A long time client came in to see me the other day looking to purchase a block of units. Having just settled on the sale of his business and profiting quite nicely from that, was looking to use some of those funds to cover off the deposits and closing costs for the new unit block. We took a look at the financial statements and tax returns but couldn’t use them for servicing because the business that they represented had been sold.

I read last week that the fifth round of NRAS (National Rental Affordability Scheme) incentives will be released on the 7th of May ’13.

Everybody break out the piggy bank, it’s time to save, save, save! Remember that rainy day we all keep talking about? The one where you might need an umbrella made of money stashed away to avoid getting drenched in another global economic storm similar to that of 2008? Well chances are we will all be ducking for cover fairly soon if America’s mounting debt issues are anything to go by.

With the cost of living increasing significantly in recent times and interest rates hitting Aussie working families hard in the hip pocket, you’d think a nice little top up of the weekly wages would be welcome news.

But experts are warning that Fair Work Australia’s latest offering of a 3.4 per cent pay rise for the 1.4 million odd workers on award wages, along with an expected boost in mining sector wages off the back of the resources boom, could actually cost us all more in the long run.