Bathroom renovation trends for 2016

A bathroom renovation can spark life and luxury into even the most tired of properties.

Interest-only loans are back

Interest-only loans have seen a resurgence, despite questions raised by a regulatory review about their appropriateness for certain borrowers.

Pros and cons of buying off the plan

With capital cities across Australia suffering from a housing shortage – which subsequently pushes up property prices – the proliferation of new developments is seen as contributing to meeting the housing needs of our growing urban populations.

Five critical questions for car buyers

The decision to buy a new car may seem insignificant compared to purchasing a house, but the due diligence required is very similar.

How to buy a home and start investing in property

Once upon a time, every Australian might have had their eyes on the nuclear family with two and a half children and the house with the red door.

How to take advantage of record low mortgage rates

The RBA’s decision to leave the cash rate on hold at 2 per cent for the 10th month in a row is unsurprising, to say the least, but little comfort for mortgage holders struggling to get ahead on their home loan repayments. One of the best ways to prepare for an increase in rates is to switch to one of the lowest interest rates on the market and put the savings you make towards additional repayments on your loan. Not only will this help pay down your loan faster, it will also reduce the amount of interest you pay your bank over the life of your loan by tens of thousands of dollars.

It's time to be water wise as water costs climb

RateCity has put together a list of our top 15 water saving times in time for summer.

Australia's pension system ranks high but has a hazy future

Australia is a world leader when it comes to the aged pension but that doesn't mean there's not room for improvement. As we live longer and our ageing population continues to rise, experts warn that our first-class pension system will deteriorate under the added strain if changes aren't made.

Investors get cold feet as banks put the squeeze on interest

September ABS figures showed that the investment housing commitments fell by a whopping 8.5 percent (seasonally adjusted) or $1.24 billion, from the previous month. The drop in investor borrowing is largely, if not solely, but to the introduction of different interest rates for investors and owner-occupiers, a practice which has been taken up by half the market already.

Reserve Bank unlikely to cut the cash rate _ just yet

A number of key economic indicators are pointing to a rate cut this month, but experts agree that the RBA is likely to take a 'wait and see' approach.