When was the last time you looked closely at your loan, the progress you are making on paying it off and how it compares to others in the market? Analysing your mortgage could mean savings for you, as well as the opportunity to pay it off more quickly, invest in other assets or reach financial freedom sooner.

Make smaller payments, more oftenTo cut the size of your payments, make more of them. This could even see you pay off your loan faster, and therefore pay less interest overall. If you pay your mortgage monthly, consider changing to fortnightly repayments. For example, if your mortgage equates to $2400 a month, cut this in half and pay $1200 each fortnight. As well as having more manageable payments to make, by the end of the year you will have paid off $31,200 rather than $28,800.

Pay just a little bit extraA minimum repayment is just that – for most loans there is no reason you can’t pay more, whether here and there or regularly. By rounding up to a full number or contributing an extra $100 or even $10, you’ll significantly reduce your mortgage. It may also be worth considering putting all bonuses, tax returns and gifts into your mortgage.

Don't decrease repayments when interest rates fallEven if your repayments are lowered when fees and interest rates decrease, it doesn’t mean that’s all you have to pay and, by keeping your repayments at the same level when interest rates are lower, you will pay down more of the principle with each payment and make speedy progress on your loan.

Offset itIf you can, use an offset account. A mortgage offset account is linked to your loan and the interest payable on the loan from month to month is calculated by deducting what is in your offset account from your current loan. For example, if your mortgage is $500,000 and your offset account has $10,000 in it, you will only pay interest on the remaining $490,000. An offset account will save interest while still giving you access to your savings. It also means investors can preserve the tax deductibility of the mortgage.

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,” says the finance broker. “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 a loan that simply isn’t fit for the purpose – in this case it may make a problem worse, rather than solving it.

“It comes down to finding out what your real issue is,” says the finance broker. Work out how long it will take to repay the amount you need to borrow, whether the repayments will impact the business, what has caused the shortfall and whether you need to take any other action.

Asking how long it takes to get a loan approved is like asking how long a piece of string is. Every application is unique, so the time between your first contact with your bank or broker and approval can never be predetermined. There are, however, some things you can do to help hurry your application along.

Although very rare, same-day loan approvals are possible depending on the lender’s criteria, the complexity of the deal and turnaround time. “In my experience, this has been possible when the client’s lending position is fairly straightforward in terms of employment, asset and liability position,” says finance broker. “Also, if a valuation wasn’t required due to a low LVR and both parties were happy with the contract price.”

If you’re not prepared, it could take up to a month. The most common reason for a delay is a lender’s turnaround time to assessment, especially when some lenders have competitive offerings and experience larger application volumes, but a lack of preparation can cause this delay to snowball. “When there are such delays and then a lender must organise a valuation or request further information, this can lead to a lengthy process time,” the broker says.

A good finance broker will help you take all the necessary steps to ensure fast home loan approval, but there are simple ways you can help hurry the process along before your first meeting with your broker.

Disclose all informationTo avoid back and forth requests, which can delay your application, ensure your lender has a thorough understanding of you as an applicant including appropriate identification of all borrowers. Provide all the supporting and necessary documents upfront to your broker, and convey as much detail as possible in relation to your requirements and objectives and have good, current information on your financial position. The broker will need to not only have your full financial details but will also need to take reasonable steps to verify it.Skip the valuation queue

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 for exiting your current home loan, plus charges for taking out the new mortgage. You need to be sure that in refinancing your home loan that you’ll be better off in the long run after taking into account all costs.

Mortgage refinancing reasons: more flexibility

Due to the risks involved, strict guidelines are imposed on business finance, so securing approval can be difficult. Here are a few mistakes to avoid to increase your chances of approval.

Not knowing your credit score

Many consumers may not realise the importance of a credit score. Not only is it taken as a reflection of your ability to make repayments, it also highlights your financial history which is why understanding what it is and how it can be improved can be vital.

“I have seen cases where businesses were oblivious that they had a credit default until it was time to submit an application,” says finance broker.

Lack of planning

Exit and early termination fees can put the brakes on plans to sell, to refinance, and to renovate or purchase an investment property. Here’s how to avoid them from the start.

Fees charged for the early repayment of variable-rate loans were phased out by government reforms in 2015. However, fixed-rate loans may still carry these fees, and both fixed-rate and variable-rate home loans taken before the reforms may still impose penalties for early repayments. Those pre-reform loans may now still be running.

“In most instances, for most lenders, fixed-term loans had a term of five years,” the finance broker explains. “That will be the case for most borrower’s pre-2015.”

If you took out a loan before 2015 and have decided to sell, it can be difficult avoiding early termination fees for fixed-rate loans, as they protect your lender against the loss of the interest they reasonably expected to earn on your finance.

You are able to receive a waiver or fee reduction, although you rely on the discretion of your lender to receive one. Having a good repayment history and being a long-term customer helps.

Before you take the leap into a holiday-home investment, it is essential that you consider all angles. This means taking your heart out of the equation and giving thought to rental returns - which means location really is king.

When deciding whether or not to buy a holiday house or unit as an investment, you would be best served to consider location first. In fact, location has a great deal to do with the success of your investment property if you will be renting it as a holiday destination. You need to make sure that your property location matches up with market demand. Things to consider are travel time and expense, rent rates, local attractions and activities.

Deciding whether the investment holiday property you want will be as lucrative as you think often requires the advice of an expert, particularly for investors who aren’t as familiar with the area as residents may be, so investors would be well served to seek advice instead of taking a gamble.Contact us now!

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,” advises the finance broker. “Brokers know the special names and pricing, so it’s worthwhile working with one as not only will it save you time but you’ll also get a well-rounded understanding of the advantages of each product.”

That understanding of each product’s pros and cons is essential, because the best deal isn’t necessarily just the one with the lowest interest rate. It ultimately comes down to finding a loan that suits your plans - whether those plans are to pay the loan off as quickly as possible, to use it to fund renovations or investment down the track, or to pay the lowest total interest and fees over the life of a loan – and to finding a lender that will provide that loan at the level of finance required.

“Imagine you’re wanting to buy your dream home. Now, different lenders will lend varying amounts based upon the same criteria,” says the finance broker. “So that could mean that the lender with the sharpest rate may lend $200,000 less than the one with a slightly higher rate. If you really want that property, you’re going to have to go with the one with the higher rate, which may only make a few thousand dollars difference a year in interest repayments.”

Ever wondered why mortgage brokers have to ask you so many questions about your financial circumstances? It’s to ensure that fraudulent applications don’t slip through the cracks and that your loan suits your needs now and your plans for the future.

Brokers can face claims against them if they submit inaccurate documentation, regardless of whether falsities are the brokers’ intention, a mistake or the result of a client’s dishonesty.

It is your broker’s job to find out everything they can about your financial situation and your goals for the future. Not only does the process help to identify fraudulent application activity, it also ensures that they are serving your best interests.

You will definitely be asked to provide proof of identification as well as details about your income and spending habits. Your broker will want to discern how much you can afford to borrow. You will need to prove this by way of payslips or proof of income.

You will be asked to provide information regarding your dependants, any lawsuits you may be involved in and whether you have filed bankruptcy, and you might be asked twice, by your broker and by the lender.

Small business owners know all too well that the unpredictable nature of the industry can sometimes mean that quick access to cash flow is needed.

Solution #1: equipment finance

For many small businesses, especially those in the hospitality industry, income and cash flow are heavily reliant on functioning equipment. So for restaurant owners who find their delivery truck has suddenly decided to call it quits, turning to equipment finance could be the best solution.

“Supported by most major and subsidiary lenders, rates are offered competitively at around five to eight per cent. Where a chattel mortgage, a mortgage on a commercial vehicle, is elected, borrowers own the asset from day one and can claim payments upfront, which enables greater cash flow within the business as well as interest and depreciation add backs,” says the finance broker. “Ultimately, I would recommend this solution as they are safe, structured and can have tax benefits associated with ownerships.”

Solution #2: unsecured business cash loan

Marie Owens, having purchased a 36 square metre apartment seven years ago, was recently ready to upgrade and visited her finance broker. To pay the deposit and related expenses on the new, larger property, she needed to release equity in her current apartment.

“She wanted to keep the one-bedroom unit as an investment property for tax purposes, to reduce the marginal tax she pays,” says her finance broker. “We needed to release some equity in the current unit, which will be used as a deposit to purchase her next home.”

When Marie initially bought the unit, she could borrow up to 80 per cent of the value of a 36 square metre property. But her lender changed its policy, and will now only finance up to 60 per cent of the value of any property that is under 40 square metres.

“Since the things have got a lot tighter,” explains her finance broker. After extensive research, he could find only one lender who would finance a property of that size at an 80 per cent loan to valuation ratio (LVR).

“I used an accredited mortgage finance broker group to ask my peers, and I found one lender who would work with 80 per cent LVR on the small property. I usually like to put forward three lenders and products, but there was only one this time,” says Marie’s finance broker. “The application’s been lodged and it’s all underway, so we’re going to release the equity from her unit now.”

It’s easy to get carried away with the fun part of buying a property – looking at houses – but delaying the less compelling task of arranging finance will weaken your negotiating position on both the property and the loan.

Looking for a property to purchase is an exciting time. Choices regarding location, size, number of rooms and local amenities often see house hunters carried away in a deluge of daydreams and anticipation.

But, before you get carried away, it’s important to check off the essentials first. Although organising your finances may seem drab in comparison to perusing sales listings, gaining pre-approval with a lender will give you confidence about how much you can afford to borrow.

“First and foremost you need to determine if you’re eligible to borrow money from a lender,” says the finance broker. “Your ability to repay the loan will need to be assessed – you don’t what to find out after you’ve made an offer that your credit history or deposit is not up to scratch.”

Arranging finance before finding the perfect property will put you in a good position when it comes time to make an offer. When you do find the house you have always wanted, you can present to the seller and estate agent as a prepared applicant who is serious and reliable.

There is more to selling your home than putting up a ‘For Sale’ sign on your front lawn. Here are the first things you should check off your list to help you get the largest return from your investment and to ensure the process runs as smoothly as possible.

Choose a quality agentAsking family and friends who have purchased or sold a property about their experience is a great way to ensure the agent you’ve enlisted will provide quality service, explains the accredited finance broker. “A website and promotional material will always highlight the agent in the best possible way, but word of mouth and past client reviews will show their true colours,” she says.

Make sure the agent specialises in your area and is someone you feel comfortable around as they don’t just negotiate prices on your behalf, they also act as a mediator and represent you as a vendor.

Prepare the paperworkGetting together all the documents required is a tedious yet necessary part of the process. Before a property can be marketed for sale, your agent requires a copy of the Contract from your legal representative, explains the broker. From a disclosure document to a home loan pre-approval, ensure all the paperwork is prepared in time to ensure it all runs smoothly.

Don’t take things personallyRemember this is a business transaction; don’t feel insulted if you receive feedback on the property that doesn’t match how you feel about your home. To ensure you come out with the best deal, remove all emotion and think of your house as a commodity.

Knowing what a property is worth is central to avoiding paying too much for it.

Comparing nearby properties that have sold recently is the best way to assess an acceptable price for the property you are looking at and provides a valuable bargaining tool when you are negotiating with a seller or agent. Make sure the properties are comparable, with a similar land size and number of bedrooms, for example, so you aren’t measuring apples against oranges.

“Your mortgage broker can give you a list of sales in the area and then you can drive around and look online to do a quick comparison. If you can find one or two similar properties then you can be sure of what the property is worth,” advises the finance broker.

The property market is always changing, so doing this research once and sitting on it for a few months will offer little help. Going to open homes and auctions regularly will give you an insight into the current state of the market and how much certain properties are going for.

“My number one tip is to look at properties in the suburb next to the one that you want,” says the finance broker. “We find that first-home buyers in particular usually end up buying in the more affordable suburb next door to the one that they first wanted to buy in.”

Diana and Paul put everything they had on the line to start a family, including their credit and home loan. With the expert advice of a finance broker they were able to start fresh for their baby girl.

Diana and Paul had professional careers and a new home, but needed help from a fertility clinic to make their family complete. The expensive treatments delivered a beautiful baby to the couple, but their credit was suffering as a result.

They were living off credit cards, nearly $70,000 in debt and spiralling as they took out new cards to bring others into the black. Paul had been to nearly all the local banks and none were able to offer a viable solution.

It was then Paul met with their expert Finance Broker, who rolled up his sleeves to see what he could do.

“We worked out that Diana and Paul were paying above and beyond what was necessary on their home loan, and so we decided to switch the repayments to interest-only while they focused on getting their credit card debt in line,” the finance broker explains.

There are many paths to successfully financing a property purchase. Recently, an expert finance broker helped a young couple, who had nearly given up hope, realize their dream.

If at first you don’t succeed, ask more questions. That’s the motto of finance broker, who doesn’t let a history of refusals stand in the way of securing the right loan.

Recently, Jim and Jenny Stewart, who were keen to buy their first home but had had their loan application rejected twice already, were referred to him.

“They didn’t think they had a chance of getting the amount they wanted, and I wasn’t sure I could get them approval either, but I started asking questions,” says the finance broker.

“It’s not enough to gather only the information required to submit an application; it’s important finance brokers know what borrowers’ plans for the future are, whether they plan to renovate or rebuild, for example, and what their background is.”

Step 1: Speak to an expert Finance Broker

When considering an investment property, your first port of call should be your finance broker.  An expert finance broker can help you achieve your investment property goals.  They will review your assets and liabilities to determine how much you can borrow, which will, in turn, give you a general idea of your target price range, so you can narrow your property search within your purchase budget.

Step 2: Budgeting

Just like buying your first home, when purchasing an investment property, it’s essential to budget.  If you’re unsure of the best way to budget for an investment property, speak with your mortgage finance broker, they can help you to get on the right path. Step 3: Important conversations

Your mortgage finance broker will discuss your plans and your circumstances with you to determine what you can afford.  Your broker will also provide statutory documentation to initiate the lending process and work out for you what loan products will be appropriate in your circumstances.

Before you apply for a home loan with your partner, there are a few discussions that you need to have that go a little beyond what you may know already.

You’ve found someone you want to spend your life with (or a significant chunk of it, at least) – the hard part is over, right? Wrong. You know each other well enough to know whether or not you each blow the budget every month, but you probably don’t know each other’s complete credit history. So, before you buy a property together, there are plenty of discussions you need to have. Here are three of them.

Have they defaulted on any payments?

He or she might be relatively debt free now, but has this always been the case? One bad mark on a credit file, such as a late car payment or a default on a credit card, will change the approach you need to take when applying for finance.

It doesn’t mean you can’t secure finance, but it may mean you need to apply to a specialist lender for an alt-doc loan. Your finance broker can help you find the right lender and craft an application to avoid the heartbreak of continual rejection.

While you may not need a six-figure salary to invest in property, those who earn a relatively low income will require a little more creative thinking to start a portfolio. Here are some tips to help you get started.

Find an investor-friendly loan

The challenge for low-income earners, explains the finance broker, is the time taken to save for a sufficient deposit. Some lenders require a higher deposit for an investor than is required for an owner-occupier, so seek out a lender and loan that is investor friendly, or consider living in the property for a period after the purchase before converting it into an investment property as your portfolio grows.

In any case, having at least 10 per cent of the property’s purchase price as a deposit will not only increase the likelihood of loan approval, it will also increase your borrowing capacity and lower the risk that you will have to pay lenders’ mortgage insurance (LMI).

Prove your financial discipline

A home is the biggest purchase most people will make, so it’s never simple. Throw in renovations and investment properties, and you’re certainly in need of expert advice.

If you have a really great credit adviser, he or she will be prepared to work with you over the long term to find the right property and lock in finance for the purchase.

Justin Myers, recalls working with one client over three years, from obtaining initial pre-approval for a loan and helping the client successfully bid on a property, to arranging a construction loan for renovations and then helping unlock equity for property investment.

In cases such as these, a bank branch’s loan officer just might not cut it.

“When the client contacted me, he was dissatisfied with the experience he had had dealing directly with banks, who were focused on selling him a loan at the lowest rate, rather than setting up a loan that really met his needs,” says Justin.