Author: ourlegup.com

  • Unlock the equity in your home and become the favorite parent with Our Leg Up!

    Unlock the equity in your home and become the favorite parent with Our Leg Up!

    Empowering parents Empowering parents in the journey towards equitable financial support for their children’s aspirations of homeownership is a transformative concept. Because can the average person still afford a home? Our Leg Up introduces an innovative framework that allows parents to harness the equity in their homes as a financial springboard. And so this ensures…

  • Are you being squeezed by rising costs?

    Are you being squeezed by rising costs?

    An increasing number of people are looking to supplement their income to meet the rising cost of living. More and more the pressure is making Australians reach out to loans, even those in retirement. Loans to retirees are offered as a viable way to relieve the pressure. Unfortunately, these loans are often at much higher…

  • Not sure if you want to downsize?

    Not sure if you want to downsize?

    The government encourages retirees to downsize by allowing you to sell your home and place the proceeds into your superannuation account. These are aptly named “Downsizing contributions into superannuation”. Now, they will charge you 30% on any investment earnings once your super balance eclipses the threshold. Many Australian homes are very valuable, sufficient to tip…

  • Is your fixed interest rate about to expire? Don’t get caught out by potential rate hikes

    Is your fixed interest rate about to expire? Don’t get caught out by potential rate hikes

    The RBA has increased interest rates by 350 basis points (3.5%) despite its own minutes in February 2021 stating, “Members affirmed that the cash rate would be maintained at 10 basis points… will not increase the cash rate… The Board does not expect these conditions to be met until 2024 at the earliest.”. Many households…

  • Stop Getting Cooked by Unfair Home Loan Deals – Get the Best Rate with Our Leg Up Today!

    Stop Getting Cooked by Unfair Home Loan Deals – Get the Best Rate with Our Leg Up Today!

    Are you being cooked by your interest rate increasing faster than it should? Many banks sign new homeowners at competitive interest rates. They ‘lock in a discount for the life of the loan’ making it seem like you always have access to the best possible rate. Do you really? Slowly but surely, the standard variable…

  • Reduce Mortgage Stress with Our Leg Up – Get a Better Deal on Your Home Loan Repayments Today

    Reduce Mortgage Stress with Our Leg Up – Get a Better Deal on Your Home Loan Repayments Today

    Are your homeloan repayments rising as a share of your income? This is commonly referred to as mortgage stress. It is the biggest worry for many Australian households. Getting a better deal to lower your repayments is a way to stretch the budget further. There are a range of measures being used by banks to…

  • Why finding a house to rent is becoming increasingly difficult in Australia despite record building activity

    Why finding a house to rent is becoming increasingly difficult in Australia despite record building activity

    There is a huge amount of building activity going on right now. ’Work done’ estimated by the ABS is near record levels. How come I still can’t find a house to rent? The ABS National Accounts for the growth in dwelling stock (excluding changes in prices), shows there is no housing boom. In fact in…

  • Your low-risk mortgage is keeping banks stable, so why not get rewarded?

    Your low-risk mortgage is keeping banks stable, so why not get rewarded?

    You have been building savings buffers in your home loan. You are making it safer so shouldn’t you get a better deal? According to the RBA, you are keeping the banks stable. Don’t you deserve a reward? Banks publicly say how low risk most of their home loans are. The RBA goes further to say…

  • Take control of your future and secure your own home with Our Leg Up

    Take control of your future and secure your own home with Our Leg Up

    Jim Chalmers latest suggestion is for super funds to respond to systemic risks around affordable housing. “If we fail to act… we will face the prospect of an economy that won’t sustain the growth that we need, and this will all be to the detriment of a good, dignified retirement for as many Australians as…

  • More investment = Higher living standards

    More investment = Higher living standards

    34 cliches can’t all be wrong! Reap what you sow, chickens come home to roost, get out what one puts in, … Put simply, we need to continue to invest if we want to keep lifting our living standards. Total investment across the economy is well below the peak of the mining boom. The same…

  • Will super funds investing in rental housing work?

    Will super funds investing in rental housing work?

    The government is looking for ways to utilise this pool of savings for greater social benefit. Super funds love regulated returns but they have to be high enough to make sense. Housing assets have a high level of costs (fees paid by members). Management of the assets must be conducted by the funds themselves, they…

  • Are corporate rentals the answer to the rental crisis?

    Are corporate rentals the answer to the rental crisis?

    Company or investment vehicles which own multi-unit buildings are being touted as the next housing solution. They offer a secure tenancy for prospective tenants to remove the fear of being evicted out of signing a lease. This is a great option for those tenants who have suffered this fate, sometimes more than once. Companies also…

  • Is saving for a home more difficult now? It seems that way

    Is saving for a home more difficult now? It seems that way

    Many young Australians choose to spend more years in education which delays the time before they can get their first job and buy their first home. Education debt is something we don’t think about until there is an unexpected hole in our pay. To our surprise, the government keeps up to 10% of every dollar…

  • Breaking the cycle of rental insecurity: Take a leg up towards your own home with our help

    Breaking the cycle of rental insecurity: Take a leg up towards your own home with our help

    Australians are facing a new paradigm. Australians are better educated, earn more and have more flexible employment options than ever before. Despite this, getting and then keeping a secure rental is getting harder. Tenancy laws have been changed in many states in an attempt to provide renters with security. Sadly, tenants dread receiving a letter…

  • Navigating the Rental Crisis: How Our Leg Up Can Help You Save for a Deposit and Achieve Home Ownership

    Navigating the Rental Crisis: How Our Leg Up Can Help You Save for a Deposit and Achieve Home Ownership

    Rents in cities are beginning to lift at an alarming rate. The CoreLogic estimate increase in median rents for houses is 13.5% across the 5 major capital cities in the year to December 2022. Growth in the price of unit rents is even higher, 15% across the 5 major capital cities over the year. Will…

  • Explore the country you love without sacrificing your home or retirement savings

    Explore the country you love without sacrificing your home or retirement savings

    We all deserve a reward for our hard work. Now more than ever we don’t want to put off that important trip we have been planning. What if you could take that year long trip around Australia?  According to Tourism Research Australia, Australians took 13.9 million trips exploring our great country in the year before…

  • Working after you are 67 should be a choice not a requirement

    Working after you are 67 should be a choice not a requirement

    Many Australians struggle to leave the workforce. For some, they are keen to keep connections with the work they love or the colleagues they enjoy mentoring. This should be on your terms, not the banks. For many, the fear of an insufficient retirement nest-egg is a daily reality. Do I really have enough superannuation to…

  • So, you want a comfortable retirement?

    So, you want a comfortable retirement?

    The gap between a ‘comfortable retirement’ and a ‘modest retirement’ for a couple is estimated to be $23,475, measured in June 2022, according to moneysmart.gov.au and the ASFA Retirement Standard . An annuity to provide this income would cost approximately $512,000 for a female starting at age 65. What if you don’t have the cash to invest?…

  • Is your home in need of TLC?

    Is your home in need of TLC?

    Is your home in need of TLC? Need help to pay for renovations? Even the best house needs maintenance as it ages. Australians tend to put off maintenance until that annoying leak becomes a waterfall. Cost of renovations is a major problem. According to the Housing Industry Association ‘Kitchens and Bathrooms Report’, the average Australian…

  • Will shared Equity get me Into a House Faster?

    Will shared Equity get me Into a House Faster?

    Using a shared equity schemes come with a catch. There are many different forms but most allow you to gain access to a home faster. It is not your home. Depending on the scheme, when you buy them out, they can take up to 75% of the increase of your home’s value. Watch out for…

  • Want to halve your chance of living in poverty?

    Want to halve your chance of living in poverty?

    Is the pension enough to live on? Do I have enough super? What if I get sick or suffer an accident? These are all the common questions people ask themselves.  The most important question is often overlooked. Being a renter doubles your chances of living in poverty. According to ACOSS (Australian not for profit experts…

  • Now You Can Turn Your Home into Extra Income

    Now You Can Turn Your Home into Extra Income

    Our Leg Up was created to solve two huge problems in the property market:1. To help people with a low deposit home loan (e.g., 5%) get their first home sooner;2. To help you make money while you sleep using the part of your home you own. This document is to explain how you can get…

  • Not owning a home is the #1 driver of wealth inequality in Australia

    Not owning a home is the #1 driver of wealth inequality in Australia

    Unlocking Australia’s hidden source of investment capital. Saving a deposit is the largest barrier to homeownership, and the number one driver of wealth inequality. Aspiring homeowners with a deposit under 20% must pay lender’s mortgage insurance and a higher interest rate. Our Leg Up creates an attractive alternative. Borrowers pay less fees and secure lower…