Five Things You Should Stop Doing Before Applying For a Home Loan
If you’re looking to secure a home loan, you might want to consider these expert tips…
5 min
No matter whether you’re a first home buyer or a seasoned investor, entering the property market right now, in whatever capacity, is a tricky task thanks to high interest rates and a super competitive market across the board.
With Google searches like ‘how much deposit do I need to buy a house’ and ‘how to get a home loan’ currently trending, there’s one question potential buyers should be asking, as well: ‘what are the things to stop doing before applying for a home loan’.
Barbara Giamalis, a mortgage broker at Tiimely Home, has over 25 years of experience on the matter, and says there are certainly some factors to consider when applying for a home loan that can better your chances of success.
“There’s no right or wrong time to purchase a home; it all depends on every person’s financial situation, but you must ensure you’re comfortable paying back the loan based on your personal financial circumstances,” said Ms Giamalis.
“The number one question I’m asked is, ‘how much can I borrow?’, but there’s a huge difference between what people can borrow now in comparison to rates. By enacting some of these small tips below, it might just be the difference between getting approved or denied for a home loan.”
Below, Ms Giamalis lists five things you should consider stopping if you’re planning to apply for a home loan. And with predications of lower interest rates coming into play this year, there’s never been a better time to get on top of the home loan race.
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1. Consider cancelling your credit card
This is a simple one. Typically, if you’re looking to borrow more money for a higher loan, it’s wise to close any credit card accounts you have open. Contrary to popular opinion, you definitely don’t need a credit card to build your credit score to get a home loan.
“If you’ve got credit cards, try and pay them off and cancel them before applying for a loan because it gives you greater borrowing power,” said Ms Giamalis.
“You don’t need a good credit score through a credit card to get approved for a home loan as your credit rating is what it is. If you’re a first-time borrower and never had a loan, your rating won’t be great, it might be around 700, but it’s better than having 800 with two credit cards.”
Typically, a credit card rating is calculated from your credit report, which is essentially a history of your credit card actions. It’s calculated based off your line of credit (the amount you have borrowed), your credit application history, and whether you have paid your debts in time. Your score will be highlighted between zero to 1,200; the higher the score, the better your odds are of getting a loan. The lower your score, riskier you present to potential lenders.
2. Stop using ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ schemes
We’ve all been there. ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ services present as extremely attractive payment alternatives when shopping online. But therein lies the danger; such services rely on its customers not making repayments in time.
And if you’re considering applying for a home loan, it’s wise to avoid using such services all together.
“If an applicant opts to pay off purchases in increments, even interest-free payments, this could signal to some lenders that the applicant may not be financially stable,” said Ms Giamalis.
“Most lenders will look at the living expenses of an applicant. If an applicant is using ‘buy now, pay later’ services more than what they have in their savings, this could be a red flag and lenders could question whether they can afford a loan.”
Services like Afterpay also have the right to report any missed payments on your credit history, which could definitely have a negative impact to your credit score.
3. Don’t put off saving for future mortgage repayments
Before applying for a home loan, a good indication of whether you would be able to afford the monthly repayments on your mortgage is demonstrating the ability to save the amount. This, along with saving for your ten or 20 percent deposit, will put you in good stead for your home loan preparation, and will show lenders that you’re disciplined when it comes to finances.
“One of the best tips for young people, and one they can start doing now, is to start saving for their monthly mortgage payment before applying for a home loan as it shows dedication,” said Ms Giamalis.
Ms Giamalis adds that having a three-month saving history is a great way to prove this to potential lenders.
Here are some friendly financial tools to assist you along the way.
4. Stop gambling and making cash withdrawals
According to Gambling Statistics Australia, 6.8 million Australians participate in some form of gambling each year. This could include activities like buying a ticket in the lottery right through to using gambling apps and visiting casinos. This can present as an obvious red flag to lenders, who will take this into account when deciding to service a home loan application or not.
Another factor to consider is cash withdrawals. If you’re someone who is making regular ATM cash withdrawals per week or per month, this can be a problem as the potential lender can’t track where this money is going. Experts suggest it’s better to have purchases that are traceable.
“Large one-off purchases such as a couch, a new hot water service or a motor vehicle, won’t be taken into an applicant’s living expenses as it’s a one-off meaning the banks will look at that as a discretionary cost,” added Ms Giamalis.
5. Don’t hold onto student debt
One of the key considerations your mortgage broker or financial professional will consider in the home loan application process is paying out any debts you may have outstanding, such as your higher education debt.
It might seem obvious that paying off a HECS debt will strengthen your chances of obtaining a home loan, however, Ms Giamalis says many people often don’t factor in these debts.
“The Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) impacts your borrowing power. HELP debt is a liability that you need to declare in the home loan application process,” said Ms Giamalis.
“The impact of HECS on your ability to get a home loan may vary depending on your income level and the amount of your HECS debt. Seeking financial advice before deciding to pay off your debt is crucial.”
Many are not in the position to pay off their student loans immediately, so this point comes as an additional should you be in the position to do so. This also applies even in light of the Federal Government’s proposal to wipe a reported $3 billion in debt from three million Australians who have HECS debts through indexation changes, essentially capping indexation rate for loans. The proposal is designed to lend a hand in helping young tertiary educated Australians pay off their student loans.
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Australia’s housing crisis will not be solved by first-home buyer incentives or tax changes alone, with leading property figures warning governments must tackle supply constraints if affordability is to improve.
Speaking at the Kanebridge Quarterly Property Leadership Summit in Sydney last week, expert project marketing specialist Sam Elbanna, property investor and fund manager Paul Miron and property consultant Karla McNeice said that a lack of housing supply remained the central issue facing the market.
Elbanna, Director of CPM Realty with more than 30 years’ experience in project sales, argued that successive governments had focused too heavily on stimulating demand rather than addressing the barriers preventing new housing from being delivered.
“The misconception is that politicians think the way to solve the housing crisis is to drive demand,” he said.
“The reality is that’s not the way. This is a supply-side problem, and it needs to be solved on the supply side.”
Drawing on his experience in project sales, Elbanna said policies designed to help first-home buyers often had unintended consequences, pointing to previous grants that ultimately flowed through to higher property prices.
Instead, he said developers were facing increasing red tape, approval delays and rising costs, which were discouraging new housing supply.
“In the absence of stock, demand exceeds supply,” he said.
Miron, a Co-Founder and Fund Manager of Msquared Capital, said the housing debate had become overly focused on tax policy while overlooking broader structural issues.
He argued that affordability challenges stemmed from a combination of factors, including planning constraints, supply shortages, migration levels and interest rates.
“No-one can be 100 per cent certain on the real reason for property prices is going up,” he said.
“The reason why property prices are higher is a combination of interest rates, lack of supply, migration, vacancy rates and maybe taxes play a role.”
Miron was critical of recent federal housing policy changes, warning they could reduce the number of new homes being built and further constrain supply that was even highlighted in the budget.
He also highlighted the importance of the property sector to the broader economy, noting that residential real estate and related industries employed more than one million Australians.
McNeice, who advises developers on sales strategy and market intelligence, said understanding buyers had become increasingly important as affordability pressures intensified.
While affordability remained a major consideration, she said today’s buyers were focused on value rather than simply price.
“People are looking for value for money,” she said.
She said buyers were increasingly evaluating factors such as transport connections, walkability, nearby amenities and flexible living spaces that could accommodate changing family needs.
“What infrastructure is going on? Can I walk to the shops? Can I meet people at the local cafe?” she said.
The panel also discussed the mounting pressures facing developers, with Elbanna arguing that many projects become financially unviable from the moment a site is purchased.
“The viability of a development happens at the moment the site is bought,” he said.
He said rising construction costs, higher interest rates and overly optimistic feasibility assumptions had left some developers exposed as market conditions changed.
While acknowledging the growing number of smaller and first-time developers entering the market, Elbanna said property development required expertise across finance, construction, marketing and legal disciplines.
“It is actually a business that requires a level of expertise,” he said.
Looking ahead, the panel agreed opportunities remained in the market despite current challenges.
Miron said property should continue to be viewed as a long-term investment and cautioned against trying to time short-term market movements.
McNeice said success would increasingly depend on identifying projects that genuinely met changing buyer expectations.
Elbanna said affordable housing remained achievable, but developers needed to deliver more than just homes.
“We can provide affordable housing in this country,” he said.
“But we’ve got to wrap that affordable housing with the things that people want.”
As Australia’s housing affordability debate intensifies, the panellists agreed on one point: without a meaningful increase in housing supply, demand-side measures alone are unlikely to solve the nation’s property challenges.
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