Lena Bykova - Mortgage Adviser, Valar

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Lena Bykova - Mortgage Adviser, Valar

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Mortgage Adviser & Investor (20+ years in finance) helping you build long-term wealth via property.

31/10/2026

October 2026: update

Each month I'll post a short overview of what's happening in the market here: just the main points. The details are in the full article.

📌 The main thing this month
Rates have turned and are gradually heading up. The OCR is now 2.75%, and there's a strong chance it reaches 3% in 2027, possibly even 4%. So, in my view, mortgage rates could well reach 6%. At the same time, the market is on pause: everyone is waiting for the election on 7 November.

🏡 First home buyers
Right now the market mostly works in your favour: less competition and more choice. The run-up to Christmas can be a good time to negotiate a deal, as some sellers want to close before the holidays.

💰 If you already have a mortgage
This is exactly why I strongly recommend reviewing it now for a refix or refinance.

📈 Investors
Of course, it makes sense to wait, see what happens at the election, and then decide.

❓ If you have questions, just ask me. You can ask right here in the comments, and I'll answer general questions.

Article:

The OCR held at 2.75% and rates barely moved. The market is waiting on the 7 November election.

29/10/2026

🎃👻 Mortgage nightmares come in all shapes and sizes!

🧛 30-year commitments
🧟 Interest rates that just won’t stay down
🧙‍♀️ Saving for that deposit
💀 Your Uber Eats history coming back to haunt you...

But hey, they’re not as scary as they look! 👀

What’s the scariest part of your home-buying journey? 🏚😱

Tell me in the comments! 👇

🎃 And don’t forget to check my bio for free guides, calculators and tools to make your mortgage journey a little less spooky.

28/10/2026

Election season, and the OCR is still sitting at 2.75% 👀 Lots of noise out there, so let’s cut to the question: where do rates go next?

Most big banks say we’re not done 📈 Westpac, ASB and BNZ all expect the OCR to keep climbing into 2027. ANZ is the outlier and sees it flattening out at 3%.

Translation: the rates you see today might not look this good next year.

If you have a mortgage, now could be a good moment to look at fixing it 🔒 If you’re planning to buy 🏡, run your numbers at a higher rate before you commit. Easy to do, and way less stressful than finding out later 🙌

General information, not personalised financial advice.

25/10/2026

https://valar.co.nz/insights/articles/nz-election-2026-party-policies

What the main NZ parties propose on income tax, CGT, wealth taxes and KiwiSaver, and what it could mean for households, first home buyers and investors.

24/10/2026

🇳🇿 NZ election is coming up, and there’s a lot of information out there. It’s easy to get lost 😵‍💫

We only looked at one thing: how the parties could affect your money 💸

Tax, KiwiSaver, housing and property. Health, education and the environment are a separate conversation, but worth keeping in mind too 🌿

Have you asked yourself:
🧾 What new taxes could I pay?
🏠 How does this affect my household?
💰 How will my KiwiSaver change?

We answered these on the slides and in more detail in our article. Swipe through, then find the link in bio 👉

20/10/2026

https://valar.co.nz/insights/articles/first-home-buying-steps-nz

From knowing your why to getting the keys: the ten steps of a first home purchase on one map, and the point after which walking away gets very expensive.

18/10/2026

Buying your first home in New Zealand can feel like a maze of terms, deadlines and numbers nobody explains properly.

So I put the whole journey on one map. 🗺

Swipe through the 10 steps, save this post, and bring it with you to your next open home. 🏡

If you want the detailed version with the numbers and checklists, it’s in the link in bio. 📖

I’d love to hear where you are in the process. Which step feels the most confusing right now? Tell me in the comments. 💬

Lena

ValarFinancialAdvisors

09/10/2026

How much can the bank lend me? 🏡 This is the wrong question.

Start with what you can comfortably afford, then work out what that borrows.

✅ 30 to 40% of your income on your mortgage: manageable
❓ But have you tested what happens if rates go up?

📈 Can your household still pay it at 50%, 60%, or 70% of your income? At what percentage would it start to hurt?

💡 Instead of the maximum the bank can lend you, focus on the amount that is manageable for your household, and that you can pay well.

👉 Comment “affordable” and I’ll send you the calculator and the guide: 10 ways to pay your mortgage faster.

🔗 Or run your own numbers in the Valar calculator (link in bio).

31/08/2026

🏡 Not sure what matters when choosing your first home?
Start with the right questions.

📘 Free First Home Buyer Guide + Coaching Workbook

👇 Check the link in the comments.

28/08/2026

After watching Elon Musk’s latest interview about a future of abundance where money may no longer be necessary, I started thinking about what our potential universal-income, post-information world could actually look like.
And what assets would still matter?

That took me into the economics of scarcity and scarce assets, and eventually I realised that buying a lifestyle property not too far from Auckland may actually have been quite a good investment decision, even though it was mostly intuitive at the time.
What do you think about this potential post-AI world? Especially those of us who sit in offices, scroll FB & LinkedIn and basically work with information every day. Any predictions?

Let’s talk about it.

AI could make almost everything cheap. It still can't make more land, energy, raw materials or hours in a day — and that changes where the next decade of savings should go.

Address

28 Constellation Drive
Auckland
0632

Telephone

+642108635695

Website

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenabykova/details/education/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenabykova/details/education/, ht

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