So, if you're buying a home for $300,000 you'll need at least $60,000 to cover a 20% deposit.
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.
While a $10,000 deposit is low, you can still buy a home with this low deposit depending on your lender. Some lenders allow low deposit loans as long as you pay a one-time fee. The fee is security and shows the lending company that you are responsible and serious about owning a home.
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.
Usually, 20% of the full value of the house is a good amount to aim for as a deposit. You can still get a loan if you have a smaller deposit, but you may need to take out Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) which adds an additional cost to your loan. It'll also take longer to pay off.
Help to Buy means you can apply for a mortgage with a 5% deposit – the government provides a loan (called an equity loan) of up to 40% in for London properties or 20% outside London (the limit is 15% in Scotland).
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.
From 1 July 2022, you will be able to contribute, and access for your first home, up to $50,000 in total voluntary contributions made under the FHSSS. These contributions must be within existing contribution caps (e.g. the $27,500 per year concessional contributions cap).
You'll need to save up to 5% or more of the purchase price as a deposit, and borrow the rest of the money (the mortgage) from a lender such as a bank or building society. The loan is 'secured' against the value of your home until it's paid off.
“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.”
Recommended deposit for a mortgage
So, a 20% deposit will normally get you a mortgage with a lower interest than a mortgage that lets you have a 10% deposit. Also, keep this in mind. A deposit of 15% and a deposit for 17% give you access to the same deals. You only get better deals by going up 5% more to 20%.
Aim to save 20% of the cost of the home for a down payment and 5% for closing costs. Smaller expenses when buying a home—like moving fees, new home furnishings, and a starter home maintenance fund—can add up. You can estimate a budget for smaller costs and add that to what you expect to need for your down payment.
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.
So, if you're buying a home for $300,000 you'll need at least $60,000 to cover a 20% deposit. You won't pay any LMI premiums, but you will need to be sure you have enough additional funds to cover the cost of any other fees and charges associated with the purchase.
To access low-cost deals, it is recommended that you aim for a minimum deposit of 20%. Interest rates will continue to fall in 5% LTV brackets until you have at least a 40% deposit. After that stage, you could have a 40% deposit or an 80% deposit, as an example, and you would have access to the same interest rates.
Borrowers with a 15% deposit can access 85% loan to value mortgages. An 85% Loan To Value (LTV) mortgage requires borrowers to put down a 15% deposit, so is often used by existing homeowners looking to [purchase] a new property or [remortgage] using the equity in their existing home.
The maximum amount you are able to borrow from a lender is based upon your annual salaried wage. Most commonly lenders allow you to lend between 4 and 4.5 times your annual salary – some will offer 5 times, some 6 and in very, very rare cases, 7 times the amount.
FHA loans are excellent for first-time homebuyers because, in addition to lower up-front loan costs and less stringent credit requirements, you can make a down payment as low as 3.5%. 4 FHA loans cannot exceed the statutory limits described above.
The general definition of a first-time buyer is 'a person buying a house or a flat who has never owned one before and has no property to sell'. Basically, you aren't a homeowner, an investor or simply mortgaging or re-mortgaging an existing home.
“Investing in super is for the long term and assuming you invest in a balanced/growth portfolio, the return should exceed the long-term interest rate of a home loan. This coupled with taxation advantages makes super a great way to hold and build wealth,” Haddan says.
Savings in super can do more
When you save money in a regular bank account, you're earning interest at a fixed rate. In super, you have access to lots of ways to invest your savings, giving you more options that could earn a better return and see your savings grow faster.
On an annual income of $80,000 after-tax, a lender may offer you a mortgage of $1.75 million. This assumes that the applicant's credit score is at least average. It also assumes that there are no outstanding debts owed. The applicant's expenses are also zero.
What income is required for a 400k mortgage? To afford a $400,000 house, borrowers need $55,600 in cash to put 10 percent down. With a 30-year mortgage, your monthly income should be at least $8200 and your monthly payments on existing debt should not exceed $981.
If you want to secure a $400,000 home loan to purchase a house, most lenders will require you to make somewhere between $66,000 and $100,000 per year.