Laine Gordon

Head of Public Relations

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.

727 articles written by Laine Gordon

/the-seesaw-of-fixed-and-variable-home-loans
Home Loans

The seesaw of fixed and variable home loans

While rates for some variable home loans have increased and fixed mortgage rates dropped, will borrowers be better off fixing their home loans right now? Out of more than 100 lenders monitored by RateCity, 66 have increased their variable home loan rates by as much as 45 basis points from November 1 to November 22.

/do-fixed-rate-home-loans-help-you-save
Home Loans

Do fixed rate home loans help you save?

If some people can save more by fixing their home loan rate, how do you know when it is the right time to fix? Knowing whether to fix or not is the question on most home buyers minds, but this decision all depends on the market and timing.

/to-build-or-not-to-build-that-is-the-question
Home Loans

To build or not to build? That is the question

Are you in the market for a new home? RateCity helps you decide between building a new house or purchasing an existing home.

/does-a-mortgage-offset-account-save-you-money
Home Loans

Does a mortgage offset account save you money?

Are you paying off a mortgage but also have some money saved? There is a way that you can use your savings to help save interest on your home loan. But if it's not used wisely it can end up costing you more.

/are-you-really-stuck-with-your-home-loan-for-life
Home Loans

Are you really stuck with your home loan for life?

Want to move your home loan but worried you are locked in for life? With the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) cracking down on excessive early exit fees and several major banks slashing their mortgage exit fees, the chains around your mortgage could be getting looser.

/reduce-your-car-insurance-bill-and-your-stress-levels
Car Insurance

Reduce your car insurance bill and your stress levels

More people are struggling to make ends meet and pay for bills such as car insurance and will likely keep feeling this way for some time, according to a recent survey from Wesley Mission.

/home-loan-myth-do-you-get-a-better-rate-for-being-loyal
Home Loans

Home loan myth Do you get a better rate for being loyal?

So you've had your savings account with the same financial institution since your primary school days and now you're in your late twenties and in the market for a home loan. Because you've been with the same bank for all of these years, does this mean that they will offer you a better deal for being loyal?

/why-risk-it-don-t-fib-on-your-mortgage-application
Home Loans

Why risk it? Don't fib on your mortgage application

According to a study by Veda Advantage, 1.6 million Australians have lied about their financial information when applying for a loan. Not only is this a shocking number of people being dishonest but the nightmare that this behaviour can be very damaging to the applicants and their families.

/is-everything-negotiable-when-it-comes-to-home-loans
Home Loans

Is everything negotiable when it comes to home loans?

More customers are using their powers of persuasion for a better deal on their home loans, but is it really paying off? According to a survey by Choice, out of 2170 people surveyed, one-third of customers with home loans asked their financial institution for reduced rates and to their surprise most of them got what they asked for.

/low-doc-home-loan-rates-lower-than-before-gfc
Home Loans

Low doc home loan rates lower than before GFC

New research from RateCity shows that despite a decrease in the number of low-doc loans available, the number of applications is on the rise. Before the GFC hit our shores there was an abundance of low-doc home loans available, however the effects of the GFC saw the numbers decline dramatically.