Most lenders will require a 20% deposit for home loans and processing fees. That’s why we suggest having at least a 20% deposit so we can better negotiate the rates for your loan.

Otherwise, we can look for other solutions such as a Family Guarantee or government grants such as the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme (FHLDS).

Here is the breakdown of costs in processing or buying a new home. Note that your real estate broker may have more or fewer requirements and fees depending on several factors.

- Home loan deposit (we recommend a 20% deposit if you don’t have government schemes in place)
- Legal fees
- Lenders’ Mortgage Insurance (LMI), although we can help you negotiate for an 80% LVR with no LMI for home loans depending on your financial position.
- Lender’s Establishment Fees for Specialist Loans

Furthermore, your local council may require you to pay the following fees:

- Government Registration & Transfer Fees
- Due Diligence Fees (pest inspection, strata report, etc.)

Aside from legal and lending fees, you should also note labour costs, moving, and furnishing your new home. Don’t forget about living expenses and your monthly mortgage repayments.

Usually, you only need to have a minimum deposit of about 5-10% of the property value to purchase it.

But if you still don’t have that amount, we recommend opting for a family guarantee, especially if your parents have considerable equity in their property. Otherwise, paying for LMI should help you get finance as long as you and the house you want to purchase are eligible.

Having a time-tested and proven mortgage broker can help you:

- Thoroughly assess and determine your borrowing capacity.
- Understanding what documents you need to prepare when buying a property
- Make sure you have enough equity and set an appropriate property budget.
- Develop a long-term and sustainable financing strategy
- Establish a sustainable and reliable financing strategy
- Take you through different partner specialists (solicitors, tax and depreciation experts, mortgage brokers, and buyer agents)

Property investors should also walk away with an improved loan portfolio with our help at JFS Financial Strategists.

Before venturing into property investing, make sure you have:

- Extra cash flow after deducting living expenses and outstanding debts
- Saved enough equity or deposit in a property.

Besides, remember that investing incurs varying risks. So we recommend having an investor’s mindset and trying to mitigate the risks of investing by looking into what you will earn in an investment property.

That means going out of your way to make several enquiries just to ensure what you’re venturing into is right for you.

When applying for a home loan, you should hear the term LMI or Lenders’ Mortgage Insurance from your bank or broker.

You pay your insurance provider a one-time fee when applying for loans above a specified Loan to Value Ratio (LVR).

LMI is required when the bank or lender is exposed to higher risk on your loan. What happens when you’re borrowing more for less deposit.

If you default on the loan and the bank sells the property at a loss, the LMI insurer will reimburse your lender for the loss. On your end, that means you can borrow more and purchase higher-valued properties. The only con is that you need to pay an LMI fee which increases along with LVR and loan amount.

At JFS Financial Strategists we are big about saving you time and money so you could spend more time on doing what you love. We take over the project from start to finish, through research, reviewing the fine prints, negotiations with lenders and their credit managers, comparing rates and fees to achieve your goals.

The amount and Loan to Value Ratio (LVR) you can borrow will depend on your capacity to repay the loan. In other words, your net income is gross income minus tax and other expenses you need to make.