Cobblestone Financial

What's really stopping you from buying a home right now? 🤔

For many people, it's not a lack of motivation.
It's one of these four things:

🅰️ The Deposit
"I just haven't saved enough yet."

🅱️ Borrowing Power
"I'm not sure I can borrow enough."

🅲️ Finding the Right Property
"I've been looking, but nothing feels right."

🅳️ Not Sure Where to Start
"The whole process feels overwhelming."

The interesting thing is that what people think is holding them back isn't always the real obstacle.

I've spoken to clients who thought they needed another $50,000 deposit...
🏡 They didn't.

I've spoken to clients who thought they couldn't borrow enough...
💰 They could.

And I've spoken to plenty of people who simply needed a plan and some guidance to get moving in the right direction.

👇 I'd love to know...

What's stopping you from buying a home right now?
Drop your answer in the comments.

Book an initial consult today, might be surprised to learn you're closer than you think.
https://www.cobblestonefinancial.com.au/book-appointments/

🤔 Why investors are reassessing their strategy

There’s still uncertainty around how these reforms may eventually play out and lenders are in the process of updating serviceability calculators as we speak.

But one thing is clear:
📊 The conversation around investment property strategy has changed.

If you’re thinking about:
✔️ Buying an investment property
✔️ Refinancing
✔️ Restructuring your investment loans

…it’s worth understanding how these proposed changes could affect your long-term plans.

📞 Let’s have a conversation and explore your options.
https://www.cobblestonefinancial.com.au/book-appointments/

🏡💰 Big proposed changes for property investors are now on the table

The Federal Budget has proposed major changes to:
📉 Negative gearing
📊 Capital gains tax (CGT)

…and investors across Australia are starting to reassess their plans.

📅 What’s being proposed from 1 July 2027?

Under the proposal:
🏠 Negative gearing on residential property would largely be limited to new builds only

AND

💸 The current 50% CGT discount could be replaced with:
✔️ Inflation indexation
✔️ A new 30% minimum tax on capital gains

👀 What does this mean for current investors?

Importantly, investment properties purchased before 12 May 2026 would be exempt from the proposed negative gearing changes.

So for many existing investors, there may be little immediate impact.

But for future buyers… the landscape could look very different.

🚧 Why new builds may become more attractive

The Government has made it clear they want to encourage investment into newly constructed housing.

Eligible new builds may still allow investors to:
✔️ Access negative gearing
✔️ Choose between the current CGT discount or the new indexed system

This could shift more investor demand toward:
🏗️ Off-the-plan apartments
🏡 House & land packages
🏘️ Duplex and townhouse developments

🤔 Why investors are reassessing their strategy

There’s still uncertainty around how these reforms may eventually play out…

But one thing is clear:
📊 The conversation around investment property strategy has changed.

If you’re thinking about:
✔️ Buying an investment property
✔️ Refinancing
✔️ Restructuring your investment loans

…it’s worth understanding how these proposed changes could affect your long-term plans.

📞 Let’s have a conversation and explore your options.
https://www.cobblestonefinancial.com.au/book-appointments/

💡 Offset accounts don’t always reduce your repayments — and this surprises a lot of people

If your home loan is Principal & Interest (P&I), putting money into your offset account will usually:
✔️ Reduce the interest charged
✔️ Help you pay off your loan faster
✔️ Reduce the overall loan term

…but your minimum repayments often stay the same 👀

That’s because your repayments are generally calculated based on the original loan structure — not the daily offset balance.

📉 So where’s the benefit?

More of your repayment goes toward the principal instead of interest, which can shave years off your loan and potentially save thousands over time 💰

🏦 Interest Only (IO) loans work differently

With an Interest Only loan, your repayments are based mainly on the interest being charged.

So if you have money sitting in your offset account:
👉 The interest charged reduces
👉 Which can reduce your actual repayments

💡 Offset accounts can be incredibly powerful — but how they work depends on your loan structure. Check out our offset calculator to see how it will benefit you. https://www.cobblestonefinancial.com.au/financial-calculators/home-loan-offset/

📞 If you’re not sure whether your offset is set up effectively, let’s review your loan and make sure it’s working as hard as possible for you.