Your Property Guide

Property glossary

What is HEM (Household Expenditure Measure)?

A benchmark used by Australian lenders to assess a borrower's living expenses when calculating loan serviceability. If a borrower's declared expenses are lower than HEM, the lender typically uses HEM. HEM was introduced to address concerns about lenders accepting unrealistically low expense estimates.

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How to choose a selling agent

Interview process, the appraisal-price trap, and the listing agreement.