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mark-bristow

Mark Bristow

Personal Finance Editor

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Mark Bristow is RateCity's Home & Personal Finances Editor, and an experienced analyst, researcher, and producer. While primarily focused on Australian mortgage and home loan expertise, he has experience across energy, home and travel insurances. Mark has been a journalist and writer in the financial space for over ten years, previously researching and writing commercial real estate at CoreLogic. In the years since, Mark has worked for the Winning Group, Expedia, and has seen articles published at Lifehacker and Business Insider.

1009 articles written by Mark Bristow

Home Loans

Mortgage repayment calculators

Mortgage repayment calculators are great tools for working out exactly how much your home loan may cost you. This can not only help you plan your household budget, but allow you to estimate the total cost of interest charges and the overall value of your home loan. 

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

08 Feb, 2022 -

4 min read

Home Loans

20 suburbs for buyers and sellers to watch

A new report has found 20 suburbs around Australia where home buyers, sellers and investors can expect to see prices rise in the near future.

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

07 Feb, 2022 -

2 min read

Home Loans

What is an interest-only home loan?

Interest-only home loans are a type of mortgage where the borrower only has to pay the interest charged on the principal balance. Because they are only required to pay interest, the monthly repayments are lower. This leaves borrowers with more money available in their monthly household budgets for use elsewhere.

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

07 Feb, 2022 -

3 min read

Home Loans

Commonwealth Bank backs OwnHome as alternative option for first home buyers

One of Australia’s oldest mortgage lenders, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), is putting its money behind one of Australia’s newest rent to own start-ups, OwnHome, as high house prices send more first home buyers in search of alternative paths to home ownership.

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

04 Feb, 2022 -

5 min read

Home Loans

Tic:Toc offers $2022 cashback to start 2022

Online lender Tic:Toc is offering eligible customers who refinance with them the chance to start 2022 a bonus $2022 cashback.

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

01 Feb, 2022 -

2 min read

Credit Cards

Back to school expenses putting more pressure on post-holiday budgets

Australian parents are set to spend 9 per cent more on back to school supplies this year than they did last year, with three in five saying they plan to cover this cost using buy now pay later (BNPL) or credit cards.

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

27 Jan, 2022 -

2 min read

Home Loans

How much could your mortgage payments cost if interest rates rise?

New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show a 3.5 per cent jump in inflation over the past year. If rising inflation forces the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA’s) hand into increasing the national cash rate, what could this mean for the household budgets of Australia’s mortgage holders?

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

25 Jan, 2022 -

3 min read

NBN Plans

What’s the difference between ADSL and NBN?

With Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN) having been rolled out across the country, older ADSL and cable internet technologies have been largely phased out. So how exactly is your connection to the NBN an upgrade from the ADSL or cable service you used to enjoy?

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

18 Jan, 2022 -

4 min read

NBN Plans

FTTP vs FTTN vs FTTC

Each of these terms refers to an option for connecting your home to the NBN. While they may sound interchangeable, each option can make a big difference to your home broadband service, and what the best NBN plans to suit your needs may be. 

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

18 Jan, 2022 -

5 min read

NBN Plans

How to access the NBN when renting

While renting your home can provide some flexibility, it can also mean plenty of challenges to overcome. Access to the National Broadband Network (NBN) from your rental property is just one of these, with the download speeds available to you often varying between different properties in different areas, which could make a significant difference to your lifestyle. 

mark-bristow

Mark Bristow -

18 Jan, 2022 -

5 min read