anker-mortgages

You're the Biggest Buyer Group in the Country.

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 03:25:30 GMT

So Why Does It Still Feel Impossible?

Here's a fact that might surprise you: first home buyers currently make up around 29% of all property purchases in New Zealand. That's a record high. That means roughly one in three homes sold right now is going to someone buying for the very first time.

You are not the underdog. You are the most active buyer group in the entire market.

So why does nobody tell you that? And why does it still feel like the odds are stacked against you?

The Story You've Been Told

The narrative around first home buying in New Zealand has a habit of being exhausting. Rising prices. Deposit hurdles. Tight lending rules. The comparison to what your parents paid for their first home in 1994. It's relentless, and it has a way of making people feel like they missed some imaginary window that closed before they even had a chance to reach it.

What that narrative leaves out is context. The market has shifted. Lending criteria have evolved. The tools available to first home buyers today are meaningfully different from what existed even five years ago, and most people either don't know about them or don't have anyone in their corner who can explain how they actually work.

That gap between what's possible and what people believe is possible is exactly where deals fall apart before they even start.

What's Actually Working in Your Favour

Your deposit may not need to be 20%.

The standard deposit benchmark gets repeated so often that most people assume it's a legal requirement. It isn't. Lending policies vary by lender, and a well-presented application to the right bank can unlock significantly lower deposit requirements for eligible first home buyers. The key word there is well-presented. A lender who sees a clean, consistent picture of your income, spending, and savings history reads an application very differently from one that's been submitted cold with gaps and unexplained transactions.

KiwiSaver is doing more work than most people realise.

If you've been in KiwiSaver for three or more years, your contributions can go toward your deposit. This is not a bonus or a loophole. It's how the scheme was designed. The numbers can be significant, particularly for buyers who have been contributing for several years without ever stopping to calculate what they've actually accumulated.

The Kainga Ora First Home Loan exists specifically for you.

With eligible lenders and a qualifying income, this government-backed scheme lets first home buyers purchase with as little as a 5% deposit. It has income caps and regional price caps, so it doesn't suit everyone, but for buyers who fit the criteria, it removes one of the most frequently cited blockers entirely.

Regional New Zealand is a genuine opportunity, not a consolation prize.

The conversation about property affordability tends to be dominated by Auckland and Wellington. That framing ignores the fact that there are excellent, liveable communities across New Zealand where property is priced within reach of first home buyers, and where the lifestyle return on that investment is hard to beat.

Kaikōura is one of those places. After a post-earthquake correction reset values and a Covid-era spike unwound, prices have stabilised into a market that gives buyers time to make good decisions rather than panicked ones. For anyone open to a lifestyle shift, regional centres deserve serious consideration rather than being dismissed as a fallback.

The Part Nobody Talks About: How You Present Matters

Banks are not in the business of telling you why you couldn't borrow. They assess what's in front of them and make a decision. If the picture they see is incomplete, inconsistent, or presented in a way that raises questions, the answer is no. It's not personal. It's procedural.

A good mortgage adviser's job is to build that picture before it ever reaches a lender, and to know which lenders read which profiles most favourably. That means understanding your income structure, your spending patterns, your savings history, and what each institution is likely to weight more or less heavily right now.

That's not a small thing. It's the difference between an approval and a decline on a customer who shouldn't have been declined.

The 29% Isn't an Accident

First home buyers aren't at a record share of the market because they got lucky. They're there because a lot of them got prepared, got good advice, and got moving. The ones who are succeeding aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest salaries or the longest savings history. They're the ones who stopped assuming the answer was no and started asking the right questions of the right people.

If you're a first home buyer trying to work out whether you're closer than you think, that's exactly the conversation we're here to have.

Talk to the team at Jude Anker Mortgages.

We're based in Kaikōura and we work with buyers across New Zealand. No obligation, no jargon, just a straight conversation about where you actually stand.

Email: support@ankermortgages.co.nz

Buying in Kaikoura

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 01:45:26 GMT

Nobody talks about buying in Kaikoura

Everyone talks about first home buyers in Auckland. Nobody talks about what it actually looks like in a town like Kaikōura.

Buying your first home in a small coastal town isn't the same as buying in the city — and that's actually good news. Prices are more accessible, competition is lower, and the lifestyle you're buying into is the one most city buyers are still dreaming about. But the process still has moving parts, and knowing what's available to you can be the difference between getting in now or waiting another two years.

Here's what first home buyers in our region should know: KiwiSaver first home withdrawals still apply, the Kāinga Ora First Home Loan requires only a 5% deposit for eligible buyers, and a number of other lenders will also work with 5–10% deposit for the right application. We work with first home buyers every week and we know which lenders want this business. If you're not sure where you stand, start with a free conversation — it costs nothing and you'll walk away knowing exactly what's possible.

Kaikōura-based. First home specialists. support@ankermortgages.co.nz

You can't live there - but you can still buy your first home

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 01:39:08 GMT

Living in employer housing?

If you're NZDF or working in tied farm accommodation, here's something most people in your situation don't know: you can still buy your first home while living in employer-provided housing — and you only need a 20% deposit, not the 30% required for an existing rental property.

The policy is called Employer Provided Accommodation. It exists specifically because some people have no choice about where they live. Camp housing, base housing, a farm cottage, an on-site worker's dwelling — if your job comes with your accommodation, certain lenders will still treat your purchase as a first home, not an investment property. That single distinction saves you 10% of the purchase price in deposit. On a $600,000 property, that's $60,000.

Here's how it works: you buy the property, tenants move in and cover the mortgage while you remain in your employer-provided housing, and the home becomes yours to live in when your circumstances change — when the posting ends, when the farm job moves on, when the time is right.

You'll need a letter confirming your employment accommodation requirement (from your CO if you're NZDF, or your employer if you're in rural work), your last three pay slips, and a declaration that you don't currently own any residential property. That's it.

Most people assume the answer is no before they've even asked the question. Don't be one of them.

Talk to JAM. We work with NZDF Pers and rural clients regularly and we know exactly how to make this work.

Your bank said your pay "doesn't count"

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:09:11 GMT

Here's what they're not telling you.

You can navigate a map in the dark, carry 20kg through the training area, and brief a commander under pressure — but the moment you sit across from a bank, suddenly your entire income “doesn’t count.” Your mil factor? Ignored. OEAPR? Blank stares. OEASF? “We’ll need to verify that.” Banks aren’t built for the way you get paid — and most advisers aren’t either. So they do what they always do with things they don’t understand: they say no.

It’s not because you’re a risk. It’s because you’re different from the civilian borrowers their systems are built around. NZDF pay structures — with allowances, service components, and superannuation contributions woven through them — don’t fit neatly into a standard bank income calculator. So rather than take the time to understand it, most lenders discount it, set it aside, or ignore it altogether. The result is soldiers who earn solid, stable incomes being told they can’t borrow enough to buy a home — or being told they can’t buy at all.

Here’s what they’re not telling you. A specialist mortgage adviser who actually understands NZDF pay structures can present your full income correctly — allowances included — and match you with lenders who know how to read it. That changes everything. First home buyers who thought they couldn’t qualify. Soldiers living in barracks who thought they needed 20%. People who were told their income was “too irregular.” All of them are now in homes. The bank’s confusion is not your problem. It’s just not being told to the right person.

I spent 20 years in the NZ Army before becoming a mortgage adviser. I know what your payslip looks like because I had one. I know which lenders understand NZDF income and which ones don’t — and I know how to present your application so your full earning picture is on the table, not just the parts the bank’s system recognises. If you’ve been told no, or if you haven’t asked yet because you assumed the answer would be no — talk to me first.

Want a NZ owned bank?

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 01:22:16 GMT

Jacky and Jude are both fully accredited with Kiwibank

Kiwibank is pretty selective about which advisers they work with and we have recently gone through the selection process and training to be able to add Kiwibank to our selection of lenders. We are very excited about this because not only are they NZ owned, meaning profits stay in NZ, but they have some policies which are quite different to other banks. They are the only bank to offer free refinance service, meaning the cash they offer with a loan goes into your back pocket, not to a lawyer.

We are happy to discuss all options with you regarding which bank/lender most suits you so that you can make the decisions. Feel free to get in touch if you'd like to discuss.

6 Things to think about at refix time

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 01:25:17 GMT

Nothing beats a chat with us at refix time but here's 6 things to think about...

When’s the best time to action the refix?
When rates are rising as early as possible, but when they are dropping then as late as possible! At the moment interest rates are dropping and so we recommend waiting until the last moment to refix your loan. One banks customers can refix well in advance and still get a lower rate if it drops, but all other banks it pays to hold out till closer to refix time.

2. How long do I fix for?

Firstly, if your intention is to sell in the near future let us know. If it’s within 6 months then you wouldn’t refix, but let it drop to floating. But before you put the house on the market we need to get you pre-approved to buy again (you don’t want to find out rules have changed and you can’t buy what you want!)
If you want the best rate it will be longer, however the official cash rate (OCR) has just come down for the first time in a couple of years, signalling a downward trend so we are recommending fixing for 6 – 12 months as a guide.
Or you could split the loan and put some shorter and some longer. Remember that if you fix for a long time you don’t have flexibility to adjust repayments by much and if you sell before the time period is up you are likely to incur break fees.

3. What are my repayment choices?

Minimum due – most folks at the moment are going for this as the rates are higher now. However, as they have started to come down your next refix may throw up the option to keep them the same.
Keep the same – If you refixed at the high rates a year ago, chances are you are being offered a lower rate now. Keeping payments the same means the extra goes straight onto paying off the loan faster. It also means that when they rise in the future you don’t need to increase as you are already paying this amount
Increase payments – this is a wonderful option if you can manage it and will supercharge paying off the loan. Not many folks can do this right now though.

4. Do I want to see if I can get a green loan, or money to do renovations, or am I thinking of upgrading my home?

These things will all affect how long you fix for and we can help arrange these for you.

5. Do I have cash that I can use to reduce the loan?

If you do, how much cash and what account do I want it taken from.
You might have a revolving credit or offset account that is in credit and you can use this to reduce your fixed loan – we definitely need to talk in this case.

6. Things are really tight right, now what can I do?

Definately reach out and we can look at your structure to see if there is anything we can do to help. With one bank you can re-draw what you have overpaid or drop the limit to match the balance which will reduce repayments.

Refix time is the best time to reach out for a quick chat to make sure you are on track. One bank is even giving you $50 to review your loan with us!

BIG news! Jacky is now a co-owner of JAM

Tue, 28 May 2024 01:34:44 GMT

I'm thrilled that Jacky has joined me!

I'm thrilled to welcome Jacky as new co-owner of Jude Anker Mortgages. Jacky may be known to you as an amazing adviser for the past 4 years and she is an integral part of our small team. Together we will continue to offer you the best service possible for many years to come. Jacky is particularly well known in Kaikoura as she was an award winning lender with our local BNZ branch for 7 years prior to joining JAM. Jacky is currently organising our annual Kaikoura first home buyers night which is set for 11th June at Dolphin Encounter. Of course we will retain our special relationship with NZDF due to Jude's history with NZ Army and we will both continue to attend the Wellness and Housing Expo's held at Burnham Military Camp twice a year.

First Home Grant is gone...

Tue, 28 May 2024 00:21:54 GMT

But all is not lost!

You'll probably know by now that the first home grant has been cancelled, and Kianga Ora cannot take any further applications. If you have a valid approval they will honour it, but they can't extend applications that have expired. All is not lost though, and while this reduces your deposit, it is worth reaching out to us to see what options are available to you. One bank will do a loan with a 5% deposit for existing customers and there is still the First home loan (using your kiwisaver as 5% deposit) available if you've been in kiwisaver for 3 years or more. There are also shared equity options, or if you are lucky enough to have family support you could be gifted some money towards a deposit or buy with siblings or friends. Please call Jacky or Jude if you have questions about how you are affected by the change.

Are you struggling with mortgage payments?

Tue, 28 May 2024 00:21:20 GMT

We can review your mortgage for you...

Things are really tough for home owners at the moment so we've decided to offer a FREE review of your mortgage, even if we didn't arrange it in the first place . We can make suggestions to help ease the pressure and help you implement them. We can do this via Zoom and it will only take 30 mins or so. It may be your loan structure can be improved or you may have expensive debt that could be changed around to be more cost effective. We have more than 26 years experience and can take a look to see where we can help. Just email Jacky@ankermortgages.co.nz to arrange a time to suit

Welcome to our Kaikoura First home buyers night

Mon, 27 May 2024 23:23:29 GMT

5 - 6pm Tues 11th June at Dolphin Encounter

Are you interested in buying your 1 ^st home but have no idea where to start?

Or looking at upgrading to a larger property and wanting to explore whats achievable for you in this current market?

Or do you want to renovate your property, Buy a new Car or get away for a Winter Holiday to escape the cold?

Have you considered Investing in a Rental Property but not sure whats involved?

These are all goals we can help you achieve, our advice is free and we are with you every step of the way from the initial conversation to getting your finance arranged to settling your new loan and helping you each year following with regular Annual Reviews and Refix Advice as your situations changes over the lifetime of your loan.

If you are keen to get into your first home please do come along to our Information Evening so we can help you understand the process, we will go through:

What the current deposit requirements are? How can parents/family help?

How will I know what I can afford? What will it cost me?

Things you can work on to improve your chances of getting into the market.

Whats involved, where should I start?

What if I have poor Credit History?

We will also cover off whats recently changed for both 1 ^st home buyers and Investors, how this affects your Mortgage Application and future purchase. Also expectations for Interest Rates after a particularly tough few years. There have been some great recent bank policy changes but also some tricky Government Hurdles to overcome in the last few weeks, we are here to help!

Jude and Jacky are locally based here in Kaikoura and we work with you to ensure you have the best deal and lending structure that’s tailored specifically for you. We have spent over 26 years between us in the Mortgage Industry and have helped many happy customers achieve their dreams. We pride ourselves on our customer focus and taking your Home Loan Hassles away.

Please register now for our FREE information night, Tuesday 11 ^th June 5pm at Encounter Kaikoura, pre-registration can be sent to jacky@ankermortgages.co.nz 0272179765

Thinking of holding off refixing your loan?

Fri, 16 Feb 2024 01:27:03 GMT

The latest news from economists is that the Official Cash Rate (OCR) may rise in the near term.

So, if you are holding out for lower interest rates you might get a nasty shock. In the past few weeks we are seeing many economists predicting a rise to the OCR as inflation isn't as low as the reserve bank governer would like. If this happens it will flow through to interest rates. If you do not re-fix by the due date your loan will drop to the floating rate which is much higher than fixing it. Of course if you are selling your house, you'd let it drop to the floating rate to avoid break fees. Every persons situation is unique and a 5 minute call with us can help you decide what to do. Remember this service is FREE to you.

Wellness Expo Burnham Camp

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 23:47:23 GMT

Great turnout at Burnham Wellness expo last month

Jacky and I both attended the Burnham Camp Wellness expo a few weeks ago hosted by Kath Hodgkinson at camp cinema. We had a great day and spoke with heaps of people about financing a home and whether they were in a position to buy a home. Jacky has had many follow up meetings and calls to look at peoples own situation to give personalised advise and service. If you missed the event or aren't at Burnham and want to find out where you stand then just give us a yell and we can schedule a quick call/zoom. This is not just for Burnham based pers, we work with people all over the country and can help you get ready to get into your own home.

A big thanks to Kath who continues to provide amazing opportunities for service people and their families to meet with the best providers for NZDF personnel.

Small deposit, Great news!

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 23:09:52 GMT

Some good news at last, with banks opening up to smaller deposits

The reserve bank has made changes to the amount of deposit banks are allowed to take for first home buyers. One bank has let us know they can take loan applications for people with 5% deposit (it was minimum 10% deposit). This bank is also allowing you to have a flatmate if you have enough bedrooms and we can use that income as well as your pay as part of the application. We'll expect the other banks to come to the party as well to give us more options going forward.

We can't do pre approvals so you need to have a house under offer with a finance clause for this to be looked at, but we do still have the First Home Loan through Kainga Ora that will do pre approvals with this size deposit.

So If you've been stopped by the size of your kiwisaver and savings then it may be time to give us a yell and see if you qualify now under these new rules.

Are you dreaming of your new home?

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 23:31:04 GMT

With some good advice and planning this could be a reality for you

Holiday's are a great time to reflect and dream... if one of your dreams is to live in your own home and have no idea how to do that, then we are here to help. Navigating the process from renting to owning your own home is daunting, but can be very rewarding. We will guide and coach you through the process of kiwisaver, first home grant and bank policies. Even if it turns out you can't get into a home yet, we can reccommend strategies to help.

Are you worried about huge rent rises

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 22:26:43 GMT

Might be time to see if it's possible to buy a home

It's not only in the cities that rents are rising, NZDF announced a huge increase to rents in housing areas, and it can seem unfair. Please reach out if you are anyone you know is facing a big rent rise and questioning whether you are better to be paying your own mortgage rather than rent. We can quickly do the numbers with you to see if it's workable for you.

Success with a tricky scenario for Jacky

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 23:39:36 GMT

Success with a tricky scenario for Jacky

Jacky got a great result for some Kaikoura business owners recently. Over the past 2 years they have worked through many scenarios together, to see if they could get into a home of their own. The c lients had a restricted business income as they had put a lot of cash and further finance into business expansion and survived the effect Covid had on Kaikoura. . This income was insufficient to get them into an entry level home so Jacky asked the accountant to prepare projections and commentary on the increased income. The clients did find a suitable home with a self contained flat which gave extra income needed and got conditional approval at their own bank and another bank.

It took some time to ensure they were eligible for kiwisavers as they were not straight forward first home buyers. Jacky helped them through this as well and got approval for this and first home grants and so could get 20% deposit together giving them the best interest rates and cash offered.

Jacky also had to work hard to get the longest loan term possible as they were over the usual age for 30 year loan terms.

This couple is now living in their own home and their business is thriving. It's been a long process for them to get to this position, and Jacky's expertise and persistence certainly paid off.

Do you know anyone who has had a no from their bank? Give us a yell to see if we can help

What makes Jude an NZDF Specialist Mortgage Adviser?

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 22:22:35 GMT

The military is in our family's blood...

Jude met Tony in the Army in 1981 on an APTI course. Tony went on to become the Senior Corps Adviser for PT trade and Jude was RNZSigs although the last 10 years were out of trade doing many other roles. They have 2 sons, Chris who was avionics in RNZAF for 17 years and still works at Woodbourne and Matty who is a fire fighter at Burnham. After a 20 yr career, including deployment on Batt 5 to East Timor, Jude retired as a WO1 and became a Mortgage Adviser a few years later. Not too many soldiers make such a career change, but it seemed to flow from doing many budgets in the Army and then becoming property investors and having an interest in the financing of rental properties. Jude and Tony had a couple of bad experiences with mortgage advisers, who were only in it for the commission and really didn't care at all about them. So Jude could see how NOT TO be an adviser, but to use the skills learned in the Army to coach and help people buying a house, whether it is your first time, upgrading to a new house and selling the existing one or, getting into investing in property.

Jude is one of the very few advisers allowed into Burnham camp to attend the 2 expo's a year - Wellness expo and My House My Castle expo and be involved in the community. Because Jude understands all things Army you don't need to explain how it all works and with almost 17 years in the Mortgage industry she has the knowledge, skills and experience to make your experience much better. Lots has changed in the NZDF over the past 20 years but really, so much has remained the same and with Chris and Matty still in NZDF its easy to keep up to date!

Quotable Value says average housing value growth is slowing and is likely to slow further

Tue, 08 Jun 2021 01:18:04 GMT

The worm may have turned in the housing market, according to Quotable Value (QV).

"For the first time since July last year, the QV House Price Index (HPI) has shown a reduction in quarterly value growth from the previous month," QV said in its latest HPI report.

"The average value [of dwellings} increased 8.8% nationally over the past three month period to the end of May, down slightly from the 8.9% quarterly growth we saw in April, with the national average value now sitting at $931,928," the report said.

"This small reduction is particularly significant considering the QV HPI is a rolling average measure, which includes transactions from some of the most buoyant months earlier in the quarter," QV General manager David Nagel said.

"We can expect to see further reductions in the rate of growth as the impacts of the recent tax changes for investors and credit availability start to take effect."

Source: www.interest.co.nz

Why the Reserve Bank is concerned about New Zealand's rising house prices

Thu, 06 May 2021 01:18:05 GMT

New Zealand house prices have risen significantly in the past 12 months. This has raised concerns at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand – Te Pūtea Matua about the risk this poses to financial stability.

Central banks responded swiftly to the global economic shock caused by COVID-19, making it cheaper for households and businesses to borrow. These initiatives were complemented by the support provided by Government policies and helped to avert a more serious financial crisis, but also had the flow-on effect of boosting asset prices. In our case, with strong population growth and limited housing availability, house prices climbed from already elevated levels, and debt levels rose with them. This has led to pockets of vulnerabilities as some households have borrowed a lot compared to their income to buy homes at historically high prices.

Our illustrative plain language summary (PDF 170KB) explains why we’re concerned, and why the issue featured so prominently in our May Financial Stability Report .

We are also developing our understanding of what contributes to sustainable house prices and how we can integrate this into the financial policy decisions we make. As there is no one measure of what is considered ‘sustainable’, we are taking a wider view, looking at the drivers of supply and demand in the housing market, as shown by the image below.

Everyone needs a place to live, whether that is through renting or home ownership, and a significant share of income is spent on housing.

People who are deciding whether to buy a property, or continue renting, are a key group contributing to housing demand. If house prices rise too much then the incentive to own diminishes, and prices may not be as sustainable.

Another key group is investors, who decide whether to invest in housing and rent it out or to invest in other assets. Tax changes, improved property standards and more house-building reduce the returns on housing, potentially making alternative investment options more worthwhile, resulting in lower house prices.

This diagram reflects how we are assessing the sustainable level of house prices - by considering the value that people derive from housing services and understanding the drivers of demand and supply.

Source: www.rbnz.govt.nz

RBNZ Governor outlines housing direction

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 00:18:05 GMT

In remarks for a Monetary Policy Statement presentation to the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce today, Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr has elaborated on the direction received from the Minister of Finance, to have regard to house price sustainability when making its financial stability policy decisions.

“The direction makes specific how our financial stability policies and actions can assist the Government’s housing policy objectives, in line with our financial stability objective of promoting a sound and efficient financial system.”

“We will be considering our financial stability policy settings via our prudential tools – like loan-to-value ratios, bank stress testing, and capital requirements against particular types of mortgage lending. This is done with a view to moderating housing demand, particularly from investors, to best ensure house price sustainability," Mr Orr said.

“Importantly, our Monetary Policy Committee remit targets remain unchanged. We remain only focussed on maintaining low and stable consumer price inflation and contributing to maximum sustainable employment, as recently outlined in our Monetary Policy Statement.”

“The Committee will continue to be very transparent in explaining the impact of all of our monetary policy decisions on the housing market, as we are for many other variables.”

“We remain committed to our current stimulatory monetary settings until we are confident that consumer price inflation will be sustained at the 2 percent per annum target midpoint, and that employment is at or above its maximum sustainable level. Meeting these requirements will necessitate considerable time and patience.”