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Don’t Waste Time! How to get your documents witnessed.

Don’t Waste Time! How to get your documents witnessed.

Brendan Barker - Your Home Financing Specialist. Home Loans, Car Loans, Personal Loans

Who can do it and where can I find them…..

Buying a new home and the loan documents need to be witnessed, got a red-light camera infringement but you were not driving and need to provide a statutory declaration or your applying for a new job and they want a certified copy of your driver’s licence.

There are so many situations in our everyday life where we need someone who is legally able to witness documents for us.  Who are they and where can you find them.

Read on, we are going to look at what documents need to be witnessed, who can witness them for you and where can you find them.

Documents requiring Witnessing

Here in Queensland, there are certain documents prescribed by Acts of Parliament which have to be witnessed by an Authorised person.  These include:

  • Certifying copies of documents,
  • Statutory Declarations,
  • Affidavits,
  • Wills,
  • Powers of attorney, enduring powers of attorney and
advance health directives, or
  • Land title documents.

Who can Witness Documents

Here in Queensland there are 3 types of authorised people which can witness the documents outlined above:

  1. Commissioner of Declarations – has powers limited to witnessing documents, witnessing statutory declarations, witnessing affidavits, witnessing and administering oaths and affirmations.
  2. Justice of the Peace (Qualified) – has the powers of a Commissioner of Declarations and has the additional powers to issue search warrants, arrest warrants and Justices Examination Orders.
  3. Public Notary – are often solicitors or barristers which can witness documents that are to be used in a Foreign Country.

The services of a commissioner of declarations or a justice of the peace is carried out for free, if you need to use a public notary they will charge you for their time.

In addition to physically witnessing the signature, the authorised witness has a number of important obligations including:

  • checking the identity of the signing person;
  • ensuring that it is a legal document and they are authorised to witness the signature;
  • remind the person that they are claiming that the statements are true and that there are penalties for false statements; and
  • check that the declaration does not include any ‘blanks’ as all fields on the form need to be filled in and includes the attachments to which it refers.

Depending on the document being witnessed, you may also have to provide evidence that you are authorised to sign it.  For Example, here in Queensland for the Transfer of Land, you must prove that you are either the owner or purchaser of the land.  This is done either by providing a rates notice or the contract of sale.

Where can I find an Authorised Witness?

The Queensland Governments Department of Justice runs a JP in the community program where volunteer Justice of the Peace and Commissioner of Declarations can be found at shopping centres, courts, and a variety of other locations.

You can find when and where your local JP in the community program is here.

You can also search a list of after of hours JP’s here.

If you need a Public Notary you can find a list of notary’s here.

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7 Tips to Save you Money on your next New Car Purchase

7 Tips to Save you Money on your next New Car Purchase

Brendan Barker - Home Financing Specialist - Home Loan - Car Loan - Personal Loan

Buying a new car, for some of us we get excited about the prospect of haggling with the car dealership to get the best price. For others, it just fills us with dread.

After the family home, the car is most likely going to be the largest purchase we ever make.

Whenever you walk into a car dealership, there is this nagging suspicion that you are going to be taken advantage of. This doesn’t have to be the case, especially in today’s market.

In preparation for your next ‘battle’ with the local Car Dealership, here are 7 helpful tips to give you an advantage.

1) Educate Yourself

To ensure that you are prepared to get the best deal possible from the dealer, you first need to know what a good deal looks like.

This means doing some research before you head out to look around the car yards. Work out what exactly are you looking for, list out what are must haves and what are nice to haves. No good getting a great looking car, if the baby seat doesn’t fit in.

Find out what incentives the car manufacturers are offering. Always good to have a check out R.A.C.Q’s or Red Book reviews. Check the local paper to see what the current advertised prices are.

2) Decide What Car You Really Want

Make sure you get the car you actually want, it’s easy to get tempted by a ‘great deal’ but it doesn’t matter how cheap the car is if it doesn’t meet your needs.

Can you see yourself driving it for the next 3 or 5 years. Does it take it in account your future plans, no good getting a car which only can fit two children in the back seat if you are planning on having a third. Will the boot be able to fit the pram plus the groceries?

This will help prevent you from making an impulse buy and a very expensive regret or mistake.

3) Buy at the Right Time

If you don’t need to replace your current car urgently, wait until the next year’s model have been announced. Typically, the new models come out around September, which means that from August to October is typically a good time to get a deal on this year’s model.

Sales staffs are also usually trying to hit a quota at the end of the month, so this is a good time to buy as well.

4) Remember RRP is just that – “Recommended”

Keep in mind there’s no such thing as a “fixed cost.” You can negotiate the price of everything from the car or delivery charges to the dealer add-ons.

Keep in mind the worse that can happen is the salesman says no.

5) Make Dealers Compete for Your Business

You know what car you want, and you have a good idea what a reasonable price. Now it is time to make the dealerships work for your business.

Always contact a handful of dealerships and ask each one for their best price. Lett them know you’re talking to other dealers, get them to start a bidding war against each other, which will drive the price of the car down.

Just make sure each car you’re looking at has the same features so they are comparable.

6) Have a budget

Always know exactly what you can afford before you go into the dealership. Have a budget and stick to it, that way it will be easier to say no and walk away from a dealer who is trying to pack unwanted extras onto the purchase.

If you have savings, it’s easy just work out how much you are willing to spend. If you must finance the car, talk to a professional before you go to the dealership. That way you know how much you can borrow and what it is going to cost you to repay the loan.

7) Get a least two quotes on Your Trade-In

A dealership may give you a great deal on a new car but offer you a low-ball price on the trade-in.

Before you buy, shop around and find out what the best price you can get for your trade-in.

If your finances will allow you to do it, instead of trading in your current car sell it privately. You will find that you will get a better price this way.

Now that you know how to save money on you next New Car Purchase, if you are interested in learning how to avoid four car financing rip-offs, six common car financing misconceptions, and 8 costly mistakes with car financing the get a copy of my Consumers Guide to Car Financing.

Links to R.A.C.Q’s website is https://www.racq.com.au/cars-and-driving/cars/car-… Or the link to Red Book is http://www.redbook.com.au

Using the equity in your home to purchase new car

Using the equity in your home to purchase new car

Brendan Barker - Home Financing Specialist - Home Loans - Car Loans - Personal Loans

Have you ever had the pleasure of being stuck at home with 2 children under 3 and not being able to leave the house? My friend Debbie recently faced this problem, their car had broken down and it was going to cost more to repair it than the car was worth.

What would you do if you were faced with not being able to get out of the house for weeks on end?

Having to ask family and friends to give you a lift to the shops so that you can buy the necessities for the family.

You have to purchase a new car, but how? The most common options would be:

  1. If you have the savings just go and buy a new car,
  2. Get a personal or car loan to buy a new car, or
  3. Us the equity in the home loan to purchase the new car

The first option wasn’t possible, while Debbie and her husband had some savings it wasn’t enough for the new car. Hence let’s have a look at the other two options.

To keep things simple lets assume the new car is worth $30,000 and Debbie was going to borrow the whole amount. Since their home was valued at $400,000 and the home loan balance was $220,000. They had plenty of equity which can be used to purchase the new car.

Car Loan

Assuming an Interest rate of 10% and a loan term of 5 years.

The Monthly repayments on a loan of $30,000 would be $637.50

Cost over the life of the loan would be $8,245 in interest.

Home Loan

Interest rate of 5% over 25 years

The monthly repayments on the home loan would increase by $175.5 to cover the car.

Cost over the life of the loan would be $22,615 in interest.

From this you can see that taking out the car loan is the better option. However there is another option.

Home Loan with Car Loan repayments

If we redo the home loan scenario, but instead of just paying the minimum repayments we increase the repayments by what the car loan repayment would be.

The monthly repayments on the home loan would now increase to $637.50

The cost in interest until the car was paid off would now be $3,460, a saving of almost $5,000. The car would now be paid off in full in 4 and a half years.

Furthermore if we continued paying off the home loan at the higher repayments the home loan would be paid off 9 years sooner. Thus saving a whopping $75,000 over the life of the loan.

Consequently by using the equity available in the home loan, not only can they save money but they would own their home sooner.

Back to Debbie and her family. In the end, Debbie’s mother-in-law came to the rescue and lent them the money to buy a new car.

Interested in learning more about your options around car financing?  In learning how to avoid four car financing rip-offs, six common car financing misconceptions, and 8 costly mistakes with car financing the get a copy of my free Consumers Guide to Car Financing.

4 Steps To Stress Free Financing Of Your New Car

4 Steps To Stress Free Financing Of Your New Car

Are you thinking about financing your new car purchase? Found the car that you want to buy, but don’t know where to start with arranging finance?

Choosing how to finance your car isn’t easy.

Why?  Because you’re bombarded with numerous options, confusing claims and simply bad advice. From 0% loans and high-pressure sales – to unsuitable loans and near-worthless advice – how do you ever find someone who is qualified, competent and professional to provide you with unbiased advice and quality service?

Follow these four steps to have stress free financing of your new car:

STEP #1:  Make a commitment to yourself to get quality advice around your car financing.  Find a broker, bank lender or dealership finance manager who will invest the time to ensure that they understand your financial situation, needs and requirements.  This way you will ensure that you have all the relevant information to make an informed decision.

STEP #2:  List your objectives. What do you want to achieve with your car financing?

  • Do you want a car loan, with a low headline interest rate and not too many questions?
  • Do you want a car loan which meets your needs, that is suitable for you and that will not cause you hardship?
  • Do you want to work with a fair, ethical and professional Finance Broker?
  • Are you willing to risk working with a car dealership that offers 0% dealer finance – knowing that you are most likely paying an inflated price for your car?

STEP #3:  Ask questions.  The best way you learn about the finance business you are working with is to ask specific questions and listen carefully to the answers. Here are ten tough questions to ask your financer before he begins developing the advice for you:

  1. How much does the service cost and when do I have to pay?
  2. Do you belong to an industry association such as the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA)?
  3. How do you identify the best solution?
  4. How many lenders (and which lenders) do you represent?
  5. How do you get paid?
  6. Can you provide comparisons of any loans recommended, including upfront and ongoing fees?
  7. Can you clarify the actual cost of the loan, including and excluding interest, fees and ongoing costs?
  8. Do you comply with the Privacy Act?
  9. Do you have professional indemnity insurance?
  10. How long have you been in the industry and can I read your testimonials from previous clients?

STEP #4:  Once you’re satisfied that you’re working with a fair, ethical and professional finance professional, engage them to provide you with a written recommendation for your car financing.  A written recommendation gives you the assurance that you know exactly what your car finance will cost – no surprises.

By following these four steps, you’ll gain all the information you need to make an informed, intelligent decision. If all you want is car loan, with a low headline interest rate and not too many questions, any finance manager at the car dealership can help you. Or you can walk into your local bank and get sold their car loan product.

But if you want good advice – if you’re looking for someone who will invest the time to understand your financial situation, needs and requirements – to find a great deal on your car finance, then follow the 4 steps outlined above.

If you are interested in learning how to avoid four car financing rip-offs, six common car financing misconceptions, and 8 costly mistakes with car financing the get a copy of my Consumers Guide to Car Financing.

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