Laine Gordon

Save $50,000 on your home loan Here's how!

Interest rate rises hit home for people with variable rate mortgages, despite being cheaper than most fixed rate loans. When looking at home loans it is easy to be drawn in by promises of low interest rates without considering all the conditions of the loan.

Mortgage talk made easy

Buying a new home is a trying time and the jargon bandied about by mortgage brokers, banks and real estate agents can add to the confusion. Whether you’re buying your first home or trading up or down, the process of finding the right home loan for your needs can be long and laborious.

To buy or not to buy Clearance rates skyrocket

Is now the time to ride the property market clearance wave or wait till the tide turns? A sales splurge has swept the Australian mortgage market, with hundreds of properties clearing out every week.

Do packaged loans really save a bundle?

Packaged home loans are very popular, especially when interest rates are rising. But be sure to crunch the numbers to see just how much of a discount you’ll enjoy. A package home loan may not always save a bundle.

Rate rise drives first home buyers out

The future for first home buyers remains uncertain, with more and more exiting the home loan market every month. And now as interest rates rise, and government grants are reduced, their triumphant return is more unlikely than ever.

Are coastal homes an affordable dream?

A fall in coastal property prices over the past year has created more opportunities for people thinking of a sea change. As people scrambled to snap up houses in metropolitan areas, competition on the coast has waned, but property research from RP Data suggests the tide will soon turn.

Watch your credit habits - Tougher lending on the way

New credit and privacy laws could make it harder and more expensive to get a home loan so get your credit habits in order now. A new national scheme for regulating credit is to be phased in between now and July 2011.

What is the real cost of buying a property?

What exactly do you have to pay for when purchasing a home? Number one fee to hit your back pocket of course is stamp duty, followed by more upfront fees.

Home alone Can single income buyers afford a home?

Many young professionals on a single income have been pondering their chances of survival in the home buying game. But how affordable is it to step into the property market right now?

Why Gen Y is broke $2.6B lent to friends

Generation Y is struggling to manage their finances, with the vast majority resorting to borrowing and lending informally between friends and peers, a St George Bank survey has found. Just what will it take for Gen Y to learn the savings lesson?