What do banks look for when considering a home loan application? Lenders generally focus on your income and how you make it, the property you are buying and its value, your savings and spending habits, your credit history and what you own or owe.
Home First allows you to short cut that 8 years and buy now with as little as $5,000 in savings.
Many banks and non-bank lenders are willing to lend up to 95% of the property purchase price. Essentially, this means you'll need to save at least 5% of the purchase price to put towards your deposit. So, if you're buying a home valued at $400,000 then 5% of the purchase price is $20,000.
Your income and employment history are good indicators of your ability to repay outstanding debt. Income amount, stability, and type of income may all be considered. The ratio of your current and any new debt as compared to your before-tax income, known as debt-to-income ratio (DTI), may be evaluated.
In total, you will need 8-10% of the purchase price in savings to afford a home. So for example, if you were buying a place for $400,000 you would need around 10% or $40,000 in savings. This includes the bank (sometimes called the home loan deposit) and other costs like stamp duty.
“But if you're willing to be open-minded about your loan-to-value ratio and location, you can definitely buy a good investment property with a $100,000 deposit.”
While it can be tempting to misrepresent your income, employment or assets to seem more appealing to lenders, you could face serious consequences. Not only can you lose your loan funds, which means you never see them or have to repay what you borrowed immediately, you can also face prison sentences.
Yes, a mortgage lender will look at any depository accounts on your bank statements — including checking accounts, savings accounts, and any open lines of credit.
Each lender has an individual standard for how much you should have in savings, but most want to see at least a few months' worth of payments in your account. They'll also want to see that you have assets sufficient for the down payment and closing costs without help.
Home deposit size
If you've been able to save a large deposit to buy a home, a lender will likely lend you more. However, lenders will generally not let you borrow more than 90% of a property's value. For example, if a property costs $500,000 and you have a $50,000 the deposit, the lender will only lend you $450,000.
Deposit savings
Ideally, you should save as much as possible before buying a home. The minimum required deposit is 10%, but aim for 20% if possible. If you're borrowing more than 80%1 of the property value, you'll need to take out Lenders' Mortgage Insurance or Low Deposit Premium.
Owner-occupier home loan deposits
Simply put, that means if you were looking to buy a property for $500,000 you would need a deposit of $100,000.
Understand Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI)
In most locations worth investing in, a $30,000 deposit won't get you to that 80% Loan to Value Ratio (LVR) sweet-spot. That doesn't mean that you can't buy a property, but you may incur LMI fees.
The First Home Super Saver scheme allows you to make voluntary contributions to your super to help save a deposit for your first home. You can withdraw this amount, plus investment earnings when you are ready to buy a home.
Most lenders are looking for 20% down payments. That's $60,000 on a $300,000 home. With 20% down, you'll have a better chance of getting approved for a loan. And you'll earn a better mortgage rate.
Banks and credit unions want to learn about your financial past before establishing an account with you. They do this by running a bank history report on you. Like a credit check, this report highlights the consumer's financial behavior, but for bank accounts instead of credit cards.
The most common reasons for rejection include a low credit score or bad credit history, a high debt-to-income ratio, unstable employment history, too low of income for the desired loan amount, or missing important information or paperwork within your application.
Mortgage lenders verify employment by contacting employers directly and requesting income information and related documentation. Most lenders only require verbal confirmation, but some will seek email or fax verification. Lenders can verify self-employment income by obtaining tax return transcripts from the IRS.
Lying about your income on a credit card application and stating a higher income than what you really make might be tempting, but it's a bad idea. At best, you could have your credit card account closed if the lender finds out. At worst, you could wind up paying big fines or spending time in jail.
If you deposit over $10,000 in cash into your bank account, it requires special handling. The IRS requires banks and businesses to file Form 8300, the Currency Transaction Report, if they receive cash payments over $10,000. Depositing more than $10,000 will not result in immediate questioning from authorities, however.
Does a Bank Report Large Cash Deposits? Depositing a big amount of cash that is $10,000 or more means your bank or credit union will report it to the federal government. The $10,000 threshold was created as part of the Bank Secrecy Act, passed by Congress in 1970, and adjusted with the Patriot Act in 2002.
To put this in context, if you were buying a house for $600,000, lenders ideally would like you to have a deposit of $120,000 (20% of the property's value). If you have only saved $60,000 but you have sufficient income to support the loan, you may be able to take advantage of Lenders Mortgage Insurance.