Redraw facilities are under-utilised - fact. Many don't realise that such a feature has the ability to save hundreds - no, thousands - over the lifetime of your home loan. It's common for first home buyers and refinancers to request an offset account, but is that really the most fruitful option? A redraw facility can help you out when you're in a bind and need some emergency funds, or it can act as a forced savings plan; with your money tucked away in your home loan, you can employ the "out of sight, out of mind" approach, whilst saving big bucks on interest.

The way we perceive what a dwelling should look like has always been pretty stock standard. Apartments should be monolithic blocks that sit in linear progression along streets, while home interiors need to showcase uniformity throughout. But what happens when some great minds are thrown into the mix and start challenging our preconceived notions of what we think our homes should look like? The result is a paradigm shift that’s sure to alter the future of the urban landscape, and for the better.

Buying a house that isn't even built yet is a strange concept, but one that more and more Australians are embracing, as high market prices force them out toward undeveloped pockets of land.