Personalised Mortgages - Jash Chandra

15/06/2026

Spring gets all the headlines - '𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻!'

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂: they're competing with everyone else who waited for spring.

In winter, there are fewer buyers in the market. Sellers who have their property listed in June and July tend to be motivated - they're not testing the market, they want to sell.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁-𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻:
→ Less competition at open homes and auctions
→ More time to do due diligence without pressure
→ Sellers more open to negotiation

If you're financially ready but waiting for the '𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻' - winter might actually be it.

General advice only - speak to an advisor about your situation.

10/06/2026

From 1 April 2026, default 𝗞𝗶𝘄𝗶𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 went up from 3% to 3.5% for both employees and employers.

It's a small change, but over a few years it adds up - especially if you're a first-home buyer using KiwiSaver as part of your deposit strategy.

𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝘄𝗶𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁-𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀: if you've been a member for 3 or more years, you can withdraw most of your balance to put towards buying your first home. That's not a grant - it's your own money - but for many buyers it represents tens of thousands of dollars that wouldn't otherwise be accessible at settlement.

If you're not sure how much you could pull out, check your provider's app, then 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿 to see how it fits into your deposit picture.

General advice only - speak to an advisor about your situation.

08/06/2026

Most people assume you need to save 20% before a bank will even talk to you. That's not the full picture.

The 𝗞ā𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮 𝗢𝗿𝗮 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗮𝗻 lets eligible first-home buyers purchase with just a 5% deposit. Kāinga Ora backs the difference - so you don't pay lenders mortgage insurance on top.

The loan is available through a panel of participating banks including Kiwibank, Westpac, ANZ and ASB.

If you've been waiting until you hit 20%, it's worth having a conversation with an advisor first. You might be closer to buying than you realise.

General advice only - speak to an advisor about your situation.

03/06/2026

𝗙𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻? Don't wait for it to roll. That's how people end up on a much higher floating rate by accident.

Most fixed loans default to the bank's floating rate at the end of the term. The average floating rate in NZ is currently between 5.,5 & 6% - meaningfully higher than current 1- and 2-year fixed rates (c4.59% in May 2026).

𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄:

• Long enough to compare lenders properly
• Long enough to switch if it makes sense
• Short enough that today's pricing is still relevant

Save this. DM us if your 𝗳𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 ends in the next 6 months - we'll do a quick comparison.

01/06/2026

𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 15-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗺𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲-𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸-𝗶𝗻. No pitch, no obligation, no jargon.

𝗪𝗲'𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝘁:
• Your current rate vs what's available now (especially if you fixed in 2024)
• Whether your structure (split, term, fixed/floating mix) still fits where you're at
• Anything quick to action if you're saving for a first home or thinking about an investment property

𝗜𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗻, 𝘄𝗲'𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂. If your loan's already well-placed, we'll tell you that too - and you can get on with your week.

Slots open through May and June. DM us or call 09 838 9994

27/05/2026

𝗗𝗧𝗜 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗻𝗼𝘄.
RBNZ's DTI restrictions:
• 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿-𝗼𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀 - banks limited to 20% of new lending where DTI > 6
• 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 - banks limited to 20% of new lending where DTI > 7
𝗗𝗧𝗜 = your total debt divided by your total gross income. For an investor, total debt usually includes existing mortgages, including investment loans. That's why investor DTIs run higher than owner-occupier ones.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲:
• If you sit under DTI 7, banks have no DTI-driven reason to decline your application
• If you'd sit above DTI 7 on a planned purchase, you'd be competing for a slice of each bank's 20% high-DTI quota — different banks have different appetites at different times in the quarter
• An advisor can be useful here precisely because we see the pattern of which lenders have room
DM us if you'd like to know roughly where you sit before you start the next purchase conversation. General information only - speak to your accountant about tax.

25/05/2026

25/05/2026

𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝘀 / 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝘀 scare a lot of people. Sometimes for the wrong reason.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗹𝘆:
• Your remaining loan balance
• The change in wholesale (swap) rates since you fixed
• Time left on the fixed term
• Plus any admin fee

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳𝗳:
• You fixed in 2024 at 6%+ and current rates for your term are sub-5%
• You have meaningful loan balance and meaningful term remaining
• Your bank's break fee could be is smaller than the interest difference over the same period

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁:
• Most of your fixed term has already run
• Wholesale rates haven't shifted much since you fixed
• You're refinancing for a feature, not a rate, and current pricing is similar

We can assist in running the numbers for you. DM us if you'd like that done.

20/05/2026

An honest look at what a Wednesday at PML actually looks like.

DM us if today's a good day to start one.

18/05/2026

𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁-𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 2 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 - 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱.

For property sold on or after 1 July 2024, the bright-line period is 2 years (down from 5 and 10 years in earlier rules).

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵:

• The clock starts the day the title transfers to you (usually settlement)
• If you sell within 2 years of that date, the gain is generally taxable at your income tax rate
• Sell after 2 years and the bright-line test usually doesn't apply
• Main-home, business premises and farmland exclusions still apply, with conditions

The 2-year window opens up shorter-hold strategies that weren't workable at 5 or 10 years - but it doesn't make every short hold smart. Tax is just one of the inputs alongside transaction costs, rates direction, and your wider portfolio plan.

𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 - 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.