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Are you financially fit to take out a home loan?

Published on November 25th, 2020
  Written by 
Bill Tsouvalas
Bill Tsouvalas is the managing director and a key company spokesperson at Savvy. As a personal finance expert, he often shares his insights on a range of topics, being featured on leading news outlets including News Corp publications such as the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun, Fairfax Media publications such as the Australian Financial Review, the Seven Network and more. Bill has over 15 years of experience working in the finance industry and founded Savvy in 2010 with a vision to provide affordable and accessible finance options to all Australians. He has built Savvy from a small asset finance brokerage into a financial comparison website which now attracts close to 2 million Aussies per year and was included in the BRW’s Fast 100 in 2015 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the country. He’s passionate about helping Australians make financially savvy decisions and reviews content across the brand to ensure its accuracy. You can follow Bill on LinkedIn.
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When it is time to plant your roots in a property that you would one day call home you will most likely go through the process of taking out a home loan. However, if you are not financially fit you could delay your homeownership dream. Here is what you need to know when it comes to being financially fit when taking out a home loan.

Get your credit report in order

When it comes to home buying season you want to get everything in order to make sure that the process is smooth when you find a house you have been looking for. To maximise your way into getting onto the property ladder you need to think like a lender. This means combing through your credit report to check to see that all is in order.

This is the first place most lenders will check to see if you are financially fit for a home loan. Lenders can ask to see a minimum of 3 months’ worth of spending to determine your ability to service a loan. You have access to a free copy of your credit report that you can check to see if your finances are on track or if there are any errors on the report.

Are you able to stay on top of your bills?

Being able to juggle various financial commitments gets better over time. But if you are struggling to manage every day bills such as your utility, credit card, and loan payments then you will need to reconsider taking out a home loan. Being unable to pay off these bills can affect your credit score which also plays a part in you being approved for a home loan.

Getting into the habit of paying your bills on time will ensure that bad marks stay off your credit report and it will also help you build a strong credit score which can give you access to better home loan rates.

If your credit score is weak, which means that it is at 0-549, it would be preferable if you spend time building your credit score to a score that is higher which can take a few months to a year.

Your savings will save you

Purchasing a home is a costly step that anyone can make. It is not just the cost of purchasing a home that you will have to factor in, but also moving expenses and the costs of getting new furniture. However, having at least 20% of the deposit saved up before searching for a home can help reduce the costs of purchasing a home. This usually means having 2-3 months’ worth of your mortgage payments saved up.

You will also have to consider if your current budget will be able to add the expenses of purchasing a home to it. You need to consider the possibility of cutting back on some expenses to make managing your new expenses manageable.

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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.

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