Expat foreign owner loans are loans offered to many Australians who are living overseas (Australian expats) due to many reasons like work opportunities or marriage. They tend to live overseas longer than expected but would still want to retain their roots and invest in a property in their homeland, Australia.

If you’re an Australian citizen living overseas and trying to secure a home in Australia, the process will be different compared to a standard home loan. There are many banks and lending institutions that offer expat loans. This loan also has higher interest rates compared to regular home loans.

Important: Australian expats (who are citizens of Australia or enjoying dual citizenship) will NOT need to get an approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB).

How To Secure A Home In Australia via Expat Foreign Owner Loans

Some banks and other lending facilities find it risky to offer home loans to Australians living abroad. But there are also banks who are willing to extend credit to Australian expats. Here are steps you can take for you to acquire a loan to purchase the home of your dreams.

1. Assess if you are able to avail an expat loan. Take note that expat lending entails higher interest rates, so it is best to compare banks and lending institutions that provide the best rate. Below are factors that can affect expat foreign owner loans.

• Australian citizen living abroad
• Australian permanent residents living abroad
• Australian living in New Zealand
• Australian married to a foreign citizen
• Tax rate of the country you reside in
• Source of income – are you self-employed?
• Foreign business income
• The currency of your income
• Borrowing power
• Power of attorney
• Loan-deposit?

2. Speak with an experienced mortgage broker specifically around expat loans. It is more beneficial to work with a mortgage broker considering the daunting process and documentation needed to pursue an expat home loan. Mortgage Brokers have wide access to a multitude of banks and lenders that offer various loan types including expat loans

3. Get your documents ready. Documentation will depend on your situation. The bottom line is that banks and lenders would like to see proof of your ability to make repayments once the loan is granted. Be ready with the following:

• Proof of income. Pay slips or foreign tax returns for employed. Special considerations are given to self-employed individuals living overseas however this could be a difficult process.
• Valid work visa. This document is part of the verification process. This document will not be needed if you have dual citizenship in the country of present residence.
• Other documents include a copy of your passport, your credit history, your current debt obligations.
• Power of Attorney. In some cases, you might need to get power of attorney for your trusted relative or friend who can do some favors on your behalf.

4. Get a Pre-approval for your loan. Pre-approval is an issued letter from the lender stating that you meet their requirements for an expat foreign owner loan. The letter will also state the amount or percentage you are able to borrow.

Getting a pre-approval gives peace of mind where you can actually make a loan regardless if living in a foreign country. Pre-approval also speeds up the whole process of purchasing your desired property in Australia.

History and cultures have some impacts to know the identity of a country. We can say that history and cultures somehow represent the country itself. It also happens to Australia. Though Australia is a continent, it’s also a country. We all have known this fact. But for some people who really love history and cultures, the fact absolutely doesn’t enough for them. A way to know more about the history of a country is to define it. Starting to think about defining Australia is to see what people say about Australia at a time when they are encouraged to think about what it means.

It’s a common issue that there’s a debate about the nation “Australia” has really a significant meaning to all Australians or not. Through this statement, there are considerable difficulties: at a time when Australians celebrate Australia national day on January 26 which makes a big impact for Aborigines. There is the problem of what this celebration means to the Aborigines.

We have to remember that to the Aborigines, the first settlement was a straight-out invasion. [Fred Daly, Age, 23 January 1981]

Taking a historical viewpoint, it is evident that the Australia of the Aborigines was a different Australia from that understood by British settlers between 1788 and 1988, through the uniqueness of Aborigines of Australia country and society. From a contemporary perspective, it seems that distinctive views of Australia may be held by different cultural groups. It may make sense to talk about the Aboriginal-Australian Australia, the Italo-Australian Australia, the Anglo-Celtic Australia, and so on. Nevertheless, if Australia means different things to different people it is not surprising that defining Australia does present a real problem.

An issue comes up to the surface asking whether Australia means “the nation” or not. The terminology of “nation” and “national” was first used in a political sense in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in order to discuss culture and society. Then, the idea of nationalism became common in the mid-nineteenth century, at the same time as the number of white, native-born Australians came to equal the number of immigrants in 1890s. There is a paradox here since those who identified with the colony were looking for a way of making a break from “the old country” into modern Australia in a distinctively Australian way, and yet it didn’t seem as a representation of Australian ideas, but through European concepts at that time.

Most of the contemporary discussion of Australia as a nation has been in terms of a political formation. The concepts of nation and nationalism have been used to persuade people in a country controlled by an outside political grouping which has unified common interests and should resist such outside control. When people talk of “the nation” to imply the whole people of a country, they are encouraging acceptance of “the persuasive unitary sense” of the nation. From one point of view, nationalism may be regarded positively when it is seen as a way persuading a group within a country (or political formation).

Alternatively, “nation” and “nationalism” may be used in many ways intended to involve exclusivist, even racist, attitudes. They may also be used to persuade people to subordinate the particular interests of their own group rather than the common interests of the whole country. It means that most people easily choose to be selfish and against the national interest.

The radical-nationalist historians who concentrated on “the Australian legend” were very much involved in the construction of an “imagined community”. It was because of their pro-Australian stance they came to be called the radical-nationalists. They decided that the history of Australia was the history that produced what they saw as an “essentially” Australian character. The radical-nationalist project has been described as historicist and evolutionary because it postulates a set of historically evolving circumstances. This approach has been called “contextualist” because it seeks to evaluate the literature on the basis of how representative or expressive it is of the society it portrays.

The history builds a picture of a society (imagined community) characterized by unity, consensus, solidarity, and fraternity: “the nation is always conceived as a deep horizontal comradeship”. That is, the history is not a description of nation-building, but a part of the process of nation-building. As we look closely at the politics of nationalism and history at transitional points in the past, there is also political and economic focus which still engages with the public rather than the domestic world.

Thus, the issue about defining Australia will never be resolved because there are no right or true answers to such questions as “What is the ‘real’ Australia?” but there are processes of cultural production through which versions of Australia are arrived at, and academic inquiry should alert us to these. Furthermore, we can conclude that by seeing from the historians and commentators perspectives, there are 3 main aspects which represent Australian characters, such as traditions or values perspective, ideas or institutions, and political and economic relations.

As we know there are many countries with many kind of cultures inside it. Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people involve religion, social habits, music, arts and the others. Australia is one of the example, it has always been considered a multicultural country which consists almost entirely of immigrants. One of the interesting culture in Australia is the Australian Aboriginal people, one of the two distinct Indigenous peoples of Australia beside the Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Australian Aboriginal culture can be the oldest continuous living culture on the planet which is it makes us more interested to know about them. First of all, an interesting thing about aboriginal culture is that Aboriginal belief systems are centered their practices and ceremonies on a belief in the Dreamtime. It is said that the dreaming is considered to be both the ancient time of creation and the reality of dreaming. For example, the Rainbow Serpent is a major ancestral being for many aboriginal people across Australia. Therefore, aboriginal people also perceived death as a transition to another life that is not completely different from the one they have left when they died.

If we talk about the Aboriginal art, we know that it includes work made in many different way including painting on leaves, wood craving, rock carving, sculpting, ceremonial clothing, dot painting, bark painting and sand painting. Aboriginal art seems closely linked to religious ceremonies or rituals. Symbols are used in aboriginal art, to show different things. Interestingly, Aboriginal artists continue these traditions using both modern and traditional materials in their artworks.

There is another interesting thing about the Aboriginal people, they use a popular weapon for hunting called a boomerang. Except the boomerang, there are also another weapons such as spears, message sticks, canoes which provided an easy means of travelling through the lagoon, and the others. But, the one which draw my attention is the boomerang. How a flat thing like that can be use for hunting? When I think about the Aboriginal people use boomerangs for hunting, suddenly, that kind of question appears in my mind.

The fact is Aboriginal creation myths recount how the Ancestors formed the landscape of Australia. For Aboriginal people, the boomerang is a symbol of cultural endurance and a tangible link to their long presence on this continent. Amazingly, with more than 250 different language groups it is understandable that boomerang making varies across the continent. Larger, heavier boomerangs are used by inland and desert people, and lighter boomerangs are thrown by coastal and high country people. The vast majority of boomerangs are of the non returning variety.

Unexpectedly, boomerangs have many uses. They are weapons for hunting birds and other animals such as kangaroo and other marsupials. The hunter can throw the boomerang directly at the animal or make it bounce back off the ground. Surprisingly, in skilled hands, the boomerang is effective for hunting prey up to 100 metres away. Boomerangs can be used as a digging stick when foraging for root vegetables. They can also be used to make fire. Finally, boomerangs feature prominently in Aboriginal dance and music, as a percussion instrument when a pair are rattled together, and as an accessory to ceremonial dance.

Have you been planning to relocate lately and Australia is the only destination on your mind? If yes, you couldn’t have decided anything better. The world’s smallest continent and Country, Australia, is known for its rich culture, diverse ecosystem and heartwarming people.

Every city and place in the country is filled with something unique and offers something transcending. This only makes choosing the best place to live in Australia a tad bit difficult. If you too find it hard concluding which city or place you should call your home then worry not. Here in this article, you’re going to read the finest places in Australia that you can move to for a dream-like life.

Hobart

The reason Hobart is on top of our lists is that unlike many other cities in Australia, Hobart is actually quiet and peaceful. Ideal for people wanting to get away from a hectic and fast-paced life, this city offers a lot more than just a peaceful residence.

Surrounded by gorgeous warm sandy beaches and picturesque landscapes, Hobart is nothing less than a haven for workaholics. Although you might not find high paying jobs here. What you lose in income, you’ll gain in quality. And if you’re a food sucker, this food paradise might exactly be the place you’ve been looking for.

Melbourne

Australia’s second largest city has more to it than meets the eye. Known as the cultural capital of Australia, Melbourne is ridiculously famous for its diversified climate, a rich native culture that can be witnessed in the nearby Museums, and passion for sports. Not to mention, the city itself is built as an art that can be seen more obviously.

There are multiple fine dining places that serve different cuisines both local and continental, best shopping destinations and not to forget the nightlife. The city is full of surprises and if you’re lucky, you might get to witness the four season in a day phenomenon.

Sydney

Talk about the best place to live in Australia, the name Sydney will pop-up immediately and automatically. The name Sydney alone is enough to send chills down the spine of every person who wishes to work in Australia.

This city is most commonly known for its scenic beauty; be it natural beaches and ocean or man-made marvels like Sydney Opera house and Sydney Harbor.

Sydney features a fast-paced exhilarating lifestyle and is well suited to those who are accustomed to living in such atmosphere. Landing a job in one of the firms in Sydney is something everyone wants. The weather here is somewhat of normal with the maximum temperature reaching up to 40 degree Celsius in the summers and minimum temperature falling down to 6 degrees in the coldest night of winter.

Adelaide

Adelaide seems to have gotten blur due to all the focus going towards cities like Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. It so doesn’t mean Adelaide in any way is no worth living place, it’s just the most underrated. Earlier, newcomers used to move to one of the above-mentioned places, however, the situation has changed more recently.

With a low population, Mediterranean climate, pleasant weather and a communal diversity, it has turned into one of the favorite places to live in for the immigrants. The city is wrapped in nature, the real estate prices are lower than other city and lifestyle is pretty relaxed. Overall, the city has everything there is to offer.

Perth

Located and built around the west coast of Australia, Perth is far away from the rest of the Aussie cities and that’s what makes it pretty unambiguous. This cosmopolitan city is evolving every day with an ever growing economy, new employment opportunities and friendly localities.

The place is so self-functional that it was crowned as one of the most livable cities in the world. The Icing on the cake is its local cuisine, public beaches and the weather here never goes extreme.

There are other places to live in Australia like Canberra, Brisbane, Darwin and many more but not everyone gets to be the winner here. That said, the best place to live in Australia is the one you decide to go to.

Australia Day is coming up fast and furiously… and when I take a moment and think about what that day means for me and for other fellow Aussies, the thoughts that come into my mind are firstly:

My mother once saying to me… if you had just held off from being born till the next day, you would have been born on Australia Day and received a silver spoon! (Do they still do that… give silver spoons to babies born on Australia Day?)

Another thought is… ah… a public holiday, however, it is within the school holidays and so the advantage for school kids is not that great from that perspective… however, their parents do get the benefit of that day… plenty of BBQs coming up (and yes, we will be a part of that tradition too… )

What does this day mean to each of us here in Australia?

The tradition of having Australia Day as a national holiday on 26 January is a recent one. Not until 1935 did all the Australian states and territories use that name to mark that date. Not until 1994 did they begin to celebrate Australia Day consistently as a public holiday on that date.

How this all started…

This tradition of noticing 26 January began early in the nineteenth century with Sydney almanacs referring to First Landing Day or Foundation Day. On this day Captain Arthur Phillip arrived in Sydney Cove commanding the First Fleet which consisted of 11 convict ships from England. Captain Arthur Phillip also became the first Governor of New South Wales. By the Union Jack being flown as a British Flag this symbolised the British arrival in Australia of the eastern half of Austral that had previously claimed by Captain James Cook on 22 August in 1770.

So for me… it is a mixture of birthday celebrations and Australia Day celebrations… my BBQ Dream Team will come over and as usual perform their miracles extraordinaire… they are my two son-in-laws that man up the barbee… and what they conjure up is just plain mouth-watering! Added to that will be a chocolate birthday cake.

I am sharing my birthday with one of my daughters from this year onwards, as her birthday is on new year’s eve, and it barely gets a look at… so we from this birthday forward, will share in the celebrations of both birthdays on the one day…

However,

There is now another aspect of Australia Day that we all can be all proud of and that is our beloved country is the home to many, many nationalities… each nationality bringing its own gifts to Australia, and let us not of course forget our own Aborigines, Indigenous Australian Peoples that were here way before the Union Jack Flag was ever first flown!

I always think of the different foods that each nationality brings to the table!!! This is always a really nice place to start!

So with our Flag flying high, our spirits uplifting, our friends over to cheer on this mighty nation, and a thirst for the drink of prosperity, we celebrate this great country proudly and joyously. You all deserve to have a wonderful day.

(Look up your local council website also for day activities for Australia Day… )

Till next week.

Australia is a country that most people find to be a little bit odd, as a result there are a lot of facts about Australia that most people find to be fun. One of the most interesting is that it snows in Australia. Not only does it snow but they actually get more snow than Switzerland does in an average year.

This is a fact about Australia that shocks most people who never think about it snowing in Australia but the fact remains that it does. Obviously the whole continent does not get huge amounts of snow fall but there are areas that get a great deal. These areas are in the mountains, another fact that surprises a lot of people who think of the continent as being very flat.

There are in fact mountains in Australia, while they are not particularly high by the standards that you would find in other countries they do really stand out because the rest of the continent is so flat. The highest peaks are around six thousand feet in height which is plenty high enough to get snow fall in winter. The largest mountain range on the continent is referred to as the Australian Alps and is located near the Capital Region.

Switzerland of course also has mountains, and a lot more of them than Australia which raises the question of how it is possible for Australia to get more snow? The answer is that the mountains in Australia are located near to the coast while Switzerland is a landlocked country. Coastal regions will always get more precipitation than inland regions and if it is cold enough it will fall as snow. In the mountains of Australia it does get cold enough and as a result a great deal of snow falls.

While most people are surprised to learn that it snows in Australia the people who live there are well aware of it, even if it does not affect their daily lives. Skiing has become a very popular sport in the country over the last few years and a number of resorts have been built. As these resorts start to attract more and more foreign tourists who are looking for a place to ski during the summer months at home the amount of snow that Australia gets will probably become more widely known. For now however it remains a fun fact that you can share with your friends.