Refinancing

Whether you’re after lower repayments or want to tap into the equity sitting in your home, refinancing can offer a world of benefits. Here are some things to be aware of so that you don’t find yourself hooked into a bad deal. Don’t be fooled by the interest rate Finding a lower interest rate doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve scored yourself a better deal. In fact, a product with more features may cost you a bit more in fees or interest, but could save you more in the long run. Including features such as an offset account will prove valuable as it will allow you to make larger repayments or put any extra cash against the loan. Products without this feature may charge a fee
Whenever it makes financial sense to do so. Heard about mortgage refinancing? In the past, most people who took out a mortgage doggedly continued with it until they had paid it off. These days, people refinance their mortgage much more frequently. The average duration of a home loan in Australia now is just 4-5 years. Here we look at some of the reasons people in Australia refinance their home loan. Mortgage refinancing reasons: lower rate The most common reason for people to refinance their mortgage is to get a better deal. But be careful you don’t become interest rate-fixated. When you refinance your home loan, you need to consider fees and charges as well as the interest rate. You often have to pay charges
Refinancing your assets to renovate a property is a significant decision that will hopefully improve your standard of living or add substantial value to your property. Refinancing isn’t as straightforward as you might expect. The type of renovation proposed goes a long way to dictating the loan required. If the wrong loan is chosen, you could be left with a pile of unexpected debt. Know your budget Before considering refinancing, you need to have a clear idea of your budget. If you underestimate your budget, you run the risk of getting knocked back from your lender. There are a lot of homeowners who have estimated a budget of say $100,000 to do renovations, only to discover it will cost a lot more. This means
From time to time, a business needs a cash injection. With so many lenders offering a dizzying array of products, it can be difficult to know what to choose. There are plenty of different types of business finance, but before diving in and applying, it’s important to understand your requirements first, so that a loan can be matched to your needs, and so that you can potentially avoid the problem in the future. Do your homework first, because if you don’t, you’re going to buy the wrong product. There are hundreds of ways of getting the money, but you’ve got to match those with the purpose. The consequences of choosing the wrong finance product include paying too much for finance, or ending up with
With so many products offered by various lenders, it can be quite perplexing trying to figure out whether or not you’ve scored yourself a good deal on your home loan. While doing your research and comparing what’s out there in the market is one of the most obvious ways to find out whether you’re sitting on a good deal, it can be a time consuming practice and an overwhelming experience for those without specialist knowledge of the mortgage sector. It’s good to shop around, and yes you can use comparison websites, but because lenders call like products different names, it can get very difficult comparing apples with apples. Brokers know the special names and pricing, so it’s worthwhile working with one as not only
When you’re looking for a home loan, you could go to a finance broker or to a bank. While a bank will only offer you its own products, a credit adviser is an industry expert who will take the guesswork out of finding the mortgage product that suits you and your needs. It’s understandable that finance brokers are now the number one choice for consumers who are seeking a home loan or to refinance an existing loan. Businesses are also engaging finance brokers to help them with their finance needs from car and equipment leasing to loans to help their businesses expand. What can a credit adviser do for you? The leg-work Finance brokers already know the industry, the lenders, their products and their
When it comes to saving on your mortgage, some of you may not have to look further than your job. If yours is a profession that classifies you as a ‘low risk’ borrower in the eyes of lenders, then you may be entitled to special discounts. The lucky ones Accountants, lawyers and teachers are commonly eligible for home loan discounts, or particular loan types without fees, based on their professions. The benefits differ depending on specific professions. It depends on what industry the lenders decide to target as it’s a constantly changing situation, so what’s here today may not be around tomorrow. An example of this is the slowing down of the mining industry in 2015, which saw mining engineers lose their ‘in demand’
A white-label loan is essentially a home-branded loan, much like the home-branded products you see in the supermarket aisles. Like these products, white-label loans aim to deliver many of the same great features as bank-branded home loans, but for a lower cost to you the customer.  A trend seen in supermarkets over recent years has been not only an increase in the range of white-label options on offer, but also an increase in the quality of those products.  This trend has continued to the extent that white-label products are now frequently of equal, or near equal, quality as their branded counterparts. In the same way, banks across Australia provide ‘unbranded’ mortgage products to brokers, which increases the range of options within the market and
It’s all too easy to rack up debt – credit cards, HECS, car loans – and may seem all too hard to pay it off. Debt can also have a big impact on how much money you can borrow for a home loan, so reducing your debt is essential when you set out to buy your first home. Here are seven steps you can take towards minimising your debt and moving into the property market. 1. Work out how much you’re spending Create a spreadsheet and track your expenses for a month – record everything so you can see where your money is going. You may be spending much more than you think on some things – more than you can really afford 2. Decide
Savvy borrowers have an endgame in sight before they even apply for a home loan, and with the right mortgage offset account, they could win that game even more quickly. Home buyers usually focus on the here and now, not the distant future. Rather than the size of their loan balance in 10 or 20 years, they are more likely to think about how much they can borrow and the kind of house they can afford. But smart borrowers know the future matters. The years roll around and it’s always better to pay off a mortgage before its term and pay less interest to the bank. The good news is that if a mortgage offset account is right for a borrower, it can help
Looking to enter the property market and worried about how you’re going to secure your first home loan? It’s time to start making your money work for you so you can land that loan. Qualifying for a home loan isn’t always an easy path. Aggressive interest rates, competition in the market and less than rigorous saving habits can often push people out of the property game completely – but it shouldn’t. Saving enough money for a sufficient deposit is possible with the right guidance and plenty of diligence. Budget, budget, budget! It goes without saying that creating an airtight budget – and sticking to it – is key when you’re looking to save money for a home loan. If you’ve done your homework or
A new baby completely changes your life. Are you also prepared for how a new baby might affect your chances of buying a home? Here are some things to consider before you submit your application. When a lender assesses your home loan application, they look at your income, assets, debts and expenses before deciding whether they think you can make the repayments. Those figures are likely to change when you have your first child. That means your eligibility for a home loan could also change. Changes to your income A lender needs to know that your income will cover your mortgage repayments, even while someone’s taking time off work to be a new mum or dad. If you’re the primary carer and you plan

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