Home Loan Rate – Australia

How can you buy a home without a deposit? In a post-GFC world there are no loans available that will allow you to borrow 100% of the purchase price without providing additional security. In the past it was possible to obtain loans for up to 106% of the purchase price through lenders such as First Permanent, who did not require any additional security for their loans.

In modern times, the only loans that can allow you to borrow 100% are known as guarantor home loans. There are several different types of guarantees, however the most common is known as a family pledge home loan where your parents offer their home as additional security for your loan.

This isn’t as risky as it sounds! The guarantee can be limited to just 25% or less of the loan amount. You can apply for income protection insurance and life insurance to reduce the risk that you will be unable to make the loan repayments. You can also avoid borrowing to your limit which will enable you to have enough spare funds to make additional repayments, and so clear the guarantee as quickly as possible.

What are the benefits for you of using a family pledge mortgage? Firstly you can borrow 100% of the purchase price, or even a little more to cover costs such as stamp duty & solicitors fees. Secondly the approval criteria is less stringent because the lender has more security for their loan. Thirdly you will not be required to pay for expensive Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI).

What are the risks to you and the guarantor? The main risk is that if you are unable to make the payments on your home loan then the lender may ask the guarantor to make the repayments for you or may call in the guarantee. In the worst case scenario the lender will try to sell the borrower’s property before trying to sell the guarantors.

We see the main complication of family pledge home loans is generally not when the borrower cannot make the repayments, as this is very rare. The main complication is when the guarantor and borrower have a falling out and the guarantee is required to be removed. In these cases the borrower can apply to remove the guarantee and if they owe over 80% of the property value then they may be required to pay LMI.

Several lenders such as St George Bank, CBA, ANZ, Westpac & NAB all offer this type of loan product. However only St George calls theirs a “family pledge home loan”, the others refer to their loan using different names such as family equity, fast track or deposit kickstart.

Always borrow responsibly and seek legal & financial advice before applying for any type of loan with a guarantee involved.

Homes are usually the most expensive asset a person has, and prices of homes in Australia are going up constantly.  This makes it virtually impossible and very difficult to make the 5% to 10% deposit usually required by banks and lenders before loans can be granted.

Thankfully a number of banks and lenders offer no deposit home loans which can have you get loan approval even without a deposit.  Keep in mind that you would still need to have savings of at least six months of salary, these are called genuine savings loans.  Generally, without genuine savings such loans are not possible, unless you get a guarantor to support you in order to get a 100% loan without needing a deposit.

This means that home loans of this type can help a lot of prospective borrowers realize their dreams of buying their own home much faster as they would no longer require deposits.  The deposit requirements are often the reason that people are unable to make a loan, or are delayed in making their loan since it takes forever to save up for the deposit in the first place.

Several banks and lenders offer no deposit home loans at different rates.  This means it would be reasonable to first scout around for a good rate of interest.  Do not get the no deposit home loan from just anyone out there. The home loan experts who have access to several banks and lenders with different loan products can help a lot here.  They can show you loan products that have low interest rates and can help you with more choices and great access to no deposit loans.

In essence banks and lenders do require a deposit of around 20% before they approve loans of any kind.  This is to ensure that they are not exposed to too much risk, understanding that no deposit loans is very risky business.

However, it is a fact that there are ways to get a 100% deposit home loan.  This does not mean that they come at the same price.  Because of the additional exposure taken on by banks there are usually additional costs to these no deposit loans, but several people are willing to pay these additional costs in order to get into the real estate market earlier.

So what are the ways to get a no deposit mortgage?  There are a number of strategies that work.

One way is by paying LMI or what is commonly known as Lender’s Mortgage Insurance.  The payment of premiums for this type of insurance can eliminate the need for a 20% deposit.  It is a win-win situation as banks are protected from risk, while at the same time borrowers don’t need to save 20% deposit and can get into the real estate market as quickly as possible.

Another means of getting a no deposit home loan is by mortgaging another property.  The other property will serve as replacement for the deposit, and works in the same way as LMI in reducing the risk that the bank is exposed to.

Finally there is the guarantor.  The guarantor will pay where the borrower will be unable to pay.  With the help of a guarantor no deposit home loans are possible.

We at the home loan experts have access to all these types of no deposit mortgages.  We can help you select what we feel will work the best for you.  If you want to learn more about these types of loans, do not hesitate to contact us.  We will answer and provide you with quality information based on your enquiries.

A no deposit home loan is now available in Australia to assist new home buyers priced out of the market through the difficulty of saving an adequate deposit. The old standard was that you had to save at least 5 percent of the purchase price, plus have more to pay for the other costs like legal fees, Bank, and Government charges.

Not any more. Banks and lenders have come to the aid of these struggling borrowers with a raft of new products including a no deposit home loan.

The no deposit home loan needs to be explained in a little more detail however, before you get too excited. The fact remains that you will probably still have to have some savings, but with the assistance of the First Home Owners Grant, it all becomes much easier.

Let’s take some examples. Say you are looking to buy a home valued at $400,000 or $300000. Now, for borrowers wanting to borrow the maximum 100%, the costs would be as follows. Please bear in mind that Stamp Duties vary from State to State and the following applies to Queensland first home buyers only. All figures are approximate and have been rounded, and not to be interpreted as a binding quote or advice:

Purchase Price $400000

Purchase Stamp Duty $ 2800

Legals (approx) $ 1500

Mortgage Stamp Duty $ 1271

Lenders Mortgage Insurance $ 10545

Government Transfers $ 634

Registration fees $ 112

TOTAL $416862

– OR –

Purchase Price $300000

Purchase Stamp Duty $ NIL

Legals (approx) $ 1500

Mortgage Stamp Duty $ 860

Lenders Mortgage Insurance $ 6126

Government Transfers $ 396

Registration fees $ 112

TOTAL $308994

So, the ‘real’ price you pay for your new $400000 home is actually closer to $416900. So where will your money come from?

The no deposit home loan means the bank will advance you $400,000. The First Home Owners Grant will give you $7000 which means you will have to find about $10,000 of your own money. Some people choose to borrow this from parents, family or as a personal bank loan.

In the case of a $300000 purchase, the figures are different. In this scenario, the ‘real’ cost is $309000. With a no deposit home loan of $300000 and the First Home Owners Grant of $7000, you will only have to save $2000.

After you have taken care of the cash side all that’s left is to satisfy the bank that you can repay the loan and away you go!

Remember that each bank has their own special criteria for assessing loans and you can expect to find wide variance in how much they will lend you. You need access to special software to get the comparisons right, and to make sure you get the loan options you require to suit your personal circumstances.

Rising housing prices in recent years have made it very difficult for many homebuyers to save the deposit. Lenders have recognized this and have created the no deposit loan product.

No deposit home loans are generally available for new and established buildings, owner occupied, as well as for investors. To qualify for a no – deposit loan you need to be an Australian Citizen or permanent resident and currently living in Australia.

Borrowers often need to acquire lender’s mortgage insurance where the Loan to Value Ratio (LVR) exceeds 80%. Generally, the higher the LVR, the higher the premiums. Hence the premiums on a no deposit loan can be large.

Combining stamp duty exemptions and first homeowner grants, no deposit loans allow borrowers to gain a foothold in the market based on their ability to service the mortgage rather than having the savings required to qualify for a more mainstream loan with deposit.

No deposit loans can also be a useful tool for investors wanting to take maximum advantage of leveraging.

While no deposit loans can be secured for similar rates to standard home loans, you should be aware that there is the risk of ending up in negative equity. For example, you purchase a house for $300,000 borrowing the full amount and the property market falls by 10%, you now owe $300,000 for a property that is worth $270,000 – that’s a shortfall of $30,000 you need to recover.

As with all loans, make sure that you borrow within your means. Work out a budget, stick to it, and do not borrow more than you planned just because it is available. Also, consider the property market that you are buying into: are the prices rising or falling?

Plan to repay the loan as quickly as possible; take advantage of redraw and offset facilities and make additional repayments where possible. Remember, you pay interest on every dollar owed, every day. The faster you reduce your loan the less exposed you are to the danger of a market dip.