I may not always be a big fan of politicians – from any party – but any politician who tells my bank not to raise my mortgage interest rate has got to be okay in my books. That’s what the federal treasurer Wayne Swan has been saying this week after a big government announcment on the ending of bank funding guarantees. Continue Reading »

Despite many predictions to the contrary, the Reserve Bank of Australia met today and decided not to raise the official cash rate again. Good news, and quite unexpected, for all of us mortgage holders out there who had been expecting to see another rise in interest rates. Continue Reading »

There are many different variations on mortgages and home loans out there for you to choose from, but two kinds which have some distinct differences are a regular mortgage and a line of credit (also known as a home equity loan). Just before I bought my first home a few years ago, I got a tip that a line of credit might be the right kind of loan for me. If you want to know if it’s right for you too, then read on. Continue Reading »

If you’re looking to get your first mortgage, or even to refinance, you’ll most likely have a meeting with a lender or mortgage broker – someone who’s an expert in mortgages and home loans. The problem is these experts sometimes forget that we’re not all experts, and they might bamboozle you with mortgage terminology or bank jargon that starts to make little sense. But it’s really important that you understand what they’re going on about – this is your money, and most probably it’s quite a lot of your money. Continue Reading »