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laine-gordon

Laine Gordon

Head of Public Relations

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Laine Gordon is the Head of Public Relations at RateCity and an experienced journalist and research specialist. With a background in news and feature writing, covering finance, media and even food (a passion of hers) at Reed Elsevier publications, Laine brings almost two decades of experience to the team. Having covered major areas of interest to the general public from hip pocket issues to rising and falling interest rates and the impact to mortgages, credit and saving in Australia, she is passionate about researching and telling people’s stories to help others make better decisions about their own finances.

956 articles written by Laine Gordon

Home Loans

Ten tips for investment property buyers

With tax return time just around the corner, now could be a great time to buy your first investment property. Here are some tips to build your property portfolio faster.

laine-gordon

Laine Gordon -

06 May, 2011 -

2 min read

Home Loans

Is Australian home affordability on par with the world?

Home ownership rates have forged ahead in many developed countries, but Australia is not one of them. A new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development found that 69.5 percent of Australians own their own home, down from 71.4 percent in the 1990s.

laine-gordon

Laine Gordon -

05 May, 2011 -

2 min read

Bank Accounts

Transaction fees exceed $413.5 million this year

More Australians are shopping smarter and using their transaction accounts for purchases rather than credit cards compared with this time last year, new figures have revealed.

laine-gordon

Laine Gordon -

05 May, 2011 -

3 min read

Home Loans

Avoid mortgage application traps and gain quick approval

Applying for your first mortgage can be an overwhelming process, with all of the paperwork and documentation required by a financial institution. So to give yourself the best chance at approval and to maximise the amount you can borrow, it's worth taking the time to get your affairs in order first

laine-gordon

Laine Gordon -

04 May, 2011 -

3 min read

Home Loans

Borrowers to benefit in home loan market slump

The number of home loans written in February this year was the lowest in a decade, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures. But there is some good news for buyers and those looking to refinance, which are set to benefit from growing competition in the lending market.

laine-gordon

Laine Gordon -

04 May, 2011 -

3 min read

Home Loans

Investment property taxes, proposed changes for 2011

With Treasurer Wayne Swan busy tinkering with the next budget, there have been suggestions that cutbacks on tax concessions for investment properties are on the agenda.

laine-gordon

Laine Gordon -

04 May, 2011 -

2 min read

Home Loans

What does pre-approval really mean?

It’s easy to have your home loan pre-approved, but it doesn’t necessarily mean your lender will part with the funds at crunch time. There are dozens of lenders offering so-called online loan approval in 60 seconds, but it’s not until your application is assessed for risk by a live action human being that you’re in the clear

laine-gordon

Laine Gordon -

30 Apr, 2011 -

2 min read

Home Loans

Australia's top three most popular home loans

The variable rate home loan is Australia’s most popular. This loan calculates interest on your mortgage based on the Reserve Bank’s cash rate. If interest rates go up, you pay more, if you they go down you pay a less.

laine-gordon

Laine Gordon -

29 Apr, 2011 -

2 min read

Home Loans

Auction vs. private treaty: which one is right for you

In Australia, private treaty still proliferates with only around 15 percent of property sales the result of the auction process. Benefits of selling at auction: it puts a time frame on the sale.

laine-gordon

Laine Gordon -

28 Apr, 2011 -

2 min read

Credit Cards

Aussies waste $1.3 billion on credit card fees

Australians are spending in excess of $1.3 billion in credit card fees each year, despite the fact that more than two dozen fee-free cards now exist in the market, RateCity has found.

laine-gordon

Laine Gordon -

28 Apr, 2011 -

3 min read