One thing we love most about our profession as mortgage brokers is assisting our clients in achieving their financial dreams. We know that for many of you, buying your first home may be the biggest financial decision and commitment you ever make. However, for some First Home Buyers, the whispers and stories they hear about buying a property encourage them to stay at home, or continue to rent, rather than get their feet on the property ladder. So, the purpose of this article is to dispel some of the “stories” we hear from those of you who are new to the property game. Let’s take a look at some of our frequently asked questions from first time purchasers: I need to pay off all my other expenses before I can apply for a home loan. Not true! You can still secure a home loan if you have an existing student study debt, or a car loan. When a lender is assessing your ability to service a loan, they certainly look at your current expenses such as any outstanding loans or credit card limits – but just because you might have one or both of these expenses, does not mean you won’t get your loan approved. Lenders look at your whole financial situation – your income, your expenses and other debts, the valuation of the property you are wishing to buy, and the percentage of that value you are hoping to borrow from them – before they determine your suitability to pay off the loan. The parental guarantee scheme no longer exists False. Security Guarantees are still an option for first home buyers, but not with all lending institutions in Australia. A lender’s Security Guarantee is essentially a parent or family member acting as a guarantor to your mortgage, giving you the extra financial support needed to maximise your chances of meeting the requirements of the bank. The parental guarantee scheme can give you a head start by making it easier for you to get into your home with help from others, and can be used to buy a home or invest. You need a 20% deposit to buy your first home Whilst this true in some cases, the size of the deposit you need to put down is actually dependent on various factors, including: what you are looking to buy, where you are purchasing, your current income and expenses, and which lender and product suite you choose to go with. There are loads of lenders out there who will lend up to 90% of the purchase price, or even 95%. However, if you borrow over 80% of the total price of the property, you may be required to take out Lender’s Mortgage Insurance, or your interest rate might be slightly higher. It’s cheaper to rent It can be line ball, and again, there are many variables to this equation – such as where you buy, where you are renting, and which loan option you choose to go with. We really can’t dispel this myth in a short newsletter article as there is a lot to take into consideration: rental price, bills, purchase price, stamp duty and other transaction costs, the expected mortgage interest rate, how much it costs to run and renovate the property, expected capital gains – and so on. If this is one question you have asked yourself, we recommend you get in touch with us to talk about your specific situation. With interest rates at record 50-year lows, and some great pockets of purchasing opportunities, it might be a good time to take the plunge, or at least do a little research to inform your decision! We hope that this article answers some of your questions. And we’re sure you have more! Get in contact with our expert team on the details below and we will be happy to assist you with any questions you may have. Good luck and we hope to help you secure your first home soon!