Even from a young age, everyone is aware that banks exist, and we become very used to depositing our money with them and, eventually (hopefully), getting a mortgage. Most people think of a mortgage as being something you get for a place you want to live in, or maybe an investment property that someone else will live in.

The fact is that as you get older and wiser and understand opportunities in the property space you start to appreciate that you may need more than just a mortgage for a residential property. Some of the mortgage options with the banks we all know do extend outside of the standard mortgage-for-a-place-to live but a lot of them do not. Most of the bigger banks are used to commercial property transactions but there are a number of areas that trading banks would prefer not to become involved in or, at the very least, limit their exposure to.

Funding for such things as developments, property trading, borrowers with a poor credit history (or poor payment history), certain types of builds, non-provable income (or not-long-enough provable income), overseas income, second mortgages, land, sub-divisions, personal and bridging loans may fall outside of what your local bank can offer.

Just because the bank cannot lend on a project does not mean that funding cannot be obtained. Sometimes it is as simple as going to another bank who may have more appetite for a certain type of deal at a particular time. Sometimes, the type of deal falls outside of the trading banks completely but may fit another type of funder perfectly.

The key is access to credit and a good Broker will have a number of sources available – inside and outside of the standard banking environment.

Talk to us to find out if that project you have in mind could work. Maybe it will, and you don’t want to miss out on an opportunity just because you didn’t ask the question.

The looming trade war between the United States and China will have an effect well beyond the two countries' borders, with New Zealand likely to be caught in the middle. While not directly involved, trading nations like New Zealand could be adversely affected by the rise of protectionism, and the general undermining of the World Trade Organisation. While American and Chinese consumers will take most of the heat, the war of attrition between the two trading giants will also affect global markets and the principles of international trade.

New Zealand property values are flat heading into winter, as stock levels rise, time on market increases, and Auckland becomes a buyer's market for the first time in years. While the Wellington market is still strong and certain regional markets are performing well, Christchurch is down and national figures are cooling. According to Quotable Value (QV), the average value of all residential dwellings throughout the country was $677,618 in March, up 7.3 percent compared to March last year.

When it comes to exercise, procrastination is all too easy due to the mental and physical barriers that we put in place. People who want to get fit are often told to join a gym or buy an expensive piece of workout equipment - things that cost more time and money than most people have. There is a solution, however, working out at home. By turning your home into a gym and getting inspired by your domestic environment, you can break down the barriers that have been holding you back for so long.

From Miniature Poodles and Chihuahuas through to German Shepherds and Great Danes, there’s a reason why dogs are called man's best friend. Whether you want to get active, improve your social life, or reduce your stress levels, dogs can do wonders for your health and wellbeing. Owning a dog has even been linked to having a longer life, so what are you waiting for, grab your collar and lead or head down to the local pet shop and introduce yourself to your new best friend.

After decades of searching for signs of life in the stars, the very thing we've been looking for may have been on our galactic doorstep all along. A recent article in the Astrobiology journal suggests there may be life in the clouds of Venus. An international team of scientists, including researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have used evidence from new Venus footage to make these speculations. While Venus’ atmosphere has everything micro-organisms would need to survive, the study authors won't know what's really going on until they send a floating aircraft to comb the skies of Venus.