All Approved Loans Group: News and Blog

News and Blog

When Is The Best Time to Refinance Your Home Loan?

Nov 9th, 2020 • Home Loans

When is the best time to refinance your home loan?

Exit Costs When Refinancing

Aug 13th, 2018 • Industry News • Home Loans

Exit Costs When Refinancing

3 Ways Your Broker can Help with Debts

Jul 9th, 2018 • Industry News

1) We can help you consolidate your debt

With debt consolidation, the idea is you take out a new low-interest loan and use it to pay off all your high-interest debts. We usually recommend one of two debt consolidation options.

Option 1: Refinance your home loan

In this scenario, you would refinance your mortgage and access some of your equity to pay off your debts.

Pros

Home loan interest rates are lower than those for most other types of credit.
One convenient repayment that’s easier to manage.
You can spread your repayments out over time to make them more affordable.
You may be able to make extra repayments and pay off your debt quicker, thereby saving money on interest.

Cons

Home loan terms can be 25 or 30 years. If you’re not careful, you may end up paying much more interest on your debts, even though the home loan interest rate is lower. Ask us to crunch the numbers for you.
If you use the equity in your home to pay off your debts, you will have less money when you sell your home.
If you turn all your unsecured debts (like credit cards) into secured debt (like your home loan), in a worst case scenario, you could lose your home if you get into debt again and can’t meet the repayments.

Option 2: Take out a personal loan

You could consolidate by taking out a personal loan with a competitive interest rate and using it to pay off all your other debts.

Pros

Interest rates for personal loans are generally lower than those on credit cards.
One convenient repayment.
Spread the repayments out over time to make them more manageable.
At the end of the loan term, all your debt will be paid off.

Cons

Personal loans come with higher interest rates than home loans (you may be better off by refinancing your home loan – ask us to crunch the numbers for you).
If you are struggling financially, it may be more difficult to secure a competitive interest rate.

2) We can compare interest rates on any kind of loan

We can help you find competitive interest rates on other kinds of loans, besides your home loan. Want us to compare interest rates on your personal loan? Not a problem. How about your car loan? We can access a wide variety of lenders to help with that too.

To help you manage your debts, we may be able to refinance your existing loans to a more competitive interest rate, or a longer loan term that reduces the size of your repayments. Bottom line is you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by checking in with us.

3) We can help you create a budget and savings plan

Having a solid understanding of your income and expenses will help you remain in control of your finances. We can help you set up a budget to pay off your debts and create a savings plan to reach your goals. We’ll also give you tips, like how eliminating credit cards could save you money, or how budgeting apps work.

The last thing you want is for your debt to spiral out of control. As your mortgage and finance broker, we can explain whether debt consolidation is financially worthwhile, compare the market to find you the most competitive interest rates and help you find ways to budget and save. Please get in touch today.

Refinance an Investment Property

Jun 11th, 2018 • Industry News • Investments

Why refinance?

Refinancing your loan allows you to access the equity in your property. Equity is the proportion of the property you own – for example, if the property is worth $500,000 and you owe $200,000 to the bank, then you have $300,000 in equity.

Savvy property investors use their equity for a variety of different purposes:

To renovate and add value to an investment property
As a deposit for their next investment property
To fund their lifestyle and living expenses.

Another popular reason to refinance is to secure a more competitive interest rate or a loan that better suits your needs. There may be loan features that can improve your interest savings or cash-flow, like offset accounts and redraw facilities. It pays to talk with your mortgage broker and reassess your property investment loans regularly, to ensure you’ve got the right loan to maximise your financial benefits and tax advantages.

Key considerations

1) Market value and equity
Generally, the right time to refinance your investment property is when the equity has grown sufficiently to take the next step in your investment strategy, or to fund your renovation plans. To get an idea of the value of your property, and how much your equity has grown, you’ll need to compare public sales data for similar properties in the area. Ask us for a free suburb and property profile report with the latest on-the-market information.

You could also ask real estate agents for an estimate (make sure you hit up at least three different agents) or pay for a professional property valuation. Keep in mind that a lender’s valuation will be on the conservative side of any estimates, and a formal valuation will be required by the lender before they will allow you to refinance.

2) Consider the costs
Switching lenders and refinancing your investment loan can help you achieve your goals, but there are costs involved. These may include break fees or discharge fees, establishment fees for your new investment loan, and valuation fees. Speak to us and we’ll run you through the costs and help you decide whether refinancing is worthwhile right now, or if it may be better to wait until your equity has grown further.

3) Investigate how the market is performing
Part of the decision about whether to refinance will depend on how the property market is performing for your investments. National dwelling values have been falling in many capital cities in recent months, while regional dwelling values have been edging higher. That may mean the location of your investment property will be a key consideration when deciding to refinance.

It’s important to be aware that if do you refinance after your property’s value has decreased, you may be facing negative equity territory. This is when the value of your investment falls below the outstanding balance on the mortgage. In this situation, it may be better to wait until the market recovers before you refinance.

4) Other considerations
The investment lending landscape has seen many changes in recent times. In April, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) announced the 10 per cent limit on bank lending to property investors (in place since 2014) would be removed for lenders that could demonstrate prudent lending. As a result, we’re seeing interest-only investment loans becoming easier to obtain, and interest rates being reduced by some lenders. That means now may be a good time to reassess your investment strategies and refinance requirements.

Talk with your mortgage broker first
If you’d like to access equity to grow your investment portfolio or renovate, or you just want to know you’re getting the best deal, it’s worth having a chat with your mortgage broker. You’ll find we are a wealth of information – and it’s always best to make a fully informed decision. If the time is right for you to take the next step in your investment journey, we’ll help you find the right refinance option to help you achieve your goals. Call us today!