If you are considering taking a new home loan, you should also take into account the factors that influence the rates. There are some factors that are within your control.

New Home Loan: Factors to Consider

One should consider the following factors while applying for a new home loan:

Debt to Income Ratio: Before taking a decision on the amount of loan to be extended, every lender calculates your debt to income ratio. This is calculated by taking into account your monthly debts and income. A high debt to income ratio means that a considerable part of your income is going towards the payment of your existing debts, which signifies high risk for lenders. If you have a high ratio then the interest rate is likely to be higher.

Payment History: You can improve your chances of getting a good interest rate by paying your bills on time. These could be credit card bills or car or rent payments. A single late payment can affect your credit history.

Property Type: The type of home loan that you are entitled to is influenced by the kind of property against which you take the loan. Property may be a single family home, multi family home or condominium. The rates are lower for properties that bear lesser risk.

Loan Amount versus Property Value: The lender will compare the loan amount with the value of the property to calculate the LTV (loan to value) ratio. If this ratio is high your mortgage will carry higher risk, which will end up in a high interest rate on your home loan.

Loan Amount and Duration: The higher the loan amount, the higher will be the interest rate. Moreover, the longer the duration of the loan, the lower will be the rate of interest on your home loan.

Closing Costs: If you do not wish to pay all the closing costs, then you can expect to pay higher interest rates. This is done to compensate for the closing costs.

Down Payment and Points: You can get good interest rates by paying down at least 10% of the loan. You can also pay points to lower the interest rates by paying your principal and lowering your monthly payments.

Please contact us if you require any further information or would like to apply for finance:

Complete this short form online

011.327.4489 / 0861 1111 93

morne@mortgagepluscc.co.za

www.mortgagepluscc.co.za

Its always a good idea to find out how much mortgage loan you qualify for before making an offer on an home , banks typically base this on your income and your current monthly expenditure which includes living expenses and debt repayments.

Before the implementation of the National Credit Act (NCA) in June 2007 banks and other mortgage lenders typically would calculate a bond based on payments of not more that 30% of your gross monthly income. In the case of a joint purchase they would look at 30% of the combined gross incomes.

This methodology wasn’t overly concerned with your other debts as the banks were comfortable that they had a first claim on any income and the debt was secured by a mortgage over immovable property.

Since the introduction of the NCA , banks and other mortgage lenders need to evaluate the prospective borrower’s ability to repay the proposed bond. They need to take into account all of your expenses and all your other debts before determining how much disposable income you have to service a bond. The result of this is that since the NCA was introduced people typically are qualifying for much lower mortgage amounts resulting in fewer home loans being granted sine June 2007.

Here are a few tips to maximise the amount you qualify for:

• Prepare a budget and evaluate your monthly expenditure, eliminate all non-essential and luxury items
• Always try and pay your debts on time , if you have a problem making a particular payment speak to your creditors
• Make a list of all you debt and rank your debt by interest rate starting with the highest to the lowest. Pay off the highest cost debt first by making additional payments, once it is settled move on to the next highest and so on.
• Because of the stricter mortgage lending requirements it is important that you have a substantial deposit when applying for a bond. If you don’t have any savings available consider setting up a savings/investment plan after settling any debts.
• Find ways to increase your income , ask your boss for a raise , work overtime or consider getting a second job – the more you earn the more bond you will qualify for
• Find out whether your employer offers a housing subsidy to employees
• Before applying for a home loan check your credit score to make sure that there are no negative items recorded against your profile. You don’t want the bank/mortgage lender to be the one to tell you about it. If there are any adverse comments take the necessary steps to correct it

Please contact us if you require any further information or would like to apply for finance:

Complete this short form online

011.327.4489 / 0861 1111 93

morne@mortgagepluscc.co.za

www.mortgagepluscc.co.za