🏠 Rising Costs, Family Support & a Milestone Worth Celebrating!
🔍 Market Watch | 💡 Loan Solutions | 🎉 Industry Milestones
It’s been a busy few weeks in the world of property and finance! In this issue, we’re diving into:
✅ The latest on construction costs and what they mean for your borrowing power
✅ A real-life story of how we are using Family Guarantee Loan to help our clients buy their first home
✅ And a toast to Connective Home Loans Brisbane turning 10 — with exciting new products on the horizon!
Let’s jump in 👇
🧱 Construction Costs Creep Up — Again
New data from Cotality’s Cordell Construction Cost Index shows construction costs rose 0.5% in the June quarter, slightly up from 0.4% in March. While the pace is slower than pre-COVID levels, it’s still enough to catch the RBA’s attention.
Why it matters:
Higher costs = tighter borrowing power for new builds
Builders are struggling with labour shortages and feasibility
Insurance rebuild values may need updating — costs are up 31% over the last 5 years
Our advice: If you're planning to build, renovate, or buy off the plan, speak to us early. We’ll help you structure your loan with today’s costs — not last year’s assumptions.
💝 Family Guarantee: How Mum is Helping Her Daughter Buy a Home — No Deposit Needed
One of our favourite stories this month involves a newly blended couple with two kids and no deposit. Ineligible for the First Home Guarantee due to their combined income — but not out of options.
💡 Solution? Her mum stepped in as a guarantor, offering equity from her debt-free home.
Thanks to a Family Guarantee Loan, they were able to:
Borrow up to 105% of the purchase price (incl. costs!)
Avoid LMI
Access interest rates from 5.64%
Move into their first home — now, not years later
We have two boutique lenders and the Big Four banks to choose from, depending on your situation and income structure.
📞 If you’d like to explore this strategy for your family, let’s talk.
Note: Guarantors must obtain independent legal advice.
🎉 Connective Brisbane Turns 10 — And Welcomes Reverse Mortgages!
Adam and I had the pleasure of celebrating Connective Home Loans Brisbane’s 10-year anniversary — a brilliant night with industry leaders and great conversation.
Connective’s white label products offer something for everyone:
🏠 Select (Bendigo Bank)
💼 Elevate (Bluestone)
🔧 Solutions (Pepper Money)
🏢 Advance (Think Tank)
🌉 Bridge (Bridgeit)
🚀 Horizon (Brighton)
🌅 NEW – Reverse Mortgages now available!
We love partnering with Connective because it means more flexibility, better options, and faster outcomes for our clients.
📲 Need Advice?
Whether you’re building, buying, refinancing, or helping your kids into the market, we’re here to guide you every step of the way — with solutions tailored to your unique situation.
👉 Hit reply to book a call
👉 Or send through your latest payslips and goals to get started
Let’s put your Best Foot Forward.
Warm regards,
Shona Stephenson & Adam Kingston
Principal Mortgage Broker & Director, Founder, Principal Broker
Best Foot Forward Mortgage Solutions
[0417 693 281] | [shona@bestff.com.au] | [bestff.com.au]
Or
Australian Mortgage Broking Specialist, Shona Stephenson and Director Best Foot Forward, Expat Mortgage Specialist, Adam Kingston, business partners and partners in life.
The information contained is general information only and does not consider your objectives, financial situation and needs. Please talk to us if you need a fast-tracked home loan, and we can help you find a lender that has the processes in place to process the application quickly. We strongly recommend that you do not act on any information provided on this website without individual advice from your trusted advisor. You should also obtain a copy of and consider the Product Disclosure Statement for all financial products before making any decision.
Best Foot Forward always tries to make sure all information is accurate. However, when reading our website, please always consider our Disclaimer policy.
