Home Loan Rate – Australia

If a person is trying to obtain a home loan and he or she does not meet the requirements, a lender may ask the person to supply a guarantor. The lender asks for this because they do not feel comfortable with the borrower’s ability to make repayments. This situation usually occurs when an applicant has no deposit, bad credit, or little proof of income. Young people and people with low incomes are the borrowers most commonly in need of a guarantor loan.

A guarantor loan is a loan in which the borrowers do not qualify for the loan amount and must gain additional support from a third party. The third party, or guarantor, can be a family member, or in some cases even a friend. The guarantor will either provide additional security or collateral for the loan, or he or she may even help make the payments for the loan.

Having a guarantor, whether it is a friend or a family member, can allow you to get a loan for the full price of the home you intend to purchase. In some cases, you may even be able to get a loan of up to 110% to cover additional costs you may incur, such as stamp duty. Sometimes, this money can even be used to consolidate personal debt.

A guarantor loan is sometimes referred to as a family guarantee loan, family pledge loan, or fast track loan, depending on the lender.

There are two distinct kinds of guarantee agreements. A guarantor loan can either be a servicing guarantee or a security guarantee. The most common type of guarantor loan is the security guarantee. In this type of guarantor loan, the third party’s assets are used as additional security for the loan. If the borrower doesn’t have enough money for a sufficient deposit on the property, or if the borrower doesn’t want to pay mortgage insurance, this type of guarantee will be used. In this case, the lender will allow the guarantor to only guarantee around 20% of the loan instead of the entire amount. This is called a limited guarantee.

Servicing guarantees are typically utilized when the guarantor agrees to help the borrower to make regular repayments on the loan. This type of guarantor loan is very rare and isn’t offered by many lenders. At the beginning of 2011, new nationwide lending laws were put into effect, and, as a result, it is likely that this type of agreement won’t be available for much longer. The new laws require all brokers and lenders to verify that borrowers can handle the proposed debt on their own without hardship, which would not allow service guarantees.

Below are three different guarantor loan examples:

Example 1: Security guarantee.

A couple wishes to buy their first home for the price of $500,000. They are able to afford the loan, but they don’t have the deposit amount of 5% which is required by the bank. A family member acts as a guarantor for the couple by using an owned home, worth $1,000,000, for security on the loan amount of $525,000 (purchase amount plus fees). This gives a loan to value ratio of 35%.

Example 2: Limited guarantee

A couple wishes to buy a home costing $500,000, which they can afford to service. However, they do not have the required deposit amount of 5% required by the lender. A family member agrees to act as guarantor, but only for a percentage of the loan. The guarantor guarantees 20% of the required loan amount of $525,000 (purchase price plus fees) which comes to be $156,250. This gives a loan to value ratio of 80%.

Example 3: Servicing and security guarantee

A couple wishes to buy a home for $500,000, but they cannot afford to service the loan, nor do they have the lender’s required deposit amount of 5%. A family member agrees to act as guarantor for the couple by providing them both with repayment help and security for the loan. The guarantor owns a home worth $1,000,000. This gives a loan to value ratio of 35%.

If you are thinking of becoming a guarantor, it is not a decision to take lightly. If the primary borrower defaults on the loan, you as guarantor will take full liability for the debt. You need to be sure that the person for whom you are acting as guarantor is able to pay back the debt, otherwise you will become responsible for it.

This decision should be thought through very carefully. You should consult your family, as well as a mortgage broker or other financial advisor. As long as the borrower doesn’t default on the loan, agreeing to act as a guarantor can be an excellent way to help someone you love.

If you choose to use a guarantor when you apply for a mortgage, the loan will still be in your name. As such, you will still be able to apply for any applicable government grants including the First Home Buyer Grant.

Get more information on guarantor mortgages.

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.

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.

Did you think that a home loan at 100% is no longer possible?  Well we would like to show you that it is still possible with a little help.

The usual percentage that home loans are granted often reach up to only 80% of the total property value.  Why do you think it is set up to a certain point?  This is because banks and lenders are trying to reduce their risks by not lending out too much to one particular person.  However, there is still a way to get a 100% home loan.  This is with the help of a guarantor.  The guarantor will assure the bank or lender that a borrower will be able to pay.  The guarantor then offers something as security.  The security may be in the form of cash, stocks, property or any other security deemed to be acceptable by the bank.

Often guarantors are family members, most common of whom are parents who would like to help out their children purchase their first home, or they can also be close relatives who wouldn’t mind helping their blood relations get a place of their own.

With the help of these guarantors a 100% home loan is now possible.  In addition it is also a nice way of avoiding payment of Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) which is required for loans of 80% or more of the value of the entire property.  These guarantees can also help avoid the unreasonable at interest rates for all loans above 80%.

These multiple benefits plus the fact that you are able to get a larger loan should encourage family members to help one another get a 100% family guarantee.  The entire family unit can save a lot by avoiding high interest rates and unnecessary premium payments.

The home loan experts will help and show you the best way to capitalise on the use of a family guarantee.  They have access to the banks and lenders who will most likely be willing to grant these types and forms of loans.