That Home Loan Hub
Welcome to That Home Loan Hub, your ultimate guide to mastering the world of home loans and property. I'm Zebunisso Alimova, here to simplify the complexities of real estate and provide you with expert insights and the latest trends.
Whether you're a first-time homebuyer, an experienced investor, or simply curious about the property market, this podcast is for you. Join me each week as we unlock the secrets to property success and help you make informed decisions. Let's dive into the world of property together!
Episodes
198 episodes
Why Social Media And AI Can’t Replace A Licensed Insurance Adviser
Ever been told by a stranger on the internet that you don’t need life cover because KiwiSaver will sort it? We’ve seen that advice, and we’ve seen what gets left out: mortgages, kids, cashflow shocks, and the messy reality of how families and b...
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7:21
Why We Insure Phones But Not Ourselves: Understanding Visibility Bias In Insurance
Fires and crashes dominate headlines, so we rush to insure our homes and cars. Serious illness and income loss rarely make the news, so we push those decisions to “later.” We unpack visibility bias—the mental shortcut that tricks smart people i...
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6:58
Saving A Family Home Purchase
A small policy error almost cost a family their smooth home transfer—until we pushed back with the right rules and the right evidence. We walk you through the exact scenario: a child buying a parent’s house using gifted equity, a banker insisti...
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5:11
What I Learned Guiding Clients To Their First Home
You can feel the shift the moment the conversation turns from rates to real lives. We dive into a year of hard-won lessons moving from a structured banking career into the messier, more human world of advice—where first-home buyers carry decade...
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15:14
When Gifted Equity Counts As Deposit
A small policy misunderstanding nearly derailed a family home transfer, and the fix came down to one line: the 5% “genuine savings” rule only applies when you don’t have a 20% deposit. We walk through the full scenario—parent-to-child sale, equ...
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5:11
Holiday Homebuying: What Changes In December
Keys by Christmas sounds magical until you hit the holiday slowdown. We pull back the curtain on what really happens across New Zealand’s property pipeline in late December and early January, from lawyers and valuers logging off to banks and Ki...
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7:39
How A Three-Week Refinance Offer Overheated The Banks
A bank drops a 1.5 percent cashback and the market erupts. We pull back the curtain on the three‑week window that sent refinances and purchases into overdrive, jammed call centres, and turned five‑day turnarounds into sixteen. From the first sp...
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6:55
Santa Brought A Rate Rise And A Headache
A rate cut on paper and a rate rise at the bank counter—no wonder everyone feels blindsided. We open the hood on how mortgage pricing really works, why wholesale swap rates can overpower the OCR, and what last round’s Reserve Bank messaging mig...
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6:31
From OCR Swings To Smart Mortgages: A 2025 Property Recap
The most useful lessons rarely arrive as breakthroughs—they show up as steps you can actually follow. We’re wrapping a year of learning with a clear path from “I want to buy” to “I’m holding the keys,” and we’re honest about the messy parts too...
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49:01
How To Choose An Investment Fund You Can Sleep With At Night
Ever picked a fund based on a vibe—then watched your balance dip and felt your stomach drop? We unpack how to build a risk profile that survives real life, not just a tidy survey. With Elizabeth back on the mic, we get practical about matching ...
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9:42
Choosing Between Property And Managed Funds In New Zealand
Ready for a real-world showdown on where to put your next dollar? We dive into the tug-of-war between buying property and investing in managed funds, unpacking the trade-offs most people skip: cash versus equity, time versus hassle, and how you...
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11:31
How To Choose A Better KiwiSaver Provider
Think your bank’s “low fees” mean better results? The five-year data tells a different story. We pulled back the curtain on KiwiSaver performance after fees and found a consistent pattern: generalist bank funds often lag, while specialist provi...
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9:28
Choosing Between Shares, Index Funds, And Managed Portfolios For Real Goals
Want a clear way to choose between stock picking, index funds, and managed portfolios without getting lost in jargon? We bring Elizabeth back to map three investing paths to the outcomes real people care about: learning with small stakes, build...
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10:03
From Five Dollars To A Future: How Tiny Investments Build Wealth
Think you need a big lump sum to start investing? We’re taking a sledgehammer to that myth and showing how tiny, repeatable steps can build real wealth. With Elizabeth back on the mic, we break down practical ways to begin with as little as fiv...
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10:08
From Side Hustle To Studio Homes
A budget roadblock turned into a design career, a studio, and an award-winning project. Meet Sam MacArthur of Wild Bird Interior Design, who transformed a DIY necessity into a business built on clarity, calm, and clever coordination. We dig int...
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29:15
Budget Hacks For Smarter Renovations
Renovating or building doesn’t have to drain your wallet to deliver a home you love. We sit down with interior designer Sam MacArthur of Wild Bird Interior Design to unpack the smart, simple moves that stretch your budget without sacrificing st...
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12:53
EQC Claims, LIM Surprises, And Getting A Mortgage In New Zealand
Ever seen a “bargain” home that comes with an EQC claim, missing insulation, and a nervous insurer? We dig into real listener scenarios and show how fast a dream deal can unravel when banks, insurers, and lawyers aren’t aligned. From first-home...
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11:55
From Sales Plans To Smart Homes: The Real Value Of An Architect
Ever stepped out of the shower and realised your front door frames your bedroom to the street? We start with that jolt of real-life design failure and build toward a simple claim: the right architect can save you stress, money, and long-term re...
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17:20
Reverse Mortgages, Explained Clearly
Too many families face the same quiet stress: parents are rich on paper but short on cash, while adult children plan around an inheritance that may never arrive. We dive into reverse mortgages with clear, practical advice on when they help, whe...
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9:27
How Planning Ahead Eases Grief For The Ones You Love
Grief arrives fast; chaos doesn’t have to. We open up about a recent loss and the unexpected relief that came from one simple gift: everything was organised. From who speaks at the service to where the documents live, clear choices turned a bru...
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12:49
AI, Architecture, And The Human Touch
Fear about AI replacing architects is loud, but the reality is more nuanced and far more useful. We sit down with architect Micah Ricards to map where AI makes the work better—clearer emails, cleaner briefs, sharper questions—and where it hits ...
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12:03
How A Tiny Wellington House Became A Smart, Award-Winning Home
What if your home could do more with less? We sit down with architect Micah to unpack the craft of designing compact spaces that feel generous, from clever room swaps and foldaway beds to ventilation that keeps things comfortable without energy...
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26:42
OCR Outlook And Your Mortgage Now
Big headlines say the OCR fell, but your bank rate barely budged. We open the bonnet to show why: lenders price off wholesale markets and move ahead of Reserve Bank calls, which is why retail rates don’t always mirror the cash rate. From there ...
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11:11
How To Navigate Mortgage Stress And Debt With A Clear Plan
Money pressure builds quietly—then feels impossible. We open up about what we’re seeing across New Zealand households right now: families juggling higher refix rates, patchy incomes after layoffs, and the creeping stress of arrears on essential...
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9:10
Why Switching Banks Now Could Put Thousands In Your Pocket
Want thousands back when you switch or buy? We break down the rare 1.5% cashback offers rolling out across major New Zealand banks and show how to capture the benefit even if your settlement won’t land until the new year. The key is understandi...
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6:30