As a business owner, it’s likely you have no shortage of competing demands on your capital. In your quest for growth, you might want to hire additional staff, move to bigger premises, increase production capacity, diversify your product range or spend more on marketing. Using traditional loans or cash to pay for new equipment and vehicles can put a strain on your cash flow and tie up funds that could be used to help your goal of growing your business. Asset finance can be a more economical option. It can allow you to obtain the assets you need to expand without incurring the high upfront costs associated with buying vehicles and equipment. Instead of acquiring an asset outright, asset financing allows you to spread the expense into more manageable, monthly payments over an agreed term. Asset finance explained There are two main types of asset finance: finance leases, also known […]

We are in the age of data.  Data is the ‘new oil’ – able to power new revenue streams and improve efficiencies in existing ones.  With the relentless rise of both the amount of data and our tools to process it and turn it into actionable insights, it is up to all of us to get the benefit or be left behind. With new technologies from giants like Amazon, Microsoft and IBM that combine data with ‘deep learning’ to create real insights, the challenge now is what to do with those insights. The property industry has been slow in using data effectively.  There are isolated pockets where data is used to acquire customers, such as listing presentations used by real estate agents or manage mortgage risk using credit and property valuations data.  In general, though, as an industry, we have been poor at execution and slow to change.  The opportunities […]

Your small business finance or commercial finance options include: Business loans Commercial loans Lines of credit Home equity loans Franchise funding Venture capital How much money does your business need? A lot of small businesses fail not because they’re offering a poor product but because they run out of cash. How much money do you need for your business? Not just to pay for set-up costs but to cover your living expenses while you get established? Don’t even think about going into business until you’ve done a detailed business plan and cash flow projection. Otherwise you’re planning to fail. Business finance vs commercial finance? Both business finance and commercial finance are generally secured by either commercial or residential property. However, business finance is probably more associated with small business or SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprises). Commercial finance tends to relate more to the financing of commercial property. Business loans Business […]

Securing a business loan in Australia isn’t necessarily difficult but knowing how to navigate your way can be the difference between success and failure.

Here are some tips on how to improve your chances of success.

A dramatic increase in the number of lenders has highlighted the need for greater research and consideration, or ‘due diligence’, when searching and applying for a loan. The act of purchasing a property, commonly requiring the production of significant personal information, coupled with the commitment of large sums of money, can be stressful. And now, with a wide variety of new lenders entering the marketplace, confidently choosing a lender you are comfortable with can feel downright overwhelming. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help you make the right choice and reduce your risk of misfortune. Trust your gut and be wary of behaviour or hints that may suggest something isn’t quite right Your first step should be to speak to a mortgage broker who is a member of the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA). The MFAA maintains high ethical standards for its brokers and ensures its […]

Welcome to our Winter issue. In this issue, we discuss the options available to you if you’re looking to buy property with others, whether it’s with a partner, spouse or a group of friends. We also talk you through the benefits of refinancing your property, for greater flexibility and a reduction in unnecessary costs. Break-ups are difficult enough, so we’ve put together some tips on how to make the financial aspects a little more straightforward. And lastly, we take a look at the ways in which the 2018 Federal Budget will affect the national property market and what this means for buyers and sellers. Click here to view Newsletter