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Learn more about how to manage your personal finances with RateCity's home loan articles, including how-to-guides on comparing home loan interest rates, fees, features and other benefits.

Mark Bristow

Personal Finance Editor

What is LVR?

LVR stands for Loan to Value Ratio, and is a comparison of how much you’re borrowing with your mortgage (the Loan) to how much the property you’re purchasing is worth (the Value).

Home Loans

31 Oct, 2017

2 min read

Alex Ritchie

Personal Finance Editor

Using a reverse mortgage to pay for retirement

The average age of borrowers taking out a reverse mortgage is 75, so many Aussies are turning to reverse mortgages to pay for their retirement.

Home Loans

30 Oct, 2017

5 min read

Using a reverse mortgage to pay for retirement

Nick Bendel

Property & Personal Finance Writer

Aussies flushing thousands of dollars down the toilet

Ever fancied the idea of flushing money down the toilet? It sounds ridiculous, yet many Australians do something similar.

Home Loans

20 Oct, 2017

3 min read

Aussies flushing thousands of dollars down the toilet

Alex Ritchie

Personal Finance Editor

5 ways to save your home deposit faster

When you’re scraping by to save for your home deposit, the dream can start to feel more like fantasy than reality. RateCity has compiled a list of new and timeless ways you can save your home deposit faster.

Home Loans

09 Oct, 2017

4 min read

Nick Bendel

Property & Personal Finance Writer

What is conveyancing?

Conveyancing is the process of transferring legal ownership of a property from one party to another.

Home Loans

29 Sep, 2017

3 min read

Nick Bendel

Property & Personal Finance Writer

Why do banks change interest rates when the cash rate is steady?

Banks, credit unions, building societies and non-bank lenders often take their lead from the Reserve Bank of Australia when making decisions about interest rates.

Home Loans

21 Sep, 2017

2 min read

Why do banks change interest rates when the cash rate is steady?

Nick Bendel

Property & Personal Finance Writer

These 5 home loan traps could cost you massive dollars

Taking out a mortgage can be an intimidating and confusing process – and the banks don’t exactly go out of their way to make it simpler.

Home Loans

14 Sep, 2017

4 min read

These 5 home loan traps could cost you massive dollars

Alex Ritchie

Personal Finance Editor

Hidden fee traps and how you can avoid them

RateCity spoke to Sydney mother of two, Natalie, about how she found herself falling into her banks’ fee traps, and how she’s choosing to break the cycle.

Home Loans

07 Sep, 2017

8 min read

Hidden fee traps and how you can avoid them

Mark Bristow

Personal Finance Editor

How can I pay my loan off faster?

Whether you have a home loan, a personal loan or a car loan, it’s likely that you’d prefer your debt to be paid off as soon as possible. The longer you owe money to a bank or lender, the more interest you’ll be charged, until the total cost eventually exceeds any benefits offered by the loan.

Home Loans

05 Sep, 2017

5 min read

Nick Bendel

Property & Personal Finance Writer

What is APRA?

APRA, or the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority as it is officially known, is the prudential regulator of Australia’s financial services industry.

Home Loans

24 Aug, 2017

1 min read

Alex Ritchie

Personal Finance Editor

What is a principal and interest home loan?

Home loan repayments are either made on a ‘principal and interest’ basis or they are paid by ‘interest-only’ instalments.

Home Loans

11 Aug, 2017

4 min read

What is a principal and interest home loan?

Mark Bristow

Personal Finance Editor

Is it safe to get a home loan with a small lender?

While there are certainly benefits to getting your mortgage from a major bank like Australia’s Big Four, it’s the smaller lenders that tend to offer the more competitive interest rates, fees and charges that give the big banks a run for their money.

Home Loans

09 Aug, 2017

3 min read