The Money Guys

The Money Guys Solution-Based Finance Specialists.

With over 20 years of finance industry experience, we help clients navigate challenging lending scenarios with tailored finance solutions.

📍 Sydney Based | Australia Wide

💬 Message Us Today

WHAT IS A FIXED RATE HOME LOAN? 🔒Your interest rate — and your repayments — stay exactly the same for a set period, usua...
02/09/2026

WHAT IS A FIXED RATE HOME LOAN? 🔒

Your interest rate — and your repayments — stay exactly the same for a set period, usually 1 to 5 years.

✅ Good: predictable repayments, protected if rates go up during that time

⚠️ Watch out: you miss out if rates drop, extra repayments are often limited, and leaving early can mean paying "break costs"

ℹ️ Not sure if fixed suits you better than variable? Let's talk it through.

KEY DATES TO WATCH THIS SEPTEMBER 📅Three important releases could shape what happens with rates and the housing market t...
01/09/2026

KEY DATES TO WATCH THIS SEPTEMBER 📅

Three important releases could shape what happens with rates and the housing market this month.

📌 24 September — Jobs data (August): tells us if unemployment keeps climbing or steadies

📌 28-29 September — RBA meeting: decision announced 2:30pm on the 29th, followed by the Governor's press conference

📌 30 September — Monthly inflation data (August): the last major inflation read before the RBA's November meeting

With inflation easing but jobs data softening at the same time, this month's numbers could go either way for what the RBA decides next.

SPRING SELLING SEASON IS HERE — AND MELBOURNE AND SYDNEY ARE PLAYING BY DIFFERENT RULES 🏙️As listings pick up heading in...
31/08/2026

SPRING SELLING SEASON IS HERE — AND MELBOURNE AND SYDNEY ARE PLAYING BY DIFFERENT RULES 🏙️

As listings pick up heading into spring, a real split is showing between the two biggest markets.

📌 Melbourne has been the strongest performer all winter — clearance rates haven't dropped below 49.6%, and rose four Saturdays in a row to 56.8% in early August

📌 In Melbourne, most sales still happen the old-fashioned way — under the hammer on auction day

📌 Sydney tells a different story: almost half of all Sydney auction sales (48.5%) over the past 7 weeks were actually agreed before auction day

There's also a real gap in how many properties don't even make it to auction day at all: 🧐

📌 Melbourne's withdrawal rate has been comparatively low — around 15.7% of scheduled auctions pulled from the market in recent weeks

📌 Sydney's withdrawal rate has consistently run higher, contributing to a noticeably quieter, more uncertain feel in the market

📌 Nationally, withdrawal rates were as high as 21-24% back in June, at the depths of the winter slowdown — easing somewhat since, but still a meaningful chunk of listings never reaching the auction block

A withdrawn auction usually means one thing: a vendor deciding not to test the market rather than risk a result below their reserve.

If a growing share of "auctions" are either withdrawn beforehand or settled before auction day, is the traditional Saturday auction still doing the job it's meant to?

*Source: FGO Finance Group, Real Estate Business, Property Update, IFG, and Cotality

ℹ️ General info only, not financial advice.

THE JOB MARKET JUST GOT SOFTER — AND THAT'S ACTUALLY GOOD NEWS FOR YOUR MORTGAGE 💼📉New labour data adds to the picture f...
30/08/2026

THE JOB MARKET JUST GOT SOFTER — AND THAT'S ACTUALLY GOOD NEWS FOR YOUR MORTGAGE 💼📉

New labour data adds to the picture from this week's inflation numbers.

📌 Unemployment rose to 4.5%, up from 4.4%

📌 The economy actually lost 15,800 jobs — well below what was expected (a gain of 12,000 was forecast)

📌 Private sector wages grew just 0.7% for the quarter — the slowest pace since 2021

📌 Most of the job losses were in male employment, down 11,000

Why this matters for rates: 🧐

📌 A softer jobs market and slower wage growth both reduce the RBA's worry about inflation being driven by spending power

📌 One economist said this data "does not tell the RBA anything new" — it mostly confirms the cooling trend already expected

📌 Forecasts suggest unemployment will likely hover around 4.5% for the rest of the year

So a weaker jobs market sounds like bad news generally — but for anyone hoping rates stay put or eventually fall, is this actually the outcome you want?

*Source: AAP (via Yahoo Finance Australia), MacroBusiness, Forbes Australia, CommBank Newsroom.

ℹ️ General info only, not financial advice.

INFLATION EASED TO 3.5% — BUT THE DETAILS TELL A TRICKIER STORY 📊🤔The ABS released July's inflation numbers today, and t...
26/08/2026

INFLATION EASED TO 3.5% — BUT THE DETAILS TELL A TRICKIER STORY 📊🤔

The ABS released July's inflation numbers today, and the headline looks good at first glance.

📌 Annual inflation eased to 3.5%, down from 3.8% in June

📌 That's the softest annual read since November 2025

But look a little closer: 🧐

📌 Prices actually rose faster than expected in July itself — up 1.0% for the month, beating forecasts of 0.8%

📌 The "core" inflation number the RBA watches closely jumped 0.5% in just that one month — the biggest monthly rise in a year, well above the 0.3% expected

📌 Petrol prices jumped 7.5% in July alone, after three months of falling — partly due to rising oil prices, and partly because fuel excise relief started winding back

So — does a lower annual number mean things are actually improving, or is the sharp monthly jump the bit that matters more for what the RBA does next?

*Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics

ℹ️ General info only, not financial advice.

THE GOVERNMENT PROMISED 1.2 MILLION NEW HOMES. BUILDERS SAY THE MATH DOESN’T WORK 🏗️😓A genuinely striking on-the-ground ...
24/08/2026

THE GOVERNMENT PROMISED 1.2 MILLION NEW HOMES. BUILDERS SAY THE MATH DOESN’T WORK 🏗️😓

A genuinely striking on-the-ground story about why new housing supply keeps falling short.

📌 Almost 70% of apartments approved since 2020 haven’t even started construction — worst in the Gold Coast at 83%, Sydney at 64%, Melbourne at 62%

📌 New dwelling commencements fell 11.2% in the first quarter of 2026 alone

📌 Apartment construction specifically dropped 20.7% for the quarter

📌 A new apartment now takes 33 months to build, up from 21 months a decade ago

Why builders are stuck: 🧐

📌 One Brisbane builder said he’s had to pour concrete at night under head torches just to find enough workers — with Olympic-related construction adding even more pressure on an already stretched workforce

RBA Governor Michele Bullock summed up the core problem directly: if established home prices are falling while construction costs keep rising, it stops making financial sense to build new ones at all.

If it’s not profitable to build, is a housing supply target really achievable — no matter how many homes get “approved” on paper?

*Source: Reuters, Karmactive (citing the RBA’s August 2026 Statement of Monetary Policy and Governor Bullock’s 11 August press conference)

THE BIG FOUR JUST CONFIRMED IT THEMSELVES: LOAN APPLICATIONS HAVE DROPPED HARD 📉Straight from the banks' own results, no...
23/08/2026

THE BIG FOUR JUST CONFIRMED IT THEMSELVES: LOAN APPLICATIONS HAVE DROPPED HARD 📉

Straight from the banks' own results, not outside commentary.

📌 Westpac: 20% drop in mortgage applications since the May budget

📌 CommBank: 15% drop

📌 NAB: 15% drop in the June quarter vs the March quarter

📌 ANZ: 12% drop in application value

All four banks are pointing to the same cause: the negative gearing and capital gains tax changes announced on Budget night.

One bank's take: this should start turning around from the second half of 2027, once rate cuts kick in.

When all four major banks confirm the same drop themselves, is there really any doubt about what's driving the slowdown?

*Source: Official quarterly trading updates from Westpac, CBA, NAB, and ANZ, via AAP, Mortgage Professional Australia.

ℹ️ General info only, not financial advice.

DID YOU KNOW SMSF HOME LOANS HAVE STOPPED — BUT REFINANCING HASN’T? 🏦Since 10 August, SMSFs can no longer take out new l...
22/08/2026

DID YOU KNOW SMSF HOME LOANS HAVE STOPPED — BUT REFINANCING HASN’T? 🏦

Since 10 August, SMSFs can no longer take out new loans to buy residential property.

But if you already had one? Nothing changes — your loan is protected, and you can still refinance it whenever you need to, essentially for a better interest rate.

*Source: MFAA, SMSF Adviser, Australian Broker

ℹ️ Got an existing SMSF loan and thinking about refinancing? Get in touch.

"SHOULD I BUY FIRST OR SELL FIRST?" 🤔🏠One of the most common questions in property — and there's no single right answer....
21/08/2026

"SHOULD I BUY FIRST OR SELL FIRST?" 🤔🏠

One of the most common questions in property — and there's no single right answer.

**If you buy first:**
📌 You've secured your next place, no pressure to find temporary housing
📌 Works well if you have strong equity and low existing debt
📌 Risk: you may end up carrying two mortgages for a while, and need enough equity for a bridging loan

**If you sell first:**
📌 You know exactly what you can afford — no guesswork
📌 Often the safer option if you still have a large mortgage
📌 Trade-off: you might need to rent in between while you find the next place

What the experts say matters most: 🧐

📌 Buying and selling into the *same* market conditions makes the whole process smoother, whichever order you choose

📌 If you're downsizing into a softer market than the one you're selling in, selling first can work in your favour

📌 Investors face a different calculus entirely — it's rarely about "needing somewhere to live," so the pressure is lower

One buyer's agent made a good point: reducing pressure matters most. Rushed decisions under pressure are where people tend to make expensive compromises.

So — is your situation more about financial flexibility, or about avoiding the stress of being in limbo?

*Source: realestate.com.au (Lisa Calautti), citing Angus Raine (Raine & Horne), Mathew Tiller (LJ Ho**er), and Leesa Hackett (Universal Buyers Agents)

ℹ️ General info only, not financial advice.

DID YOU KNOW YOUR HOLIDAY HOME TAX DEDUCTIONS JUST GOT HARDER TO CLAIM? 🏖️📋A real change for anyone who owns a holiday h...
21/08/2026

DID YOU KNOW YOUR HOLIDAY HOME TAX DEDUCTIONS JUST GOT HARDER TO CLAIM? 🏖️📋

A real change for anyone who owns a holiday house or beach shack.

📌 From 1 July 2026, the ATO introduced a new “main purpose” test for holiday homes

📌 If your property is mainly available to earn rental income, normal deduction rules still apply

📌 If it’s mainly used for you, your family, or friends — and blocked out during peak periods like Christmas, Easter, or school holidays — it’s now treated as a “leisure facility,” and most deductions are denied

The key thing the ATO is watching: is your property genuinely available for rent during high-demand periods, not just the quiet times?

There’s a bit of breathing room — expenses before 1 July 2026 won’t be reviewed, as long as your arrangement existed before 12 November 2025. From here on, expect more scrutiny.

*Source: Walsh Accountants, BDJ, Collins Hume

ℹ️ General info only, not tax advice. Speak with your accountant about your specific property.

Address

Liverpool, NSW
2170

Telephone

+61473778899

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Money Guys posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to The Money Guys:

Shortcuts

Share

Category