With so many different home loan products on the market, it's easy to feel spoilt for choice. But it can also be difficult to work out which home loan is best for you. With a home loan comparison, you can look at the interest rates, features, fees and benefits of several different home loans side by side, to get a better idea of the value they offer before making any decisions.

A home loan comparison is understandably an important part of how you find the right mortgage rate, and can provide insight into how much you might pay for any property, be it for owner-occupiers or investors. As you get started on your home loan comparison, consider asking yourself the following questions:

Generally speaking, the more you choose to borrow for your home loan, the higher the cost of repayments and the bigger the deposit you'll need. So it's important to have a good understanding of what will work comfortably with your budget.

RateCity has a number of home loan calculators that could come in handy when figuring out how much you can afford to borrow. For example, our home loan repayment calculator can help you determine how much the mortgage repayments might be on a particular loan amount, and our borrowing power calculator can give you an idea of how much you could afford to borrow based on different repayment and deposit amounts.

Low rate home loans are more likely to require higher upfront security deposits. Which means, the more you're able to save up for a deposit, the more competitive an interest rate you may be able to secure.

It's also important to note that if your loan to value ratio (LVR) is over 80 per cent - meaning your deposit is less than 20 per cent of the property value - you may be required to pay Lender’s Mortgage Insurance (LMI).

In Australia, lenders typically offer separate home loan products for owner-occupied home loans and investment loans. Borrowers who are taking out a mortgage to buy a home to live in will often be offered lower interest rates than those who are buying an investment property. 

It's important to keep this in mind when shopping for a mortgage as it will determine which loan products may be available to you.

Different lenders and home loan products tend to offer different features, so it's worth figuring out which ones might be beneficial to you. Here are some features that may be available:

Offset account

An offset account is a type of savings or transaction account that works just like a standard bank account, but is linked to your mortgage and gives you the opportunity to reduce your payable interest.

Any money that you put in your offset account is included when your lender calculates the interest owing on your mortgage. For example, if you owe $300,000 but have $50,000 in an offset account, you’ll be charged interest as if you only owed $250,000.

Extra repayments

Making additional repayments onto your mortgage could allow you to get ahead of schedule on your loan term and closer to paying off your home loan, reducing your total interest repayments.

Redraw facility

A redraw facility lets you withdraw any extra home loan repayments you’ve made if you need that money back in your pocket, which can be useful for covering unexpected expenses without having to take on more debt with a credit card or personal loan.

Big lenders vs small lenders

Larger mortgage lenders such as the big four banks (Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, NAB and ANZ) tend to offer customers more facilities than smaller lenders, including local bank branches for in-person banking.

However, as a result of the cost of added overheads, big banks often charge higher interest rates and fees than smaller lenders. Plus, smaller lenders tend to offer more flexibility and innovative technology.

Deciding what you need from a lender will help you determine what type of home loan provider is right for you.

Interest rates

Another factor to consider when shopping for a home loan is whether you want a fixed rate or variable rate home loan - or perhaps a split loan.

• Variable -Variable interest rates may increase or decrease during your mortgage term, often in line with changes to Australia's official cash rate, but sometimes independently, depending on your lender. If your lender passes on a rate cut, you could save money on your mortgage repayments, but if rates rise, you could find yourself paying more.
• Fixed - Home loan interest rates can sometimes be fixed for a limited time, typically from one to five years. During this time, your mortgage repayments will stay the same, which can help with budgeting. This can protect you from higher repayments if interest rates rise, but you could also miss out on savings if interest rates fall. After the fixed term, the interest rate will revert to a standard variable rate.
• Split - Some borrowers also choose to split their home loan interest rates between fixed and variable interest rates. This can provide a bit of certainty in case of rate rises, while also making the most of low rates when they're available.

Fees

A loan's interest rate is an important factor to consider when making a comparison, but fees can also play a big part in the overall cost. After all, high fees on a home loan can negate the impact of a low interest rate.

Some of the fees you’re likely to encounter during your mortgage comparison include:

• Application fees
• Upfront fees
• Annual fees
• Ongoing fees
• Redraw fees
• Discharge fees

Comparison rate

A handy way to compare the total cost of different home loans is to look at the comparison rate, which combines the cost of interest plus standard fees and charges into a single percentage figure. Keep in mind that not every extra cost will be included in a loan’s comparison rate, so it’s still important to look carefully at your available options.

Repayment type

You can also choose between making principal and interest repayments or interest-only repayments on your home loan.

Principal and interest (P&I) repayments let you gradually repay the money you've borrowed while also covering your interest charges. While P&I repayments tend to be more expensive from month to month than paying interest only, they let you make steady progress towards clearing your debt, and can help to minimise the total interest you’re charged over the loan term.

Some lenders allow you to delay repaying your debt and simply pay the interest charges for a limited time (generally between one and five years). These interest-only (IO) repayments can be more affordable in the short term, though you may end up paying more total interest over the loan’s full term as your repayments won’t be reducing the principal amount owing.

Some borrowers might choose to simply apply for a mortgage with the bank they've been a customer of most of their lives, while others will make a comprehensive comparison to ensure they're choosing a home loan that best suits their needs.

If you find that you could use some extra help or personalised advice during your home loan search, you might like to enquire with a mortgage broker.

A broker is a loan industry expert who can assist you throughout the home loan application process, whether you're a first home buyer, investor, or looking to refinance.

RateCity has compiled the details of mortgage brokers located throughout Australia, to help you find a broker who's local to you.

Shopping for the most suitable home loan options might seem overwhelming when there are so many factors to consider, but RateCity's home loan comparison tools could help take some of the hassle out of it:

Comparison tables

Our comparison tables can help you narrow down your search to the products that best suit your specific needs. Just use the filters to search by interest rate type, borrow amount, lender type, features, repayment options and more.

Real Time Ratings™

RateCity's Real Time Ratings™ can be a helpful tool when comparing how much value a home loan product might offer you. The rating system gives each home loan a score out of five stars, based on loan costs and flexibility. It also factors in your loan size, deposit amount and borrowing type.

Home loan calculators

Our home loan repayment calculator can give you an estimate of how much your repayments might cost based on the information you provide.

You can find out your estimated weekly, fortnightly, or monthly repayments, total interest payable, total amount payable, plus your repayment schedule.

RateCity also has a number of other calculators that may come in handy at different stages of your home buying process.