Why get investment loan with loans.com.au?
This is an exciting time to get an investment property loan with loans.com.au.
At loans.com.au we are proud to offer one of the most competitive interest rates in Australia for customers who want to invest in property. You can save thousands of dollars on your loan and pay it off sooner with loans.com.au.
To find out how much you can borrow, just use our handy borrowing power calculator.
If you are ready to apply for a loan, you can get started now by filling out one of our easy online applications here. It only takes a few minutes.
Otherwise, keep reading to learn more about the journey to buying an investment property.
Benefits include:
- Award-winning investment loans packed with features
- A game-changing online model which means we can pass on ultralow interest rates to our customers
- Simple online application process with our innovative onTrack system
- Borrow safe in the knowledge that we are secure, powered by Firstmac, which has been in business for over 38 years
The simple process at loans.com.au
onTrack Advantage
onTrack is our innovative online portal which allows you to progress your home loan application on your handheld device or computer, from initial contact through to Auction Approval, settlement and beyond.
Using onTrack, along with personal phone service from your loan specialist, you are able to complete your loan application in your own time. You don’t have to wait for a bank branch to open to complete your home loan!
onTrack allows you to download all required forms and documents as well as allowing you to book an appointment with one of our loan specialists at a time that suits you. You can securely submit your forms and supporting documents.
You can also:
- track the status of your loan, including what you have submitted and what we are doing.
- communicate with your loan support officer through a real-time messaging system.
onTrack is an end-to-end system, making your switch to loans.com.au hassle free and fast.
onTrack gives you more control to fast track your Auction Approval and more knowledge than traditional lending processes.
The property investment process
Buying an investment property is an exciting time but it can also be daunting. There are so many different challenges to overcome including finding an investment property, buying it and getting the best value loan.
Decide what you want to buy
- Location/suburb of property
- Buy a house or unit
- Do you want to build a new dwelling
Other costs to consider
- Stamp duty
- Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI)
- Property valuation
- Conveyancing
Making an offer
- Private sale
- Auction
Repaying your loan
- Access your account online
How much can you afford?
- Buying by yourself
- Buying with somebody else
- Your deposit saved
- Your income
- Your expenses
- Home equity
- Negative gearing
- Repayment type
Getting pre-qualified
- Get pre-qualified
- Apply online
- Know what you can offer to purchase
Our investment property loan process to settlement
- Apply
- Speak to a specialist
- Upload documents
- Property valuation completed
- Loan approved
- Loan documentation delivered
- Property settlement
To help you succeed we have created this step by step guide to the process.
To help you succeed we have created this step by step guide to the process.
1 Decide what you want to buy
Before you start searching for a property you need to narrow down your criteria. Questions include:
Location – Where do you want to buy? Ideally you’ll want to buy in an area that suits the needs of potential tenants and their lifestyle. Close to centres of work, public transport, schools and shops.
House or unit – What do you want to buy? Most people ultimately want to live in a free-standing house but as investment properties, apartments have many advantages. They are significantly cheaper, low maintenance, and much less expensive to refurbish. Whichever way you jump, you will need to decide between house and apartment before you start looking.
Do you want to build a new dwelling - Building a new house or buying an apartment off the plan is an option for investment. If you decide to build, you will want to consider a Construction Loan which is designed specifically for people building a house or unit.
2 How much can you afford?
Before you start looking for an investment property you need to work out how much you can afford to pay so you don’t waste time on properties in the wrong price range. This will be determined by a number of factors.
Buying by yourself
If you are buying by yourself the amount you can borrow will be determined by your finances alone.
Buying with somebody else
If you are buying with somebody else, be it a spouse, partner or family member, the amount you can afford to borrow will be determined by both of your finances.
Your deposit
When you come to buy an investment property the size of your deposit is very important for several reasons:
- 100% loans are not available anymore. Most lenders will want you to put down at least 10% of the purchase price of the property. The rest – 90% of the purchase price of the property - can be financed using an investment property loan.
- A larger deposit may mean a lower interest rate. The larger the deposit the lower the risk to lenders so they may charge you less.
- Avoid Paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance - If you can put down a deposit of 20% or more, you can often avoid paying ‘Lender’s Mortgage Insurance’ (LMI). LMI protects the lender – not you, if you cannot repay your loan so avoid it if you can.
Before you start looking for an investment property you need to work out how much you can afford to pay so you don’t waste time on properties in the wrong price range. This will be determined by a number of factors.
Income
The size of your income has a big influence on how much you can borrow because the more you earn the more you can afford to repay. Make sure you include and document all of your sources of income when you
apply for a loan including salary, rent, interest, and business income.
Expenses
Your lender will also want to know your expenses because it helps them assess how much you have left over to make loan repayments.
Home equity
If you have substantial equity in your home you can potentially borrow against it and use the money as a deposit for your investment property. If you have enough equity, this can help you avoid Lender’s Mortgage Insurance.if you have substantial equity in your home you can potentially borrow against it and use the money as a deposit for your investment property. If you have enough equity, this can help you avoid Lender’s Mortgage Insurance.
Negative gearing
Negative gearing occurs when the cost of owning a rental property outweighs the income it generates each year. This creates a loss, which can normally be offset against other income including your wage or salary, to provide tax savings.
Repayment type
Interest-only loans have traditionally been popular with investors. However, you will pay a slightly higher interest rate for interest-only.
3 Other costs to consider
Buying an investment property isn’t just about paying the price of the property. There are some extra costs all buyers should be aware of.
Stamp duty
Lenders Mortgage Insurance
Valuation
Conveyancing4 Getting pre-qualified
You can save yourself a lot of time and heartache if you pre-qualify for a loan before bidding on a property.
What is pre-qualification
Also known as conditional approval or preliminary approval, pre-qualification is an offer from us to lend you an agreed amount, subject to full approval. Prequalification remains valid for four months. To gain full approval you will need to supply more supporting documents and updated information.
Apply online
Know what you can offer5 Making an offer
There are two ways to buy a property in Australia. You can make an offer to purchase via a contract, or by bidding at an auction.
Private Sale
Most residential properties in Australia are sold by making a private offer via a contract to purchase. Using this method, the owner sets the price they would like to get for their property. You put in an offer, which is usually below the asking price and negotiate as necessary with the seller from there by writing your offer on the contract and giving it to their agent. Offers pass back and forth until you and the buyer agree on price and terms and exchange contracts. You pay a deposit, typically 10 per cent of the selling price, and there is a cooling-off period. The cooling-off period allows you to complete final legal, building and financial checks but if you do back out of the sale you will most likely forfeit a small part of you deposit. When you buy via a contract offer you will typically also include clauses in the contract for finance and a building-and-pest inspection. These allow you to cancel the purchase without penalty if you cannot get acceptable finance or if the building and pest report has serious faults.
Auction
A property auction is a public sale usually conducted by an agent acting as an auctioneer. It is governed by strict rules. The auction is advertised for a specific place, time and date. Prospective buyers bid and the property is offered to the highest bidder. There is an advertising campaign with open house inspections for several weeks leading up to the auction date. When a property is sold at auction, the owner sets a reserve price – the minimum for which they will sell the property – and prospective buyers make their bids, with the property going to the highest bidder over the reserve price. The most important thing to remember is that there is no cooling-off period. You will also need to provide a substantial deposit on the day of the auction if you are the winning bidder. This is usually paid by cheque.
6 Our investment property loan process to settlement
Now you have made an offer and had it accepted either at auction or through a private sale, this is what happens at loans.com.au for final approval.
Just follow the simple steps below to lock in an investment property loan with a super-low rate.
Documents to get a loan
When you apply for a loan you will need to provide some documents to support your application.
PAYG taxpayers – last two payslips
Self-employed - last 2 year’s tax returns with an ATO Notice of Assessment
Three months bank statements
Estimate of rental income
Evidence to show you have sufficient funds to complete your new property purchase.
Signed Contract of Sale for the property you are buying
Jargon buster
onTrack
Our online portal which allows you to complete an investment property loan application entirely on your mobile device or computer from initial contact through to settlement and registration for online services.
Pre-qualify
Also known as pre-approval and preliminary approval. When you pre-qualify for an investment property loan, a lender is agreeing to lend you a certain amount of money subject to further checks on your finances and the property’s value.
Deposit
Your deposit is the amount of your own money that you are putting in to your investment property purchase.
Lenders Mortgage Insurance
Lenders' mortgage insurance protects your lender in the unfortunate event of you defaulting on your investment property loan
Conveyancer
Licensed conveyancers are property law specialists who work on behalf of clients buying or selling property.
Cooling-off period
This is a period after you exchange contracts where you may get out of the contract as long as you give a written notice. If you use the cooling off period, there is a fee payable. The cooling off period varies between Australian states and there is no cooling off period in Tasmania, or on properties bought at auction in other States.
Construction loan
A type of loan especially designed to support people who are building their own home or investment property. With a construction loan you draw down your loan as needed to pay for construction progress payments.
Settlement
Settlement is when you pay the rest of the sale price (after the deposit) and become the legal owner of the property.
About loans.com.au
loans.com.au is an award-winning online lender that is proudly Australian and based in the heart of Brisbane, with offices in other capital cities.
Since we were founded in 2011, we have grown to become an industry leader with thousands of happy customers in every state and territory.
From our local call centre, our service team helps hundreds of customers around the country apply for and manage their loans, every day.
Home buyers are choosing us because we don’t have expensive bricks-and mortar branches and we pass the savings on to them through super-low interest rates.
But we are more than just a great low rate.
We have taken the hassle out of getting a home loan by cutting through the old-fashioned processes of traditional lenders to put you in control.
With the support of our local service team you can move through your online application at your own pace and with full knowledge of what is happening at each stage.
You can borrow from loans.com.au secure in the knowledge that we are regulated by the Australian government.
Our operations are covered by the National Credit Code which is enforced by the financial services watchdog, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
We are powered by the financial strength of Firstmac, which is Australia’s largest non-bank lender.
Firstmac has been operating successfully for over four decades. If you follow rugby league you may have heard of Firstmac because it is a Premier sponsor of NRL team, the Brisbane Broncos.
loans.com.au is Australian-owned-and-run, has a long track record of success, and has super-low rates that could save you thousands of dollars.
That’s why we are the Home of Smart Money.