Home Loans

One of the most common questions we get is; how do I get a lower interest rate on my mortgage?

In this video, Liz Zaki will walk you through the 6 factors that help answer this question. There are 6 factors that govern how easy it is for you to get a lower interest rate on your mortgage. They all apply equally.

1 – Loan Purpose

Is the mortgage or home loan in question used for your primary place of residence? Or is it used for an investment property?

The mortgage market in Australia can be very complicated. With that in mind, here are the top 7 reasons to use a mortgage broker next time you want to find a new home loan.

Most mortgage brokers have access to a huge range of lenders. They should be able to provide you with a huge choice of rates and mortgage options. With partnerships in a vast array of lending institutions, including banks, credit unions, trusts, national and regional lenders, and non-traditional lenders, a good broker will be able to help design the perfect mortgage for you.

One of the common problems that home buyers face is not having enough cash to guarantee for their purchase.

Sometimes you can’t unlock the equity in an existing asset such as your home or investment property. Sometimes times you don’t want to use extra / bridging finance such as when you’re trying to sell and buy at the same time.

Sometimes you aren’t able to get the funds together quickly enough to secure the new property. This often happens when you want to go to auction or when you have to act quickly on a private treaty sale.

Do you want some quick ways to save a lot of money?

How often do you check your accounts and credit card statements?

Do you re-assess your expenses regularly?

Tax time is always a good time of year to get your finances sorted as it’s when we all go through the past year’s expenses. If you’re looking to buy a new property, or just looking at saving some dollars throughout the year, it is a good idea to go through your current finances and expenses to see where you can save a few thousand dollars a year.

Most borrowers often ask, how much can I borrow? This question can be answered by looking how the Banks calculate your borrowing capacity.

Every bank has their own calculator to work out your borrowing capacity. Having said that, the information that gets entered into the different calculators is largely the same. The video in this article will discuss the criteria the banks use to calculate your borrowing capacity.

The factors involved in calculating your borrowing capacity boil down to your income, your living expenses and your current liabilities.

Genuine Savings are the funds you saved yourself over a period of time. If you are considering entering the property market, you will need to be prepared to have a deposit of at least 5% of the property value in order to qualify for a home loan. This rises to at least 10% of the property value if you’re looking for an investment loan.

Having said the above, having the 5% deposit does not automatically qualify you for a home loan. Home loan applicants are required to have genuine savings, as well as the initial deposit for the loan. 

The ACCC found that existing customers pay more for their home loans. Quite a bit more in fact.

As at June 30, 2018, existing customers were paying interest rates that on average were 32 basis points higher than new customers. This is equal to more than one typical Reserve Bank rate increase.

The ACCC found a borrower with an average sized mortgage could save around $850 a year by getting the same rate as a new customer. This figure is quoted on an Australia wide basis. For a typical Sydney mortgage, the savings could add up to tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.

Did you know that AfterPay and ZipPay can affect your home loan application? Banks have now applied stricter requirements on lending. Customers applying for home loans are required to disclose what they owe on their AfterPay and ZipPay accounts. This is now part of most banks’ serviceability requirements.

In essence, AfterPay and ZipPay are digital credit platforms that give consumers a temporary line of credit.

With the above in mind, if you use these platforms, it is very important to make AfterPay and ZipPay repayments in a timely manner. Additionally, you need to to avoid any fees and charges for late payments. Late or missed payments can affect your home loan application process.

Before a Lender can grant you a loan (or sell you a product on credit), they must ensure that you have the ability to pay the loan back at a later date. If you do not have the capacity to pay the loan back, the credit provider will not be able to approve the loan you are requesting.

Your credit report provides lenders a summary of your credit history. How good you are as a borrower. It helps them assess the risk of lending to you.

Refinancing is the process of replacing an existing home loan with a new one. It means your existing home loan is paid out and replaced with a new home loan. This is different from a second mortgage, where you draw on the equity you have built up in your home. Refinancing is all about giving you greater flexibility and saving you money in the long term.

Refinancing your home loan could save thousands of dollars over the life of your loan. There are a number ways to reduce the interest you pay on your mortgage. It is well worth shopping around for a lower rate and more product features.