With Sydney’s property market now in the top 10 most unaffordable cities globally, doing your homework on homebuying is more important than ever.
A new report by the Committee for Sydney shows that the harbour city has obvious housing problems, including a lack of property supply, poor planning and a culture that prioritises property investment, among other things.
As a result, Sydney’s chronically unaffordable housing is among the worst in the world (6th on the Committee’s list), costing the city $10bn a year.
This scenario has obviously made buying a home a lot harder in recent years but anyone in the Sydney market (or similar) should note that a range of homebuyer schemes have helped many first timers, while lower first deposit rules on certain home loans have also reduced the barrier to entry.
If you’re looking at home loan providers right now, there are some that allow smaller first deposits than the standard 20%. For example, Bendigo Bank’s Express Home Loan permits a 10% deposit and has a variable interest rate of 5.72%.
Also, Loans.com.au’s Variable Home Loan 90 also allows a 10% deposit and has a variable interest rate of 5.79%. These rates are well under the average of 6.60% for variable home loans.
Meanwhile, there are several government-led schemes you can tap into as a first-time buyer. Under the First Home Buyers Grant, for instance, an eligible home buyer can buy a home with as little as 5% deposit without paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance. This grant runs until June 30, 2024. Additionally, each state offers its own schemes such as the First Home Owners Grant in New South Wales which lets home buyers who build a new home or buy a brand new or substantially renovated property receive a $10,000 grant.
There are eligibility rules for all grants, so be sure to review the fine print before going ahead.
Housing affordability isn’t only about the impact on people’s finances but also can contribute to a city’s happiness, inequality, vibrancy, transport and commuting times, and reduced access to important community services.
Among the solutions offered by the Committee for Sydney are an update of zoning rules to help new builds, investment in building more social and affordable housing, and an increase in housing in areas that have good transport connectivity and amenities.
While our governments hopefully work on such solutions, you can help yourself now by researching the best home loans available but also the suburbs that offer value for money.
Transport and amenities have increasingly improved in outer ring suburbs and that’s important because the price difference inside 25 kilometres from any given Aussie CBD is much higher than locations farther out. It’s worth checking a few options to see how far your money – and home loan – can take you.
If you’re ready to take the next step and compare home loans in the market, our experts at Mozo have pinpointed some of the best. Get your homebuying journey started and compare now!
Owner Occupier, Refinance Only, LVR <80%
For refinancers only. Built by CommBank, the Unloan is the first home loan with an increasing discount (conditions apply) for borrowers. No application or banking fees. No monthly account keeping or early exit fees. Apply in as little as 10 minutes.
For refinancers only. Built by CommBank, the Unloan is the first home loan with an increasing discount (conditions apply) for borrowers. No application or banking fees. No monthly account keeping or early exit fees. Apply in as little as 10 minutes.
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about the Unloan Variable
Owner Occupier, Principal & Interest, LVR <80%
Competitive variable rate. Multiple offset accounts available. Borrowers can also make extra repayments. Redraw facility available. Simple online application process.
Competitive variable rate. Multiple offset accounts available. Borrowers can also make extra repayments. Redraw facility available. Simple online application process.
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about the Own Home Loan
Owner Occupier, Principal & Interest, LVR <90%
Get fast online approval from the award-winning Bendigo Bank Express Home Loan. Multiple offset accounts and redraw available. 100% offset on variable rate loans and partial offset on fixed rate. Flexible repayment options. New home loans only.
Get fast online approval from the award-winning Bendigo Bank Express Home Loan. Multiple offset accounts and redraw available. 100% offset on variable rate loans and partial offset on fixed rate. Flexible repayment options. New home loans only.
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about the Express Home Loan
Principal and Interest, LVR <90%
Affordable home loan rate for buyers or refinancers.. No monthly or ongoing fees. Option to add an offset for 0.10%. Access to savings with unlimited redraws available. Minimum 10% deposit required.
Affordable home loan rate for buyers or refinancers.. No monthly or ongoing fees. Option to add an offset for 0.10%. Access to savings with unlimited redraws available. Minimum 10% deposit required.
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about the Variable Home Loan 90
Owner Occupier, Principal & Interest, Refinance Only
Enjoy a competitive variable interest rate from Up. No application, monthly, annual, redraw, or discharge fees to pay. Up to 50 free offset accounts available. Up home loans are only available to owner-occupiers buying or refinancing in major Australian cities. Up is 100% owned by Bendigo Bank. New joiners get $10 by signing up to the app using code UPHOMEMOZO. (T&Cs apply) Mozo Experts Choice award winner.
Enjoy a competitive variable interest rate from Up. No application, monthly, annual, redraw, or discharge fees to pay. Up to 50 free offset accounts available. Up home loans are only available to owner-occupiers buying or refinancing in major Australian cities. Up is 100% owned by Bendigo Bank. New joiners get $10 by signing up to the app using code UPHOMEMOZO. (T&Cs apply) Mozo Experts Choice award winner.
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about the Home Variable Rate
Jean-Paul (JP) Pelosi is an experienced journalist and editor who has contributed to many of Australia's leading media outlets including The Guardian, News.com.au, Domain.com.au, Investment Magazine and ANZ's Bluenotes. He has also edited news and communications for large financial services companies such as CommBank, Suncorp, Allianz and Amex. He loves a well told story and applying his editorial experience to content that readers both care about and enjoy. JP heads up our writing team.
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