interest on your loan. Their rules differ on access, fees, and tax if you ever rent the place out.
13 June 2026 5 min readRead

Settle and move in

1 of 5 published

Tax and investing Finding a home
Stamp duty: the upfront cost first-home buyers forget to budget for
After the deposit, stamp duty is often one of the biggest cheques in a home purchase, and you generally cannot borrow it. Here is how it works and where concessions may apply.
23 May 2026 5 min readRead

Guarantor home loans: how a family guarantee works, and the risk it carries

Genuine savings: why lenders care that you saved the deposit, not that you have it

Borrowing power: how a lender turns your pay slip into a loan size

Your credit report: what a lender sees before they see you

Pre-approval vs unconditional approval: what "approved" actually means

Loan-to-value ratio: the one number that sets your rate and your insurance

The serviceability buffer: why the bank tests your loan at a rate you'll never actually pay

Fixed or variable: the trade you are actually making

Principal and interest vs interest-only: what each does to your loan

Mortgage brokers: who pays them, and the duty they owe you anyway

Lenders Mortgage Insurance: the cost you pay for the lender's cover

The Home Guarantee Scheme: buying with a smaller deposit and skipping LMI

Comparison rate vs the advertised rate: why the bigger number is the honest one

Offset vs redraw: two ways to park spare cash against your home loan

Stamp duty: the upfront cost first-home buyers forget to budget for