Your financial questions answered

“With average house prices well into the $300K zone, is it better to rent for the short term until prices slow down – or is that a trap with the likelihood that prices will continue to rise?”

There is an old saying “it’s not timing the market that counts, it’s time in the
market”. Population growth underpins rising house prices. Although you can
save money renting (rental yields are cheaper than mortgages), it is only better if you invest rather than spend your savings. Without a major increase in interest rates, or major rise in unemployment rates, house prices are
unlikely to fall substantially.

“I am considering taking out a loan to invest in shares, do any banks have
special loans for that, and is it a smart option?”

Borrowing to buy shares is an aggressive strategy for experienced investors. It is most suitable with safer, dividend-paying blue chip stocks, as the dividends can be used to offset the cost of the interest on the loan. Banks do offer these loans, as do specialist lenders.