It’s not a great time to be ignoring your finances. Interest rates climbed faster than most people anticipated. Inflation stretched household budgets in ways that are still being felt. Fuel, groceries, insurance, energy. The list of things that cost more than they did two years ago is long.

But stretched doesn’t mean stuck. Most people have more options than they realise. The problem is usually that nobody has sat down and actually looked.

These are the ten questions we’re being asked most often right now.

If you already own

1. Have you reviewed your rate recently?

Lenders don’t call you when a better deal becomes available. If it’s been more than 12 to 18 months since anyone checked your rate against the market, there’s a reasonable chance you’re paying more than you need to. A comparison takes about 20 minutes.

2. Is your loan structure still working for you?

What made sense when you first borrowed might not be the right fit now. Fixed versus variable, offset versus redraw, principal and interest versus interest only. These aren’t set and forget decisions. Sometimes a structural change reduces repayments without needing to refinance at all.

3. What’s sitting in your offset account?

Every dollar in an offset account reduces the interest you pay. A lot of people keep cash in a separate savings account out of habit. Moving it across costs nothing and the saving is immediate.

4. Could your equity be doing more?

If your property has held its value, you may be sitting on equity you haven’t thought about. Some people use it to consolidate higher-interest debt into one lower-rate repayment. It’s not the right move for everyone, but understanding your position is a good starting point.

5. When did you last audit your direct debits?

Subscription services, insurance premiums, energy plans, bank fees. A one-hour review of what’s leaving your account each month tends to find money people forgot they were spending. Small amounts add up over a year.

6. Could you make small extra repayments?

An extra $50 or $100 a fortnight reduces your principal faster and cuts the interest you pay over the life of the loan. It’s not dramatic. It compounds quietly.

7. Do you know your hardship options?

If things are genuinely difficult, lenders have provisions in place. Most people don’t ask because they don’t want to signal they’re struggling. Contacting your lender early almost always produces a better outcome than going quiet and falling behind.

If you want to buy

The conditions feel harder. They are harder. But people are still buying, and a lot of first buyers are finding that the picture looks different once they actually run the numbers.

8. What does your borrowing capacity actually look like?

People often assume the answer before they’ve asked the question. Serviceability calculations have shifted as rates have moved, but that doesn’t mean the door is closed. Getting a real number removes a lot of guesswork.

9. Is your deposit working while you save?

If your deposit is sitting in a low-interest account, it’s worth looking at whether a high-interest savings account could be doing more in the meantime. Small gains over 12 to 18 months of saving are worth having.

10. Are you clear on the full cost of buying?

Purchase price is one figure. Stamp duty, conveyancing, building and pest, lenders mortgage insurance if applicable, and moving costs are the others. Most first buyers underestimate the gap between their saved deposit and what they actually need ready. Getting this number sorted early avoids the last-minute scramble.

The economic climate is real and it’s not trivial. But most of the questions above have a clearer answer than people think once someone sits down and looks at the numbers properly.

That’s exactly what we do. Get in touch and we’ll work through your situation.