Yangley Dorji - Mortgage Broker

09/02/2026

Equifax has launched a new generation of credit scores. The new Equifax Score aims to provide a fairer and more transparent credit score for all consumers - and give you more control of it.

So, what's changing in the Equifax Score?

Comprehensive Credit Reporting (CCR) changes have enabled lenders to be better informed when assessing loan applications.

CCR has allowed Equifax to use additional data, including your repayment history information, to calculate your credit score.

The benefit for you is that, previously, credit scores were calculated using mainly negative credit behaviours, such as defaults and arrears.

With CCR, more positive data, such as paying your debt on time, using reputable credit providers, and avoiding short-term or unsecured loans, can be used to build your credit score.

This additional information will have an impact on your score, positive or negative. Adverse or negative factors will drive down your score, but positive factors can help drive improvements to your score faster.

Factors influencing your score - Understand what�s driving your score up and down

There are many factors that can influence your score, both positively and negatively.

We are making the Contributing Factors available with your service more transparent and easier to understand. Using this information you can see at a glance what is influencing your score, and which factors may be having the biggest impact on how lenders may view your creditworthiness.

1) Factors that can influence your score positively
- Keeping your loan and bill payments up to date
- Closing credit card accounts you don�t need
- Limiting the number of unsecured credit you have, such as personal loans
- Avoiding small, short term loans including buy now, pay later
- Applying for credit with larger banks and more reputable lenders

2) Factors that can influence your score negatively
- Late payments of over 60 days
- Late payments of 30 days over several months
- Multiple loans and credit accounts with overdue payments
- Loans and credit accounts in arrears
- Several unsecured personal loans
- Payment defaults
- Regularly using short term loans like buy now, pay later services
- Multiple applications for loans or credit over a short time period
- A short credit history

Start building your credit history

This new generation of credit scores is recalibrated and unrelated to the previous scores from Equifax. Due to the new information and methods used to calculate your score, comparing it to the old score is no longer appropriate or accurate. Your score history graph will therefore be progressively built with the new Equifax Score.

With the more effective use of your repayment history in the new Equifax Score, by adopting positive credit behaviours like paying loans and bills on time and minimising short term, unsecured loans, you can build up a strong credit score quicker than ever before.

08/02/2026

Did you know that approximately 80% of Australians end up on some form of government assistance in retirement?

Did you also know that ONLY 20% of Australians invest in property?

Coincidence you think? I'd say not.

You could probably afford an investment property for less than the repayments on a small car. So rather than upgrading your car as soon as it is paid off, consider building wealth for your future.

Have a look at this short article for more details - Are You Driving Your Investment Property.pdfhttps://www.mortgageaustralia.com.au/email/files/areyoudrivingyourinvestmentproperty.pdf

06/02/2026

Protect your investment - find a great property manager:

If you are a property investor you probably know about Landlord's Insurance, but there's another way to protect your investment, and make sure that you continue to get a good rental return. The trick is to find a great property manager.

There a few characteristics that will help you to tell the difference between a fabulous property manager who will care for your investment, and a nightmare property manager who will cost you a fortune.



Professional and Committed

A really good property manager is not the disgruntled young buck who was recently rejected as a junior sales agent, and now has to see his days out processing rental applications. The best property managers are people who wouldn't have it any other way. They have made a career out of managing property and they have a network of satisfied clients.



Good processes in place for screening tenants

A good property manager has excellent processes in place for making sure that potential tenants are carefully screened. They keep detailed records and they check references.



Conducts regular inspections

A good property manager can tell you how often they will be inspecting your property. They will personally inspect the property at the agreed time and report back to you with any issues. They don't send the receptionist.



Has a maintenance team ready to handle any issues

A good property manager has a team of workers on call in the event that there are emergency repairs or maintenance needed at your property. They believe that it's vital to stay on top of any small issues before they become bigger ones.



Answers your phone calls

A good property manager is approachable and it shouldn't take a week for you to get them on the phone. They care about maintaining a relationship with you because they want to keep your business.



Treats tenants with respect

A good property manager treats tenants with fairness and respect, and understands that happy tenants are more likely to keep the property in good repair, and pay the rent on time. They also know when to do something if a tenant is not keeping up their end of the bargain.



Cares about your property

Most of all, a good property manager cares about you and your property and they will ensure that your investment is protected. By maintaining good rapport with all parties, they will help you to retain good tenants to keep your rental return coming in.

05/02/2026

Is your loan protected?

As a borrower, taking out a loan of any kind can be an overwhelming and complex process.

This isn't helped by all the different financial product naming conventions and acronyms that you will undoubtedly encounter.

An area that often causes confusion is the difference between lender's mortgage insurance and mortgage protection insurance...

So, who is protecting who?

To avoid a nasty suprise, please read our single page factsheet - Loan Insurance.https://www.mortgageaustralia.com.au/email/files/lendersmortgageinsurance.pdf

03/02/2026

Did you know Mortgage Stamp Duty is no longer charged on refinanced home loans?

When our home or car insurance comes up for renewal each year, most of us (hopefully) invest the time to shop around and investigate the competition to make sure we are getting a good deal.

The average Australian with a mortgage spends 18% of their gross income on housing costs. With such a large investment, why do we not give our home loan the same regular review?

With the recent change that Mortgage Stamp Duty is no longer charged on refinancing your home, it is a lot cheaper and easier than many people think to switch loans.

For more details, read my "Change can be good" article.https://www.mortgageaustralia.com.au/email/files/changecanbegood.pdf

02/02/2026

30/01/2026

Pop Quiz - Can you identify these loans? Save time and money by knowing the difference.

The home loan market is overflowing with catch-phrases and complicated jargon. But if you only have room left in your brain for one more lesson - make sure you know the difference between the different types of loans available. This could save you time and money in the long run.

Variable Rate Loan

Variable rate loans generally have a low interest rate and allow you to select some additional features. These loans are popular with borrowers because they allow you to pay the going rate, which goes up and down depending on the official cash rate set by the Reserve Bank.

There are also 'basic variable rate' loans available, offering a lower interest rate but usually without any additional features.

Introductory Rate Loan

An introductory Rate loan gives you a discount on the standard variable rate for a set period of time. This can be a great way to ease yourself into the role of mortgage-holder, but it's important to compare the rate that the lender will charge you when the honeymoon period is over.

Fixed Rate

Fixed rate loans offer a guaranteed interest rate for a period of time - usually 1 to 5 years. This can be an excellent safeguard if you're on a tight budget and worried about interest rates rising. Keep in mind, though, the interest rate will be higher than a variable rate.

Construction Loan

Construction loans allow you to borrow in stages, depending on how much work has been done to construct your home. Rather than making repayments on the entire amount and also having to rent while you build, this loan allows you to borrow what you need to pay the builder as they reach specific milestones.

Low / No deposit loans

These loans allow you to get into the property market even if you don't have enough saved for a sizeable deposit. It's important to keep in mind that you will still need to pay some costs involved with the transaction, such as stamp duty, conveyancing costs and moving costs.

And if you haven't been able to save anything towards a deposit, try to be honest with yourself about whether you can realistically afford to pay off a mortgage right now.

Low-doc

Designed for self-employed people, low-doc loans allow you to borrow without using the same methods to prove your income. Often these loans have a higher interest rate, and generally you can't borrow more than 80% of the property value.

Credit Impaired / Non-Conforming

Non-conforming loans allow people to get back into the game even if their credit history is not great, or they don't meet lender's criteria for other reasons. These loans come with high interest rates due to the risk involved for the lender.

Line of Credit

A line of credit is like having a big overdraft on your mortgage. You can use this feature to save a lot of money on interest, because if you deposit everything into your loan you can access the funds whenever you need them, as well as any equity you have acquired.

This option is best suited to people who have good financial habits, and can avoid the temptation to go on a wild spending spree.

Equity Release

Also known as a reverse-mortgage, equity release loans allow you to borrow some of the equity in your home while you still live there.

This option is popular with retirees, but it's important to make sure that the lender wont' allow you to chew up all of the equity in your home. Ask about a 'no negative equity guarantee'.