The dream of home ownership is common, but latest data suggests that most Australian potential home buyers don’t understand key financial concepts. This knowledge is powerful when looking into buying a home. So learning key terms will prove helpful.
Recent data from UBank’s Know Your Numbers survey found that 84% of Australians who are yet to buy a property admit they don’t know enough about how home loans, mortgage rates and deposits work, while 3 in 10 admitted to knowing nothing at all and having no idea where to start.
Understanding all the financial concepts that come along with property purchasing is powerful so that you don’t just jump at the first seemingly attractive rate you see advertised, because that has the potential to lead to big problems down the track.
“Entering the property market with little to no knowledge of some essential financial terms and concepts could see Australians falling into common traps or getting themselves into situations they cannot manage,” explains UBank CEO, Philippa Watson.
How we can help you to understand financial concepts?
Financial education isn’t something that can simply be googled and instantly understood. The best way to improve your financial knowledge is to learn from a professional. When you come to us for a finance solution, we’ll be sure to explain any financial terms or products you don’t fully have your head around yet.
There’s no such thing as a bad question.
We’re not just satisfied with matching you up with a home loan, we want you to be confident that it’s the right one for you, and for you to understand the reasons why. So that you can settle into your new life as a homeowner feeling comfortable and excited.
Some financial terms we commonly explain to our clients
The world of finance is full of jargon and seemingly complicated language.
To help get you started, below are some of the most common financial terms people ask us about.
Loan to Value Ratio (LVR): LVR is the percentage of the property’s value (as assessed by the lender) that your loan equates to.
For example, if the property you want to purchase is valued at $500,000, and you need to borrow $400,000 to pay for it, the loan is worth 80% of the property value, making your LVR 80%.
Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI): LMI is insurance that protects the bank or lender in case you can’t pay your residential mortgage.
It’s usually paid by borrowers who have an LVR higher than 80% – that is, borrowers with a deposit of less than 20%.
Offset account: an offset account is just like a regular transaction account; except it’s linked to your home loan. The money held in the account is counted as if it’s been paid off your home loan, which reduces the balance of the loan and in turn, reduces the interest you need to pay.
And because the offset account acts like a regular transaction account, the money you’ve put in there is still accessible whenever you need it.
Refinancing: refinancing is the process of switching your home loan to take advantage of another, more suitable home loan for your present circumstances, such as one with a lower interest rate that might save you money.
Anything we forgot?
If there is anything that you wish to learn more about that wasn’t mentioned in this article get in touch and we can explain. Or, if something was mentioned but you would like a more in-depth explanation, we’d be more than happy to discuss it.
We’re always happy to sit down and demystify the home buying process, so that when you do take the leap into ownership, you can be confident that you’re armed with all the knowledge you need.
If you’re keen to buy your first home but find all the terminology a bit daunting, then please reach out to us today.
