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Home Loans Articles

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.

Laine Gordon

Money Editor

First home buyers locked out of city pads

Studios and small one-bedroom apartments close to central business districts are out of reach for many first home buyers, with some property agents pointing the finger at banks.

Home Loans

05 Aug, 2012

3 min read

First home buyers locked out of city pads
Laine Gordon

Money Editor

Investors surge back into the property market

Rising rents and lower interest rates are drawing investors back into the property market, giving Australia's gloomy lending sector some cause for optimism.

Home Loans

02 Aug, 2012

2 min read

Investors surge back into the property market
Laine Gordon

Money Editor

Can your postcode stop you from home loan approval?

Where you live could be one of the factors that determine how successful you will be with home loan approval, according to reports of concerns raised by Financial Services Minister Bill Shorten.

Home Loans

26 Jul, 2012

2 min read

Can your postcode stop you from home loan approval?
Laine Gordon

Money Editor

Lenders reach new heights to attract home loan customers

Competition for borrowers has moved to new heights, as the slow mortgage market hits lenders hard.

Home Loans

19 Jul, 2012

2 min read

Lenders reach new heights to attract home loan customers
Laine Gordon

Money Editor

Home loan revival: more borrowers hit the market

Signs of life are returning to the home loan market, with the latest figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), analysed by RateCity, showing the highest number of borrowers taking out a home loan for almost three years.

Home Loans

12 Jul, 2012

3 min read

Home loan revival: more borrowers hit the market
Laine Gordon

Money Editor

First home buyer warning: watch your borrowing budgets

First home buyers are being warned to watch their borrowing budgets, following new data showing a rise in property prices last month.

Home Loans

04 Jul, 2012

3 min read

First home buyer warning: watch your borrowing budgets
Laine Gordon

Money Editor

Homeowners split on the best mortgage options

The use of fixed rate mortgages has increased five-fold since early 2010, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics' housing finance data.

Home Loans

29 Jun, 2012

3 min read

Homeowners split on the best mortgage options
Laine Gordon

Money Editor

How to boost your borrowing power

As part of the ongoing fallout from the Global Financial Crisis, the banks, building societies and credit unions have progressively tightened their lending criteria much to the vexation of aspiring homeowners.

Home Loans

28 Jun, 2012

3 min read

How to boost your borrowing power
Laine Gordon

Money Editor

Home ownership out of reach for families

For many families their own home is their major financial asset; because capital gains on sale of owner-occupied housing in Australia are exempt from taxation, increases in the value of homes has therefore been a vital part of how wealth gets created in Australia for average families.

Home Loans

28 Jun, 2012

3 min read

Home ownership out of reach for families
Laine Gordon

Money Editor

Should the rich lend to the poor?

As more Australians slip below the poverty line, with a growing number excluded from affordable basic financial services, experts are turning their attention to a new British banking model, which is paving the way for a fresh batch of "ethical" credit unions.

Home Loans

26 Jun, 2012

3 min read

Should the rich lend to the poor?
Laine Gordon

Money Editor

Weddings today are big business

Weddings are more than a celebration of love and commitment – they are also a big financial decision.

Home Loans

26 Jun, 2012

3 min read

Weddings today are big business
Laine Gordon

Money Editor

What first time buyers need to know

Fewer first home buyers are locking into a mortgage, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Home Loans

25 Jun, 2012

3 min read

What first time buyers need to know