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Home Loans

What is Lender's Mortgage Insurance?

Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) is an insurance policy that protects your lender if you default on your mortgage. The cost of LMI can be significant, and may affect your home loan budget when buying a property or refinancing a mortgage.

Mark Bristow

Mark Bristow -

18 Mar, 2024 -

4 min read

Home Loans

Big banks vs small banks for mortgages

Choosing your mortgage provider can sometimes involve as much research as locating your ideal property. After all, you wouldn’t purchase the first property you saw without looking inside, so why would you treat your mortgage this way?

Alex Ritchie

Alex Ritchie -

05 Mar, 2024 -

6 min read

Home Loans

How to apply for a home loan

Getting your first home loan doesn’t have to be as intimidating as it sounds. With just a little preparation, you can confidently calculate how much you can afford to borrow, what support you may be able to get, and how to make an application that’s more likely to be approved by the bank.

Mark Bristow

Mark Bristow -

29 Feb, 2024 -

11 min read

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Home Insurance

What home insurance do I need for an apartment?

Many apartments are already covered by strata insurance, so you may not need to apply for a traditional home insurance policy to cover damage to the property. However, strata insurance may not always offer the cover you need. If you’re one of the 10% of Australians who live in apartments, it could be worth comparing contents insurance policies and other options.

Mark Bristow

Mark Bristow -

26 Apr, 2024 -

4 min read

Home Insurance

New home insurance - what do you need to know?

Purchasing a new home is exciting, but can also be a busy time. One of the most important things you’ll need to do after purchasing a property is to organise insurance.

Mark Bristow

Mark Bristow -

22 Feb, 2024 -

4 min read

Home Insurance

Is insurance a requirement of having a mortgage?

While home insurance isn’t compulsory in Australia, many mortgage lenders require borrowers to have a home insurance policy in place over a property before they’ll approve a home loan application.

Mark Bristow

Mark Bristow -

21 Aug, 2023 -

4 min read

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Credit Score

How good debts and bad debts can affect your credit score

Is there such a thing as 'good debt' and what could it mean for your financial future?

Mark Bristow

Mark Bristow -

16 Feb, 2024 -

4 min read

Credit Score

Will multiple home loan applications affect my credit rating?

Making multiple home loan applications can have adverse effects on your credit history, credit score and your likelihood for approval from any one of the lenders.

Alex Ritchie

Alex Ritchie -

03 Jul, 2023 -

4 min read

Credit Score

Will paying off a personal loan increase my credit score?

Reaching the end of your loan term and making your final repayment can be a satisfying feat. But will paying off your personal loan give your credit score a boost, or could it have the opposite effect?

Mark Bristow

Mark Bristow -

29 Jul, 2023 -

4 min read

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Personal Loans

Can I take out a personal loan after getting a home loan?

After successfully securing a home loan and purchasing a property, it’s not uncommon for mortgage holders to be strapped for cash. You might consider taking out a personal loan to help pay for renovations costs, buy new furniture, or simply to cover necessary everyday expenses.

Peter Terlato

Peter Terlato -

20 Jun, 2023 -

4 min read

Personal Loans

Credit card vs personal loan: which is better?

Choosing between a personal loan and a credit card can be a tough financial decision. Let’s explore whether a credit card or a personal loan may be better for your specific financial goals. 

Alex Ritchie

Alex Ritchie -

13 Dec, 2023 -

4 min read

Personal Loans

Will my personal loan repayments drop with a new interest rate?

Your personal loan repayments will drop with a new, lower interest rate. However, you will typically need to negotiate or refinance for a lower interest rate, as a personal loan rate may not fluctuate with the RBA's cash rate. 

Alex Ritchie

Alex Ritchie -

18 Sep, 2023 -

5 min read

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Car Loans

Can I increase my home loan to buy a car?

If the time has come to upgrade to a new set of wheels, but your savings won’t quite cover the purchase cost, you might be weighing up your financing options.

Alex Ritchie

Alex Ritchie -

06 Nov, 2023 -

5 min read

Car Loans

How to choose between fixed and variable rate car loans

Before you buy a new set of wheels, it helps to explore your financing options and choose the right type of car loan to get the maximum value out of the deal. Unfortunately, there's no formula to decide which car loan is the best for you, but learning more about the available options can help you make an informed choice. 

Vidhu Bajaj

Vidhu Bajaj -

12 May, 2023 -

4 min read

Car Loans

How do you refinance a car loan?

If you’re looking for a more competitive interest rate, or your circumstances have simply changed, it might be worth considering refinancing.

Peter Terlato

Peter Terlato -

10 Nov, 2023 -

7 min read

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Energy

10 ways to save on electricity and gas at home

Whether you’re trying to be more environmentally conscious, or are sick of paying through the teeth for your utilities, Australian homeowners are increasingly seeking ways to trim down their electricity and gas expenses.  

Alex Ritchie

Alex Ritchie -

17 Nov, 2023 -

4 min read

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Credit Cards

Should you pay off your credit cards before buying a house?

It may be worthwhile paying off your credit card debt before buying a house, as this may make your mortgage application look better to a lender, and potentially improve your credit score.

Alex Ritchie

Alex Ritchie -

12 Jul, 2023 -

5 min read

Credit Cards

What do I need to get a credit card?

Increase your chances of credit card approval by discovering the essential requirements for getting a credit card in Australia.

Vidhu Bajaj

Vidhu Bajaj -

25 May, 2023 -

5 min read

Credit Cards

How long does it take to transfer my credit card balance?

Balance transfer credit cards can be an invaluable tool for cardholders hoping to work off their existing card debt. But just how long does it actually take to transfer your existing balance over to your new credit card?

Alex Ritchie

Alex Ritchie -

08 Aug, 2023 -

5 min read

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Bank Accounts

How can I find bank accounts in my name?

If you’ve ever opened more than one bank account in the past, could you have forgotten about some money that you’ve left behind, which is still waiting to be claimed? And if you think you might have, or if you’re not quite sure, how can you go about finding these outstanding accounts and claiming this unclaimed money?

Mark Bristow

Mark Bristow -

29 Jun, 2023 -

4 min read

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