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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.

Laine Gordon

Money Editor

How much is too much debt?

Buying your first home doesn't have to be a financial headache. There are ways to ensure you don't overstep your mortgage budget and borrow more that you can afford.

Home Loans

22 Nov, 2011

3 min read

Laine Gordon

Money Editor

How to get a holiday home to call your own

If owning a home is the great Australian dream, surely owning a holiday home is the dream on steroids.

Home Loans

20 Nov, 2011

3 min read

How to get a holiday home to call your own

Laine Gordon

Money Editor

How to capitalise on a holiday home

If owning a home is the great Australian dream, surely owning a holiday home is the dream on steroids.

Home Loans

20 Nov, 2011

3 min read

Laine Gordon

Money Editor

Five ways to save as a first-home buyer

Buying your first home is an experience fraught with excitement, anticipation and fear, in constantly changing doses. The main anxiety-inducing aspect of the process is the cost. But don't despair: here are five ways to save when you are buying your first home and taking on a mortgage.

Home Loans

16 Nov, 2011

3 min read

Kate Cowling

Cut your home loan debt with extra repayments

Conquering your debt is no easy feat and when you sign up for a home loan, it can feel like you will never get to the end of those home loan repayments. However, if you can tighten those purse strings and find a little extra to put into your repayments you could save a huge amount of money and cut years off your loan.

Home Loans

14 Nov, 2011

3 min read

Cut your home loan debt with extra repayments

Laine Gordon

Money Editor

Five ways to save $1000s when buying property

It doesn't matter which way you look at it, buying a home is an expensive exercise. Thankfully, the benefits can outweigh the negatives – you gain security, the satisfaction of designing your home exactly to your taste, and you stop wasting money on rent.

Home Loans

10 Nov, 2011

3 min read

Five ways to save $1000s when buying property

Laine Gordon

Money Editor

Save a packet with a package

If you're trying to get a better deal on your mortgage, and improve your finances generally, it may be worth considering a package home loan, which bundles your mortgage together with other financial products, such as credit cards and everyday transaction accounts.

Home Loans

10 Nov, 2011

2 min read

Patricia Babalis

Are low rate home loans really the best?

You won't have any trouble locating a low interest rate home loan today. The Australian financial market is very competitive and it's never been easier to compare home loans online. But is lowest the best? You need to learn to make the most of low interest rates.

Home Loans

10 Nov, 2011

2 min read

Are low rate home loans really the best?

RateCity

The costs of home loan insurance

These days it feels like we need insurance for everything. It's one of those things, we often don't realise we need until it's too late. Lender's Mortgage Insurance on the other hand, is not an optional insurance but instead a compulsory insurance some lenders enforce onto borrowers whom they consider a higher risk customer.

Home Loans

10 Nov, 2011

3 min read

Jodie Humphries

Personal Finance Editor

How to locate the best home loan rates

Getting the top home loan rate for your home loan can be a tiring task – researching different lenders, talking to them and comparing interest rates can be a real time killer. But it doesn’t have to be so hard, particularly when you can easily compare home loans from the comfort of your lounge room.

Home Loans

10 Nov, 2011

2 min read

Laine Gordon

Money Editor

Has your lender passed on the savings?

Even if they didn't back a winning horse in the race that stops a nation, Australian homeowners still scored a victory on Melbourne Cup Day, with news that the Reserve Bank dropped the official cash interest rate by 0.25 percent, to 4.50 percent.

Home Loans

02 Nov, 2011

3 min read

Laine Gordon

Money Editor

Top real estate bargains in Australia

Ever wondered where the best real estate bargains can be found in the country? You probably guessed it; they aren't in our big cities! In fact, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney all ranked in the top 10 most unaffordable metropolitan cities of the world, according to Demograhia's latest International Housing Affordability Survey.

Home Loans

31 Oct, 2011

3 min read