- There were three Reserve Bank Cash Rate discounts and the RBA cash rate is now at 3.60%. The next RBA meeting is scheduled for February 2026.
- The Federal Government’s Home Guarantee Scheme was introduced and commenced on 1st October 2025.
- APRA reinforces the 3% Serviceability Buffer to stabilise home lending arena.
- Major banks are focusing on their internal distribution of residential home loans to increase their share of home loans, and cutting out the finance/mortgage broker. More incentives are now offered by the banks i.e. frequent flyer points, longer interest-only loans, and pricing discounts.
- Finance and Mortgage Brokers have now reached nearly 80% of all residential home loans. This argues that the broker is acting in the ‘best interest of the client’ to find a home loan that best suits the borrower, and is not driven by lender’s volume targets.
- Proposed “Reserve Price” is set to be drafted into Victorian legislation in early 2026, in response to many home buyers missing out due to under-quoting and ‘un-transparent’ real estate agents practices.
Tags: ARPA, interest rate, RBA, reserve price
