Provident Home Page 

As home prices climb higher, first home buyers can feel like the goal posts are continually shifting further out of reach. But there is a way to potentially cut years off the time taken to buy a home. Saving a first home deposit has never been easy – especially in the last decade or two. And as property prices continue to head north, first home buyers can be left wondering if they’ll ever be able to save a 20% deposit. But don’t give up on your dream of home ownership just ye

Sure, saving a deposit is important, but your income can hold the real key to getting into the market. That’s because it shapes your borrowing power. It stands to reason that lenders will look closely at your personal income when you apply for a home loan. It’s not just about you being able to comfortably handle loan repayments. Lenders also have a legal responsibility to be sure you’re not taking on too much debt . The challenge for home buyers is that it can be unclear what

Growing numbers of younger Australians are opting for regional living, and part of the lure of a ‘seachange’ or ‘treechange’ can be the chance to get more bang for your buck. As property values climb higher, the median home price across our combined capitals has just pushed past the $1 million mark . That’s seeing a rethink among plenty of Aussies, who are swapping city skylines for regional horizons. Relocations from capitals to regions are outpacing moves in the opposite di

Myth busted! Baby Boomers no longer own the bulk of housing wealth in Australia. We reveal who does, and how you could get started in the property market. As many Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) start to enjoy their retirements, they are passing the baton of property ownership over to the next generation. A new report by KPMG reveals that Gen X (born 1965-1980) now holds more property-based wealth than any other generation. Not to be outdone, Millennials (1981

Bad news for mortgage holders around the country: the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) today raised the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.85%. Today we’ll look at why it did so, and how this rate hike could impact your monthly mortgage repayments. Well, those three rate cuts in 2025 were nice while they lasted! But recent ABS inflation data (3.8% in the year to December 2025) has the RBA concerned enough to start 2026 with a rate rise in an attempt to beat inflation back dow

A renovation boom may loom, with plenty of home owners choosing to renovate rather than relocate this year. So if you have plans for home improvements, it’s worth knowing how to fund your project. Australians love tackling home renovations! Home owners collectively spend over $1 billion each month improving their place. And along with a more comfortable home, plus the potential to add value, well-planned renovations can also be a money-saver. They don’t incur big, non-value

Owning an investment property isn’t limited to the uber-rich. In fact, investors are usually people you interact with daily. Today, we’ll reveal which occupations are the nation’s most prolific property investors, and how you could potentially join them. Owning a home has traditionally been the great Australian dream, but aspirations to own an investment property may not be far behind. One-in-four households plan to invest in real estate over the next year, according to Agil

What a way to start the new year! After a strong 12 months in the property market, plenty of homeowners around the nation are now a whole lot wealthier. And their newfound increase in home equity has opened up some exciting possibilities for 2026. Your home isn’t just a place to live in, it could also be a cornerstone of personal wealth. 2025 proved this in spades. At a time when holiday spending means many of us may not be feeling particularly wealthy, a rise in your home’s

There’s nothing quite like a New Year’s resolution to fire you up for another lap around the sun. Whether you’re looking to buy your first home, save on your mortgage, or leverage the equity in your current position, here are three resolutions to consider for 2026. So long, 2025 … You know what? We’ve got to admit, you weren’t too bad after all. Three RBA rate cuts, a bunch of first-home buyer schemes unveiled, and national property prices increasing by 8.7% all bode well fo

As the Christmas and New Year’s festive season rolls around, we want to take a moment to sincerely thank you for your trust and support throughout 2025. Fortunately, we had a bit more to smile about this year, with three RBA rate cuts and national property prices increasing by 8.7% . That said, 2025 wasn’t without its hardships, with many families around the country still facing cost-of-living pressures and inflation starting to creep back up again (which inevitably brings wi

Not so long ago plenty of economists were tipping a fresh round of rate cuts in 2026. But the picture’s not so clear anymore. There’s even talk of possible rate hikes next year. Here’s how you can prepare. Talk about interest rates being unpredictable! We started 2025 with the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA’s) cash rate sitting at 4.35%. February saw the first rate cut in five years . After two further rate cuts, the cash rate is down to 3.60% . And thanks to the RBA keepin

Imagine being able to buy your own home with just a $12,000 deposit. That’s what the federal government’s new Help to Buy shared equity scheme can offer. But there are some pros and cons to be aware of. Let’s take a look. Think back to 2022. That’s when the Labor government first proposed a new Help to Buy scheme. It sparked plenty of interest back then. But three years is a long time to wait for anything, and chances are plenty of would-be home buyers have now forgotten abou

2025 has been a big year for property investors. But the rapid growth of investment lending has fuelled speculation about a possible crackdown on loans to property investors. We explain what’s happening, and why it might be worth considering bringing forward your plans. The past year has been a cracker for property investors. The tightest vacancy rates on record have seen a pick-up in rental growth. Interest rates on investment home loans are at their lowest since late 2023

Gen Z may be known for being tech savvy, but they’re also showing their smarts when it comes to home buying, with a surprisingly large number preparing to buy their first home before the end of the decade. Here’s how Gen Zs are making their home-buying plans happen. They don’t call it the ‘great Australian dream’ for nothing. Owning a home remains a leading goal for many Australians and a recent Westpac survey found more than one in three (35%) Gen Zs – that’s chiefly people

To save or to pay down your home loan, that is the question. Ok, so it’s not Shakespearean levels of contemplation – but it’s still a big decision facing many Australian families right now. Let’s take a look at what the majority of home owners are leaning toward. A growing number of home owners have given up waiting for rate cuts and are making home loan savings of their own – by knuckling down to reduce their mortgage balance. A survey by Agile Market Intelligence found 69%

Property prices are running hot as we head into summer, and the market is tipped to dial up even further over the next 12 months. Here’s how it could shape your home-buying plans. Aussie home values are sprinting into summer, with property price growth hitting the fastest pace in over two years in October. The price hikes are unlikely to stop there. A record nine out of ten (88%) respondents to a recent API Magazine survey expect home prices to climb higher. It seems the exp

Season 21 of The Block may be over but the sales are not, with two homes failing to find buyers at auction. It’s a different story across the broader market though. As auction clearance rates heat up we explain how to get your auction game on. Life may imitate art, but reality TV doesn’t always reflect reality. The Block’s latest final episode is a case in point. Two of the five homes failed to sell at auction. One didn’t even attract a bid. But auction clearance rates in ou

If you’ve just boarded the home buyer express, chances are ‘value’ is high on your list of neighbourhood must-haves. Well, it turns out that house hunters who are happy to stay on the train for just one more stop can be rewarded with savings totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars. When you’re house hunting, it’s not uncommon to want to snag a bargain. One possible solution? Check out the local rail map. New research by PropTrack shows house hunters could save hundreds of

They say there’s nothing quite like a parent’s love. Well, perhaps except for a parent’s love plus an extra $40,000 to help buy your first home. Today we’ll look at the pros and cons of family support – plus other ways to buy a first home that give mum and dad a break. Saving a first home deposit can be an endurance test. Nationally, it takes an average of 5.6 years to save a 20% deposit . The catch is that deposits tend to grow slowly, while property prices can rise quickly.

The Reserve Bank has the cash rate in a holding pattern, and several of the big banks have scaled back their predictions of another cash rate cut in 2025. Here’s what it could mean for your home loan. It looks like the rate cut party may have come to an end – for 2025 at least. After leaving rates on hold in September, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is taking a wait-and-see approach , taking the time to gauge how the earlier rate cuts in February, May and August are flo