Invest
Bank reveals top reasons investors dodge mortgage applications
One bank has found that prospective home buyers would prefer to endure a trip to the dentist or an awkward family dinner than deal with the administration of applying for a home loan.
Bank reveals top reasons investors dodge mortgage applications
One bank has found that prospective home buyers would prefer to endure a trip to the dentist or an awkward family dinner than deal with the administration of applying for a home loan.

Conducted by St. George Bank, the 2018 St. George Home Buying Survey determined that, rather apply for a home loan, investors would rather sit in peak hour traffic (17 per cent of respondents), endure a 14-hour flight without entertainment (17 per cent), visit the dentist (20 per cent) and have dinner with their in-laws (22 per cent).
Additionally, 47 per cent of investors said they put off a home loan application because it is too hard. This is just below the result for all respondents, which was at 48 per cent.
Difficulties faced with home loan applications include there being too much red tape or paperwork at 28 per cent, not knowing where they actually stand at 23 per cent and how long the process is at 23 per cent.
These difficulties were all above the results for all respondents, which were at 25 per cent for too much red tape or paperwork, 20 per cent for not knowing where they stand and 20 per cent for a long process.

In order to change the home loan application process to an acceptable standard, 38 per cent of respondents said they would prefer to have less paperwork.
In second place was a desire for more transparency around pricing and interest rates at 36 per cent, then more information about their borrowing capacity at 31 per cent, and a quicker approval time at 30 per cent.
These figures were below the results for all home owners, with transparency coming in at 40 per cent, less paperwork at 38 per cent, and quicker approval times at 35 per cent.

Property
First‑home buyers now anchor Australia’s mortgage growth — but the risk maths is changing
Great Southern Bank’s revelation that nearly one in three of its new mortgages went to first‑home buyers is not an outlier. It is the leading edge of a broader market realignment powered by government ...Read more

Property
Home guarantee scheme shake-up challenges Australia’s housing market players
From 1 October 2025, the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS) materially widens what first-home buyers can purchase and where. By sharply lifting price caps and relaxing eligibility settings, the ...Read more

Property
GSB’s first‑home buyer play: turning policy tailwinds into market share
Great Southern Bank’s latest results show that nearly one in three of its new mortgages now go to first‑home buyers—evidence of a fast‑moving market reshaped by government guarantees, easing rates and ...Read more

Property
Why investors are fleeing and renters are scrambling in Australia's housing maze
Australia’s rental market is tightening even as individual landlords sell down. New data points to a multi‑year investor retreat tied to higher holding costs and regulatory uncertainty, while prices ...Read more

Property
Australia's 5% deposit guarantee: Unlocking gains while balancing risks in the market share race
Can a bigger government guarantee fix housing access without fuelling prices? Australia is about to find out. The Albanese government’s expanded 5% deposit pathway aims to help 70,000 buyers, remove ...Read more

Property
Australia's bold move the 5% deposit scheme shaking up the housing market
Can a government guarantee replace lenders mortgage insurance without inflating prices or risk? Canberra’s accelerated 5% deposit scheme is a bold demand-side nudge in a supply‑constrained marketRead more

Property
When rates drop but stress sticks: exploring Australia's mortgage arrears dilemma
Headline numbers suggest arrears ease as rates come down. The reality in Australia is messier: broad measures dipped into mid‑2025, yet severe delinquencies and non‑bank portfolios remain under ...Read more

Property
Property advice goes rogue as risks and opportunities knock on every door
A warning from the Property Investors Council of Australia has put a spotlight on the surge of unlicensed financial advice around property strategies. This is no niche compliance issue—it’s a ...Read more

Property
First‑home buyers now anchor Australia’s mortgage growth — but the risk maths is changing
Great Southern Bank’s revelation that nearly one in three of its new mortgages went to first‑home buyers is not an outlier. It is the leading edge of a broader market realignment powered by government ...Read more

Property
Home guarantee scheme shake-up challenges Australia’s housing market players
From 1 October 2025, the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS) materially widens what first-home buyers can purchase and where. By sharply lifting price caps and relaxing eligibility settings, the ...Read more

Property
GSB’s first‑home buyer play: turning policy tailwinds into market share
Great Southern Bank’s latest results show that nearly one in three of its new mortgages now go to first‑home buyers—evidence of a fast‑moving market reshaped by government guarantees, easing rates and ...Read more

Property
Why investors are fleeing and renters are scrambling in Australia's housing maze
Australia’s rental market is tightening even as individual landlords sell down. New data points to a multi‑year investor retreat tied to higher holding costs and regulatory uncertainty, while prices ...Read more

Property
Australia's 5% deposit guarantee: Unlocking gains while balancing risks in the market share race
Can a bigger government guarantee fix housing access without fuelling prices? Australia is about to find out. The Albanese government’s expanded 5% deposit pathway aims to help 70,000 buyers, remove ...Read more

Property
Australia's bold move the 5% deposit scheme shaking up the housing market
Can a government guarantee replace lenders mortgage insurance without inflating prices or risk? Canberra’s accelerated 5% deposit scheme is a bold demand-side nudge in a supply‑constrained marketRead more

Property
When rates drop but stress sticks: exploring Australia's mortgage arrears dilemma
Headline numbers suggest arrears ease as rates come down. The reality in Australia is messier: broad measures dipped into mid‑2025, yet severe delinquencies and non‑bank portfolios remain under ...Read more

Property
Property advice goes rogue as risks and opportunities knock on every door
A warning from the Property Investors Council of Australia has put a spotlight on the surge of unlicensed financial advice around property strategies. This is no niche compliance issue—it’s a ...Read more