Sunday, June 26, 2011

Why Compare Your Mortgage?

This is an email question from Steve in Leederville. His question asks - I have had my home loan for a couple of years, and have noticed that some banks are offering cheaper interest rates. My question is, should I compare my home loan?

It is important to know what your home loan interest rates are. It is also important to know if you are paying monthly or annual fees, and the features that your current home loan has.

You may be able to save a fair bit of money too, if another or new home loan product has come to the market, and may suit your current needs better.

A call or email to a mortgage broker, may help you get through the maze of comparing your home loan. Mortgage Brokers are paid commissions by banks or lenders, and most mortgage broker do not charge a fee (I Don’t, if your not sure, just ask your broker).

A good mortgage broker, should compare your current home loan, to other products on offer, plus the possible costs associated with either switching your home loan with your current lender, or switching to another bank, versus the savings you may receive.

It really costs nothing to compare your home loan, just a little bit of your time. In the case with Steve, the email question, we were able to switch his home loan to a different mortgage with the bank he was with, saving any possible exit fees. Steve’s interest rate was reduced from 7.4% to 7.1% on his $300,000 home loan. His savings were approx $66 a month, which is quite a significant saving. The bank fee, to switch his loan was $300, so the fee to switch the loan, will be repaid within the first 5 months of starting his new home loan.

If you would like a home loan health check, or to speak to a qualified mortgage broker, please contact me anytime.

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