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Many Australians think about home loan refinancing because of the potential benefits and savings. Getting a home loan refinance means replacing your existing loan with a better one, which offers you more benefits. This article is going to offer you a few important tips that you need to consider anytime you think about refinancing.
Make sure you know what are you paying
Unfortunately, there are not many Australians who know exactly where their money goes when refinancing. Before taking this step, make sure you know how much you pay every month and don’t hesitate to ask your lender any question you have about your interest rate.
Check your current loan first
In recent years, interest rates have continued to drop to all-time lows. If you have a home loan that was set up a few years ago, you might be paying too much interest. From the beginning of 2012, interest rates have dropped by 2,25%. The home loan business is very competitive market, and many banks are offering lower rates or more favourable loan conditions especially to win business. This puts you the consumer in the box seat to take advantage.
Take into consideration changing lenders
Statistics reveals that more than 65% of the people who have a home loan at the moment could get a better deal. Once you have checked your current loan and found out that it is no longer a good choice for you, the next step is to verify other lenders.
Do some research on the Internet, discuss with your friends, visit a talk to a qualified broker that can source you the very best deal from some financiers that retail borrowers cannot access. Compare their offers and think about the advantages and disadvantages of every deal. This is a decision that will affect you for at least a few years, so there is no need to rush.
Consider all the refinancing costs
Almost every bank has some fees or costs when setting them up. Don’t omit these aspects when considering refinancing, because switching to another bank or loan may cost a small fortune. Pay attention to all these costs and make sure that refinancing is convenient for you.
Talk to lenders in order to find out more
Never hesitate to ask about all the things you do not understand before closing on a deal. Lenders can provide you concrete explanations and details, so talk to them. Better yet speak to a broker that can shop the market and work for you, the best part about it, it’s free.
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This guide provides general information and does not consider your individual needs, finances or objectives. We do not make any recommendation or suggestion about which product is best for you based on your specific situation and we do not compare all companies in the market, or all products offered by all companies. It’s always important to consider whether professional financial, legal or taxation advice is appropriate for you before choosing or purchasing a financial product.
The content on our website is produced by experts in the field of finance and reviewed as part of our editorial guidelines. We endeavour to keep all information across our site updated with accurate information.
Approval for home loans is always subject to our lender’s terms, conditions and qualification criteria. Lenders will undertake a credit check in line with responsible lending obligations to help determine whether you’re in a position to take on the loan you’re applying for.
The interest rate, comparison rate, fees and monthly repayments will depend on factors specific to your profile, such as your financial situation, as well as others, such as the loan’s size and your chosen repayment term. Costs such as broker fees, redraw fees or early repayment fees, and cost savings such as fee waivers, aren’t included in the comparison rate but may influence the cost of the loan. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts may result in a different comparison rate.