CQU property expert reveals home truths on housing affordability
It’s never been harder for younger Australians to enter the property market, we regularly hear.
Nick BendelMar 7, 2019( 4 min read )
Flexible Investment Loan (Principal and Interest) (LVR < 80%)
Discount Variable Home Loan
special
$0 application feeMake the move to UBank's award winning home loan
Advertised Rate
2.84%
Variable
Comparison Rate*
2.84%
Owner Occupier Discounted Variable Rate
No upfront or ongoing feesExtra repayments + redraw services
View NowPromotedUBank terms and conditions
Advertised Rate
5.32%
Variable
Comparison Rate*
5.34%
Maximum LVR
80%
Monthly Repayment
$1,810
Pros and Cons
Pros
- No ongoing fees
- 100% full offset account
- Extra repayments + redraw services
- Free redraw facility
Cons
- Discharge fee at end of loan
- Repayments may increase if RBA raises rates
ME Bank Fees and Features
Maximum LVR 80% | Interest rate structure Variable |
Borrowing range $40k - $100m Calculate how much you can borrow | Total Repayments $543,000 |
Principal & interest | Interest only |
Loan term range 5 - 30 years | Offset account 100% offset account |
Extra repayments Unlimited extra repayments | Redraw facility Redraw fee: $0 |
Allows split interest | Suitable For Investors |
Applicable States ACT, NSW, NT, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC, WA | |
Estimated upfront fees $400 | Application fee $0 |
Settlement fee $0 | Valuation fee $200 |
Legal fee $200 | Ongoing fee $0 |
Discharge fee $350 | Property Type |
SMSF Trustee | Minimum SMSF Amount |
Compare and review home loans with similar features
ME Bank, or Members Equity Bank, was founded in 1994 and is owned by a group of industry super funds.
It provides a range of home loans to customers, including owner-occupier mortgages, investor mortgages, refinancing loans and high-LVR loans, among others.
ME Bank is an online-only bank, meaning home loan applications must be completed by arranging a meeting with a mobile home loan specialist. General customer service is also available online or over the phone.
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FAQs
Does each product always have the same rating?
No, the rating you see depends on a number of factors and can change as you tell us more about your loan profile and preferences. The reasons you may see a different rating:
- Lenders have made changes. Our ratings show the relative competitiveness of all the products listed at a given time. As the listing change, so do the ratings.
- You have updated you profile. If you increase your loan amount, the impact of different rates and fees will change which loans are the lowest cost for you.
- You adjust your preferences. The more you search for flexible loan features, the more importance we assign to the Flexibility Score. You can also adjust your Flexibility Weighting yourself, which will recalculate the ratings with preference given to more flexible loans.
What is a variable home loan?
A variable rate home loan is one where the interest rate can and will change over the course of your loan. The rate is determined by your lender, not the Reserve Bank of Australia, so while the cash rate might go down, your bank may decide not to follow suit, although they do broadly follow market conditions. One of the upsides of variable rates is that they are typically more flexible than their fixed rate counterparts which means that a lot of these products will let you make extra repayments and offer features such as offset accounts.
What’s wrong with traditional ratings systems?
They’re impersonal
Most comparison sites give you information about rates, fees and features, but expect you’ll pay more with a low advertised rate and $400 ongoing fee or a slightly higher rate and no ongoing fee. The answer is different for each borrower and depends on a number of variables, in particular how big your loan is. Comparisons are either done based on just today or projected over a full 25 or 30 year loan. That’s not how people borrow these days. While you may take a 30 year loan, most borrowers will either upgrade their house or switch their home loan within the first five years.
You’re also expected to know exactly which features you want. This is fine for the experienced borrower, but most people know some flexibility is a good thing, but don’t know exactly which features offer more flexibility than others.
What is the flexibility score?
Today’s home loans often try to lure borrowers with a range of flexible features, including offset accounts, redraw facilities, repayment frequency options, repayment holidays, split loan options and portability. Real Time Ratings™ weights each of these features based on popularity and gives loans a ‘flexibility score’ based on how much they cater to borrowers’ needs over time. The aim is to give a higher score to loans which give borrowers more features and options.
They’re not always timely
In today’s competitive home loan market, lenders are releasing new offers almost daily. These offers are often some of the most attractive deals in the market, but won’t get rated by traditional ratings systems for up to a year.
The assumptions are out of date
The comparison rate is based on a loan size of $150,000 and a loan term of 25 years. However, the typical loan size is much higher than that. Million dollar loans are becoming increasingly common, especially if you live in metropolitan parts of Australia, like Sydney and Melbourne. It’s also uncommon for borrowers to hold a loan for 25 years. The typical shelf life for a home loan is a few years.
The other problem is because it’s a percentage, the difference between 3.9 or 3.7 per cent on a $500,000 doesn’t sound like much, but equals around $683 a year. Real Time Ratings™ not only looks at the difference in the monthly repayments, but it will work out the actual cost difference once fees are taken into consideration.
What is a specialist lender?
Specialist lenders, also known as non-conforming lenders, are lenders that offer mortgages to ‘non-vanilla’ borrowers who struggle to get finance at mainstream banks.
That includes people with bad credit, as well as borrowers who are self-employed, in casual employment or are new to Australia.
Specialist lenders take a much more flexible approach to assessing mortgage applications than mainstream banks.
What is the difference between a fixed rate and variable rate?
A variable rate can fluctuate over the life of a loan as determined by your lender. While the rate is broadly reflective of market conditions, including the Reserve Bank’s cash rate, it is by no means the sole determining factor in your bank’s decision-making process.
A fixed rate is one which is set for a period of time, regardless of market fluctuations. Fixed rates can be as short as one year or as long as 15 years however after this time it will revert to a variable rate, unless you negotiate with your bank to enter into another fixed term agreement
Variable rates is that they are typically more flexible than their fixed rate counterparts which means that a lot of these products will let you make extra repayments and offer features such as offset accounts however fixed rates do offer customers a level of security by knowing exactly how much they need to set aside each month.
What is a line of credit?
A line of credit, also known as a home equity loan, is a type of mortgage that allows you to borrow money using the equity in your property.
Equity is the value of your property, less any outstanding debt against it. For example, if you have a $500,000 property and a $300,000 mortgage against the property, then you have $200,000 equity. This is the portion of the property that you actually own.
This type of loan is a flexible mortgage that allows you to draw on funds when you need them, similar to a credit card.
Which mortgage is the best for me?
The best mortgage to suit your needs will vary depending on your individual circumstances. If you want to be mortgage free as soon as possible, consider taking out a mortgage with a shorter term, such as 25 years as opposed to 30 years, and make the highest possible mortgage repayments. You might also want to consider a loan with an offset facility to help reduce costs. Investors, on the other hand, might have different objectives so the choice of loan will differ.
Whether you decide on a fixed or variable interest rate will depend on your own preference for stability in repayment amounts, and flexibility when it comes to features.
If you do not have a deposit or will not be in a financial position to make large repayments right away you may wish to consider asking a parent to be a guarantor or looking at interest only loans. Again, which one of these options suits you best is reliant on many factors and you should seek professional advice if you are unsure which mortgage will suit you best.
Why should you trust Real Time Ratings™?
Real Time Ratings™ was conceived by a team of data experts who have been analysing trends and behaviour in the home loan market for more than a decade. It was designed purely to meet the evolving needs of home loan customers who wish to merge low cost with flexible features quickly. We believe it fills a glaring gap in the market by frequently re-rating loan products based on the changes lenders make daily.
Real Time Ratings™ is a new idea and will change over time to match the frequently-evolving demands of the market. Some things won’t change though – it will always rate all relevent products in our database and will not be influenced by advertising.
If you have any feedback about Real Time Ratings™, please get in touch.
What is the difference between fixed, variable and split rates?
A fixed rate home loan is a loan where the interest rate is set for a certain amount of time, usually between one and 15 years. The advantage of a fixed rate is that you know exactly how much your repayments will be for the duration of the fixed term. There are some disadvantages to fixing that you need to be aware of. Some products won’t let you make extra repayments, or offer tools such as an offset account to help you reduce your interest, while others will charge a significant break fee if you decide to terminate the loan before the fixed period finishes.
A variable rate home loan is one where the interest rate can and will change over the course of your loan. The rate is determined by your lender, not the Reserve Bank of Australia, so while the cash rate might go down, your bank may decide not to follow suit, although they do broadly follow market conditions. One of the upsides of variable rates is that they are typically more flexible than their fixed rate counterparts which means that a lot of these products will let you make extra repayments and offer features such as offset accounts.
Split rates home loans
A split loan lets you fix a portion of your loan, and leave the remainder on a variable rate so you get a bet each way on fixed and variable rates. A split loan is a good option for someone who wants the peace of mind that regular repayments can provide but still wants to retain some of the additional features variable loans typically provide such as an offset account. Of course, with most things in life, split loans are still a trade-off. If the variable rate goes down, for example, the lower interest rates will only apply to the section that you didn’t fix.
How will Real Time Ratings™ help me find a new home loan?
The home loan market is complex. With almost 4,000 different loans on offer, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to work out which loans work for you.
That’s where Real Time RatingsTM can help. Our system automatically filters out loans that don’t fit your requirements and ranks the remaining loans based on your individual loan requirements and preferences.
Best of all, the ratings are calculated in real time so you know you’re getting the most current information.