Home Loans Articles

Perks and pitfalls to watch out for when you're mortgage shopping

It’s not just interest rates that can hurt your bottom dollar. Fees and establishment costs can make a big difference to the amount you pay for your mortgage.

Mortgage comparisons top tips on how to get the best deal

There are countless mortgage comparison facilities available, but what do you really need to know when you’re looking for a home loan? Here are some essential criteria to help you choose the best mortgage.

How do low introductory rate mortgages stack up?

Competition in the banking sector fired up last month when CUA launched a new home loan package with one of the cheapest introductory rates on the market. But how does it compare with top mortgages monitored by RateCity?

Reduce mortgage stress with a few simple steps

If you are a few months behind on your mortgage repayments and facing a default notice, you are not alone. You'll likely find there is often a really easy fix to mortgage stress, such as looking to go interest-free for a while to reduce the repayment or consolidating other loans.

No and low deposit mortgages benefits and drawbacks

While no deposit home loans and low deposit home loans have become harder to come by in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis, if you can track one down, it can help you to buy property when you have little or no savings to put towards a home loan deposit.

Mortgage exit fees What do the new rules mean?

As part of the federal government’s overhaul of the banking sector, Treasurer Wayne Swan recently announced a ban on mortgage exit fees as of July 1, 2011.

Are low rate introductory home loans good value?

Introductory home loan incentives may look enticing to home buyers but for most, the important thing is the value of the loan long term.

Home owners fix rates amid rate rise speculation

Despite no change to the cash rate in the past four months, Australian home owners are bracing for an interest rate rise and are rushing to lock in their mortgage interest rates at record levels since October 2010.

Commonwealth Bank's fee free but not the cheapest mortgage

Competition between the major banks escalated this month when the Commonwealth Bank (CBA) unveiled its new No-Fee Home Loan. But how does it stack up when compared with some of the top mortgages monitored by RateCity and does a fee-free option always equal a cheaper home loan?

Is the honeymoon over for introductory rate loans?

Home owners are wising up to some deceptively pricey introductory rate home loans, with application rates at record low levels last month for the mortgages RateCity monitors.

Bank's ads sway unknowing customers

Just one month since launching an advertising campaign designed to distance itself from the other major banks, NAB has had a surge in account applications. Home loan enquiries soared by more than a third since the campaign was rolled out on February 14.

How to think like a home owner before you buy

The next two years will likely see a spike in the number of first home buyers entering the market. Fed up with increasing rental prices, more than half of the 1000 prospective home buyers surveyed in the annual Future First Homebuyer Survey were looking to the property market for refuge.

Shop to chop thousands off your mortgage

Mortgage holders breathed a sigh of relief earlier this month when the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) chose to hold the cash rate at 4.75 percent for the fourth consecutive month.

The ship has almost sailed for fixed home loans

If you're deciding whether to fix your home loan or go variable, the choice may have been made for you, with fixed interest rates on the rise. Fixed home loans are looking to be on their way up and many borrowers probably missed the boat on locking in a great fixed interest rate on their home loan.

Bank wars take advantage of new competition

With the home loan market heating up, the banking war can mean big savings for your home loan and other financial products.

Compare and save on home loans

So you've made the big decision to buy a home? Now comes the fun part - the research, processes and paperwork. The first stop is selecting a home loan.

Don't settle for average save $36,000 on your home loan

Despite the lure of an ever-enticing $7000 First Home Owner Grant coupled with up to $19,500 worth of other grants on offer, the number of new Australian owner-occupier mortgages hit a 10-year low in 2010.

Aussies consider locking home loans before rate hikes

After a year filled with consecutive rate hikes, many Australians are turning to the old staple of fixed home loans to bring them relief in 2011. With the floods staving off more aggressive rate rises in the near future, many are predicting more hikes later on. So is this the perfect time to lock yourself in?