Get cracking if you want to get into the market.

Prospective homebuyers should accelerate their plans now if they still want to benefit from the “double positive” of low interest rates and low property prices.

“Home values have begun to rise in many parts of the country – and even though the average rate of growth will probably be below the rate of inflation for the next couple of years, this is really of little relevance to first-time buyers,” says Berry Everitt.

“What counts for them is that whichever home they want to buy already costs more than it did last year, and will cost even more next year. The longer they wait, the more difficult it is going to be to get on to that first rung of the property ladder.”

For one thing, he says, every increase in property prices means that the prospective buyer has either to earn more or increase the size of his deposit to qualify for a home loan, even if interest rates stay the same.

“For example, if a home now priced at R500 000 were to increase in value this year by just 5%, the amount needed for a 10% deposit would rise from R50 000 to R55 000. At the same time, the size of the 90% home loan required would rise from R450 000 to R495 000 and the prospective buyer would have to earn about R1 500 more a month to qualify.

Everitt says that while this is a simple example, the principles hold true right across the price spectrum.

“Then there’s the question of interest rates. If imported inflation due to the economic troubles in Europe and the rising oil price causes the Reserve Bank to raise the repo rate, banks will most likely raise their mortgage rates as well, and once again buyers will have to earn more to qualify for loans.

“If the base home loan rate were to rise just one percentage point from 9% to 10%, for example, the buyer of the R500 000 home in our example would immediately need to earn R1 000 a month more to qualify. What is more, the monthly repayment on the loan would rise by around R300, so there would be an ongoing long-term effect on the family’s finances.

In short, he says, if you are an aspirant homeowner, the sooner you put your plans into action, the better.

If you would like to speak to a Professional Mortgage Specialist about your lending requirements, please phone Mortgage Plus Bond Originators on:

Complete this short form online

011.327.4489 / 0861 1111 93

morne@mortgagepluscc.co.za

www.mortgagepluscc.co.za

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News

A surprising number of home loans are being approved at 100 percent of the property price, according to the latest statistics from mortgage originator – Mortgage Plus Bond Originators, but this does not necessarily reveal a slackening of credit qualification criteria on the part of lenders.

These figures show that although most home loan applicants are still required to have a deposit of between 10 percent and 40 percent, depending on the type of property they want to buy, almost one in every five (18 percent) of the loan applications processed by Mortgage Plus Bond Originators is now being approved for a 100 percent loan.

In addition to this, says Mortgage Plus Bond Originators, 13.5 percent of applicants are obtaining loans for up to 104 percent of the property’s value through the special first-time buyers’ packages being offered by some banks on affordable houses.

“This means that more people can get a foothold on the property market ladder at a time when interest rates and prices are low. In the case of first- time buyers, the loans sometimes even include transfer and bond registration costs that would otherwise have to be paid in cash.

“And we should not forget that many people who are buying through the banks’ assisted sales programmes for financially distressed homeowners are also able to access 100 percent bonds as well as a 50 percent reduction in transfer costs.”

However, he says, what is most significant about the increase in the number of 100 percent loans is that it indicates an increase in the number of potential borrowers with sound credit records.

“The banks are not reluctant to grant 100 percent bonds, but they do have to impose strict conditions and follow stringent guidelines in terms of the National Credit Act. The fact that more homebuyers are able to access 100 percent finance is a good indication that the financial position of households is steadily improving as people pay down their debts and get their finances under control.”

Mortgage Plus does caution, though, that there are seldom any rate concessions on 100 percent loans, whereas borrowers who are able to pay a deposit of 10 percent or more may well be able to negotiate lower interest rates, especially if they have good credit histories and apply through an originator.

“There are also other advantages to paying a deposit, including interest rate savings over the life of the loan and protection against interest rate increases and negative equity, so overall we do believe it is a better course of action for potential buyers to save for deposits before buying.”

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