Posts by Cate Bakos

As Bernard Salt coined in a fantastic lecture a couple of years ago, the HOBO, (home office/broadcasting outlet) emerged rapidly as part of our changing needs once working from home was thrust upon us. Our property searches have changed markedly since COVID struck, but in fact, our search criteria was experiencing significant change for the…

There is a difference between a valuation and an appraisal. It is defined by the qualification held by the person conducting the task, and whether their report can be relied upon in a court of law. An appraisal is the opinion of someone who is experienced and familiar enough with the local area and it…

We all know of and understand lender interest rates. They come in a combination of formats depending on whether we are paying principal and interest, interest only, a fixed interest rate or a variable interest rate. Our interest component within our loan repayments schedules is the cost of borrowing the money. The interest portion all…

First home buyers certainly have their challenges and it’s a well-worn path of any property journalist’s when it comes to documenting the tough plight of the firstie. Beyond the task of saving an adequate deposit, or that of managing a fun lifestyle on a tight savings regime, the less spoken-of challenge relates to their broad…