The government are going to release some draft legislation in a couple of weeks. This legislation may require mortgage brokers to have an AFS (Australian Financial Services) License (or be an authorised representative of an AFS holder). This will really shake the market up and make it more difficult for unqualified new brokers to enter the market.
My fingers are crossed hoping for this new requirement. This industry really needs to lift its standards.
I’m just about to call a client that has a very strong asset base ($2 million + in property alone). She has no debt but wants some so that she can continue investing. She is 70+ years old.
Bill Gates was about 16 when he started Microsoft. Colonel Sanders was 65 when he started KFC.
I just got a client 6.55% for the purchase of 5 retail shops in semi-regional Queensland… there are good commercial rates out there for strong deals.
Standford, you may want to consider financing the purchase of commercial through a combination of residential and commercial finance (this would achieve the lowest cost).
If there is no other way then yes it probably is worth it. Just make sure the lender is ok to lend against it once all set up (maybe get a pre-approval on that basis).
Perhaps don’t give the personal loan lender too much information about what the funds are for. Best to just say that its for investment purposes.
Most lenders will not accept these as securities. Can you get some unsecured funds (e.g. personal loan, etc.) and then once the house is all set up pay out the personal loan with a mortgage against the property?
Depends on how much the house is and how long it will take to set up… might be an option.
A broker should be able to add value over and above just recommending a good product. Things like:
– Loan structure.
– Serviceability issues and how some lenders may be better for them.
– Dealing with issues such as abnormal properties (small units, multiple properties on one title, rural areas, etc.).
– Give you the benefit of other client experiences.
– Help planning for the future (so that you can continue purchasing), etc.
– Etc, etc, etc.
Brokers should be able to give you information (and add value) that is not available from lenders individually.
Plus they could not only save you money but probably hours of heart ache. For example, try ringing a lender twice and ask the same question each time. 9 times out of 10 you will get 2 different answers.
Mel – Don’t ever refer to brokers as “horrid”. They can add a lot of value. Sure there are bad ones but there are good ones too. Be a bit more respectful to our profession. I realise that you said it in jest but I still don’t thinks its a good thing to say. []
Perhaps ask the lender if they will accept a valuation that you commission (you have to tell the valuer who the lender is and that it is for mortgage purposes). That way you can control the process and feed that valuer with all your supporting information.
I agree totally with Dogs. I’m just writing an article for The Australian about this. This arrangement can save you from nil to 5% (of interest payable)… not that great really.
Under the Privacy Act you are entitled to a copy of all your personal information. I think they have to give this to you within 30 days. (National Privacy Principal 6)
Banks should pick this up during the assessment process. If they do then they will only lend against the $50k. This is an oversight of the bank and I would imagine that you would not be successful in getting this through every time (unless you are dealing with a very incompetent lender – there are a few going around).
Ring the ATO 3 times to ask the same question. If you get the same answer from three different people then there is a chance that they may be correct… that’s about all you can do.