Home Loans & Residential Lending

Once we’ve received all your details and the information required for your loan application, we will lodge the application for you and can usually get your loan approved in five days. If you need approval quicker than this, let our brokers know and they will do their best to get you approval when you need it.

The amount you can borrow will depend on your ability to service the loan you are wanting to apply for. With a quick phone consultation, our team can assist in calculating this for you so you know exactly how much you can borrow before you start looking for a home. They will look at things lenders consider including your income, expenses, liabilities and other debts and existing assets. We can also help you get pre-approval so you have everything ready to go to start making offers on properties.

The amount of deposit you need will depend on the lender and the loan you are taking out. Some lenders will loan up to 95% of the property’s value however if you borrow more than 80% of the property’s value, referred to as the Loan to Value Ratio (LVR), you will need to take out Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI).

If you’d like to avoid paying mortgage insurance, you may be able to increase your borrowing capacity with the help of a family member. A family member may put up equity from their home as security for your loan, allowing you to use this to reduce your Loan to Value Ratio.

Home loans are typically between 20 and 30 years. The lender will charge you a percentage of the remaining loan balance over this period of time at weekly, fortnightly or monthly repayment intervals. This percentage is known as your home loan interest rate.

Yes, you can make additional repayments on your home loan to pay it off sooner and to reduce the amount of interest you pay on the loan. Choosing weekly or fortnightly repayments instead of monthly repayments can also assist in paying off your loan sooner. An offset account is another way to reduce the amount of interest you pay on your loan.

An offset account is an account that is linked to your home loan. You can deposit and withdraw from the account at any time but the more you have in the offset account, the more your interest payments are reduced. For example if you have a home loan of $450K but you have $50K in your offset account, you only pay interest on the $400K balance.

Once our brokers know how much you’d like to borrow and understand your borrowing capacity, they will let you know what information you need to provide to apply for your loan. They’ll also find  some finance options for you and when you’ve decided and give us the go ahead, we’ll lodge the application for you and keep you up to date on its progress. Our goal is to save you time and energy by doing the hard work for you.

The information you will generally need to provide to apply for a loan includes:

1. One (1) months’ statement of all debts in your name (Including Home Loans, Car Loans, Personal Loans, Credit Cards, Afterpay etc.)
2. Two of your most recent payslips plus your Income Statement (Equivalent of the former PAYG Group Summary)
3. If you’re self employed, two of your most recent tax returns plus the corresponding Notice of Assessments to match, along with two of your most recent Company Tax Returns and all other financials.
4. Copy of your Driver’s Licence and Passport
5. Three months’ bank statements for all accounts that show expenses and income
6. A copy of your most recent rates notice to verify ownership information (if refinancing)

Read our article below about getting home loan ready to find out more.

If you’re worried about interest rate increases you can opt to fix your interest rate. Fixed interest rates are higher than standard variable rates however so you should weigh up your options and decide what is best for you and your circumstances. It’s also possible to fix the interest rates on just part of your loan if you’d like.

Stamp duty is calculated by the Queensland Office of State Revenue by applying a transfer duty to the ‘dutifiable value’ of your property. The dutifiable value is the property’s market value or the amount you agree to pay for the property, whichever is the higher.  The amount of duty you pay increases with the property’s value. As an example, the estimated duty payable on a $500K home is $8,750.

To get an estimate of how much your Stamp Duty will be, you can use the calculator on the Queensland Revenue Office’s website – https://qro.qld.gov.au/duties/transfer-duty/calculate/transfer-duty-estimator/

If you are a first home buyer you may be eligible for discounts on the Stamp Duty payable. Visit https://qro.qld.gov.au/duties/transfer-duty/concessions/homes/first-home/  to find out more.

You will also need to engage a lawyer or conveyancing solicitor to undertake the legal side of your property purchase. Costs vary from firm to firm and on the complexity of the transaction so you should ask for a quote to make sure you know how much to put aside. Fees can be anywhere from $400 to $1400 or up to more than $2000 for complex transactions.

In addition to possibly being eligible for a discount on the Stamp Duty payable, the Queensland Government also has a First Home Owner Grant which gives eligible first-time buyers $15,000 towards buying or building a new home in Queensland. For more information and to check if you are eligible visit https://qro.qld.gov.au/property-concessions-grants/first-home-grant/

Read our article below on navigating your first home loan to find out more.

*Grants available at time of publication but are subject to change.

Using a broker can save you time and money. We have access to more than 30 lenders so we can look at different options for you rather than just relying on your usual bank. Our brokers keep up to date with the latest products on offer from the various lenders so they will make sure you are provided with the best finance solution for your needs. We also do the legwork for you when it comes to getting a loan, liaising with the lender on your behalf, saving you time and energy.

Our clients don’t pay us fees for our finance broking services. We receive commission from the lenders on approved loans.