Most Banks now only lend to 80% of the property value which is proving to be a big ask of First Time Buyers at a time when rents are rising so making saving a deposit more difficult. So what are the alternatives and are there additional costs? For starters there are Banks and a couple of non-Bank Lenders who will go over 80% in certain circumstances. These fall into three camps. Up to 90%,90% to 95% and 100% Lending 95% and 100% funders have very different criteria and costs.
80% to 90% Lending. This is generally pretty straightforward, servicing is calculated in the normal method and the Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) is reasonable and added to the cost of the loan. LMI is an insurance policy that protects the Lender in the unfortunate event of a forced sale (mortgagee sale) when there is still money owing to the Lender. It doesn’t cover the borrower and we strongly advise that all borrowers should look into mortgage protection insurance when borrowing large amounts of money. There is a movement amongst Lenders themselves that this should be a compulsory move. Interest rates are standard with a range of fixed and floating rates in line with the general market or a slight margin over. As one would expect with lending at this level that more background checks carried out, some Lenders will even call an employer insist on a Registered Valuation from an approved Valuer.
No Lender will go up to 90% on an Apartment currently so houses are the way to go. The deposit can also be a saved deposit, a gifted deposit (Mum and Dad for example) or a mix of both. Vendor Finance (the owner of the property leaves some money in there for a short term) can sometimes be put into the equation but some Lenders might not accept. A recent change in Bank lending has been that Banks will not accept Mum and Dads main residence as additional security when the borrower (the children) are not putting anything in themselves. This changes when the additional property offered is a rental home.
90% to 95% Lending. At 95% borrowing, things become very strict with more personal information being asked. Usually this is something like 3 months worth of payslips and six months worth of Bank statements. And they must be perfect with no missed loan payments or returned items. Also at 95% Lenders may restrict the amount of other debt (such as car loans etc) so it pays to know exactly what you have outstanding as you will be asked these questions. There will be a requirement for a Registered Valuation in most cases and the property must qualify in terms of it’s condition, no ‘do ups’ are allowed at this level if the Valuer makes adverse comments about the property then the Lender might not accept the property. The biggest difference is the LMI or rate charged. A couple of Lenders have changed recently, going from charging an LMI premium (which could not be added to the loan) to adding a margin onto the rate in order to cover the extra risk. This margin is typically 1.5% over and above the publicized rates.
Others have reversed this trend and one charges an LMI premium based on 4.3% of the entire loan, added to the advance. On a $300,000 advance this is $12,900!! It pays to shop around and it may be that a margin on the rate is a better way to go over the life of the loan than paying this high LMI premium which is only valid for the life of the loan. This means if you re-finance in say three years time the policy ends and there is no refund of premium.
To find out more about Mortgage Brokers get in touch with Jeff Royle toll free on 0508 477324, txt broker to 244 (costs 20c) or email help@thespecialistlender.co.nz or head over to www.thespecialistlender.co.nz