Compare investment loan rates

Whether you're looking at buying your first home for investment, or already have an investment property under your belt, if you want to invest in property, you’ll likely need an investor loan. These home loans for investors (who plan to make money from the property) are different to home loans for owner occupiers (who plan to live in the property).

A mortgage for investment purposes can provide a range of benefits in the right circumstances, including flexible payment options that can help you enjoy capital growth, rental yields and tax advantages.

Of course, like any investment, there are also risks involved when investing in property. You could have trouble attracting tenants, your property could be damaged, or property values in your area could stagnate or decline.

It’s important to compare different investment loan products before you make an application, so you can see which rates, fees, features and benefits may best suit your needs. You may also want to contact a mortgage broker or financial adviser to work out the best property investment strategy to meet your goals.

An investor loan is a type of mortgage, with features and benefits that can help investment borrowers achieve their financial goals for the property.

Some popular features of investment home loans include: 

• interest-only repayments
• fixed interest rates
• extra repayments
• redraw facilities
• offset accounts

While investor loans are often more flexible than loans for owner occupiers, they also often charge slightly higher interest rates and/or fees. 

The process of getting an investor loan is broadly similar to getting a home loan as an owner occupier – you fill in similar forms and provide similar information about your income, expenses, assets and liabilities.

However, there are some important differences between applying for investment home loans and applying for owner occupier home loans to be aware of.

Just like when you apply for an owner occupier home loan, you’ll need to pay a deposit on an investor mortgage. However, it’s often harder to find low-deposit investor loans, and much more likely that you’ll need to pay an upfront deposit of 20 per cent or more of the property’s value as part of the eligibility criteria. This deposit can be covered by your savings, or by the value of equity you own in a property. Investors may also have to pay stamp duty, depending in any exceptions or concessions in your state, so keep this additional cost in mind. 

Investors will need to provide evidence that they earn enough income from their employment to cover the cost of mortgage repayments. Other sources of income, such as rents from other investment properties, may only be partially included when calculating your income, as these income streams are typically less consistent than your wage or salary. Most banks will not include the income you hope to receive from rent on your investment property, as they’ll want to be confident you can still afford the loan even if the property is untenanted for any reason.

You’ll also need to provide details of any other debts or lines of credit, such as car loans or credit cards. Because banks often consider investment home loans to be riskier than owner occupier home loans, your lender may pay close attention to these potential liabilities, which could affect your borrowing power as an investor.

Getting the best interest rate as a property investor often requires you to demonstrate that you’re a reliable borrower. The less risk you represent to a lender, the more likely you are to be offered a lower interest rate on your mortgage. This is also true for owner occupiers.

The larger a deposit you can afford on your mortgage, the more likely you are to be offered a lower interest rate. If you already own another property, you may be able to use your equity in place of saving up a deposit.

You’ll typically need to pay a deposit of 20 per cent or more of the property’s value. Any less than this, and you’ll need to pay for a lender’s mortgage insurance (LMI) policy, or get help from a guarantor to secure your mortgage with the value of equity in their own property. This is sometimes called having a loan to value ratio (LVR) of 80 per cent or less. 

It’s important for property investors to compare investment loans from different lenders, instead of just sticking with their current bank. There are many banks and mortgage lenders to choose from, each with a variety of investor loan options to consider. You may be surprised by the rates that are available from different lenders.

The more features and benefits a home loan offers the higher its interest rate may be. While an investor loan with options such as interest-only payments and an offset account may appeal to you, you may also find that a more basic “no frills” investment loan with a lower interest rate offers you more value.

A mortgage broker may be able to help you find lower investment home loan rates. Some brokers have access to exclusive mortgage deals that aren’t normally advertised and can negotiate with lenders on your behalf to help you get an even better deal for your financial situation.

Return on investment

The ultimate goal of investing in real estate property is enjoying a return above the original investment, and therefore increasing your cash flow. There are two main ways to achieve this:

1. Rental property income: The money your tenant pays you, usually on a monthly basis, to live in your property. Also known as earning a passive income.
2. Capital growth: The increase in value of your property over time. If your property sells for more than what you bought it for, you have achieved capital growth.

For example, if you bought a unit for $600,000 and later sold it for $750,000, your capital growth would be $150,000.

Less volatility

While no investment is ever 100 per cent safe, the property market is generally less volatile than other investment options, such as the share market, which can rapidly lose value due to circumstances beyond the investor’s control.

Property transactions are also generally slower than share market transactions, so they can be more carefully considered.

Intergenerational wealth transfer

Some families make property investments in order to bestow wealth to their beneficiaries through these bricks and mortar assets.

Tax benefits

Property investors may be eligible for a number of tax benefits, including capital gains discounts, capital gains offsets, deductions for repairs and maintenance if and when the property is tenanted, and negative gearing tax deductions, all of which can affect your taxable income. Contact the ATO and/or a tax accountant to learn more.

Negative capital growth

Not all property markets rise and there is a risk that your investment may not yield the results you expect. This risk may be more pronounced in areas that are exposed to boom and bust sectors, such as mining, and property prices may not yield a positive result.

Costs outweigh return

Sometimes property investors have to spend a lot to prepare their investment property for tenants, or to help improve the property’s value for sale. These costs may include maintenance costs, and could outweigh the return you receive on your investment if they do not improve the property’s capital growth or rentability.

Unable to sell or lease

If your investment property doesn’t appeal to buyers or renters, you may not receive a return on your investment. Vacancy rates can have a serious impact on property investing, and may see a big difference in the results when real estate agents are unable to find tenants who can supply you with rental income.

Unlike when you buy a property as an owner-occupier, an investment property does not have to match your taste or even be located in an area where you’d like to live. However, there are other factors to consider, including:

• Growth factors: Have property values in the local area increased or decreased in recent years? While past performance does not guarantee future performance, this can give you a better idea of what you could expect from your investment.
• Economic factors: Is the property located in an area exposed to one industry? If so, is that industry growing or declining?
• Social factors: Is the area appealing to potential renters? Does it have good public transport infrastructure? Is it close to schools and medical facilities?

Paying only the interest charges on your home loan appeals to many property investors. This repayment type can help keep your monthly costs down, relieve pressure on your finances, and help make your budgeting a little bit simpler. 

You can typically only make interest-only mortgage payments for a limited time before the loan reverts to principal and interest repayments. Once your loan reverts to paying principal and interest, your repayments will cost more from month to month. And once you’ve fully paid off the loan amount for your investment property, you’ll have paid more in total interest on the loan than if you’d been on a principal and interest loan from the start.

Some property investors use interest-only home loans to deliberately avoid paying down their home loan principal, as they’re not really interested in owning the property outright one day. Instead, they minimise their mortgage payments to maximise their rental yield in the short term, and wait for the property to increase in value over the long term. This capital growth may allow the investor sell the property for more than they bought it for, or they could use the equity to refinance their mortgage, or even apply for a second loan on another investment property.

There are risks involved with interest-only loans, especially when they’re used to pursue a property investment strategy. Consider contacting a mortgage broker before you enquire about an interest-only loan.

An investment home loan isn’t something to simply set and forget. Even if you don’t get the best home loan available when you first buy your investment property, you’ll still have the option to refinance your loan in the future. This may let you get a lower interest rate, access more useful features or benefits, or switch to another lender whose customer service you prefer.

You can check your home loan interest rate and compare alternative options in the market as often as you like, though you don’t need to stress about it daily. There are no rules around how often a borrower should look into refinancing their home loan, though previous studies have found that many Australians look seriously at refinancing after five years.

If you couldn’t afford a 20 percent deposit when you first bought your investment property, and had to pay LMI or get help from a guarantor, you may want to wait until you’ve built up at least 20 percent equity in your property before you think too hard about refinancing. Having equity available means you won’t have to pay LMI a second time (refinancing effectively means taking out a new loan, and LMI is not transferable), and having 20 percent equity or more as security may make it easier to qualify for lower home loan interest rates.

You may want to check if your interest rate is still competitive when there are changes in Australia’s economy, such as when the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) adjusts the nation’s cash rate. It’s also often worth checking your rates when your lifestyle or finances are changing, such as if you change jobs and income, or if you have children. A change to your circumstances often means a change to your finances, which may mean your interest rate also needs to change.

Keep in mind that when you refinance your investment loan, you may need to pay fees and charges when you switch lenders. It’s important to compare the cost of refinancing to the potential value you could enjoy from lower rates and see how long it would take for the savings to outweigh the costs.

To compare mortgages for investing in property at RateCity, start by looking at one of our rate tables. To make sure you’re only seeing home loans that are suitable for investors, select that you’re looking for a loan to invest in property, or open the Filters and select that you are an Investor.

The rate table will show you a selection of investment home loans, starting with those that have an option to View Now or Enquire Now, putting you directly in touch with the lender. To see even more investment mortgage choices, use the Filters and select Include All Products.

You can use the Filters to further narrow down your search options, such as by entering:

• how much you intend to borrow;
• the value of the property;
• your preference between a fixed or variable interest rate;
• your preference between principal and interest or interest only repayments,
• your location, and;
• what home loan features and benefits you’d like to see included, such as offset and redraw.

Once you’ve filtered the table to show a shortlist of mortgage lenders, you can compare their interest rates, fees, features and benefits side by side. The comparison rate combines the cost of a home loan’s interest and standard fees, to give you a better idea of its potential overall cost. You can also check the Real Time Ratings™, which combine a loan’s cost and flexibility into a simple star rating.

If you find a mortgage offer you’d like to apply for, you can click View Now or Enquire Now to instantly contact the lender, or More Info to read through its details. You can also contact a mortgage broker who may be able to help you choose a suitable home loan, manage the application process, and more.