Buying A New Home When You Are Self-Employed
In Australia there are a large number of people who are small business owners, or who identify as self-employed. But despite that, it is still hard when it comes to mortgage options for self-employed Australians. Facing unique challenges that include the need for a lot more paperwork that is harder for them to come up with it can make things painful and stressful when they want to buy a home. They do not have the easy proof of a steady income that people with a regular job have.
Lenders need to protect themselves
When you talk to a self-employed mortgage specialist they can really guide and advise you through the process but the issue is lenders need to protect themselves against people who are self-employed and overstating what their income really is. They might be overly optimistic about what they will earn in the future, it might be to get a larger or more expensive home. There is a lot of verification and paperwork involved in the application. It is either that or having a much higher down payment to place on the home than is normal. When lenders approve loans they need to know you can afford to pay it back, they do not want to lose their money.
Other issues self-employed borrowers face
Most self-employed have accountants keeping state taxable income as low as possible. It is a normal thing to want to pay the least amount in taxes that you need to. But this means it can be hard to get a mortgage when your income looks on the low side as a result. It is also a lot harder for people who are self-employed to keep their personal and business costs separate. For those who have not been self-employed for long, it is also hard to have the kind of financial statements a lender requests.
More lenders are making efforts
More banks and lenders have created loans specific to self-employed people. It helps that the median income for someone self-employed is over $46,000, with some range between states. There are things like low documentation loans designed for people who do not yet have all the paperwork a regular self-employed mortgage asks for so there are mortgage options for self-employed people. This is basically a form that lets the person state their income without having to also offer evidence for it. You need to have more money for the down payment and a good credit score though.
Where a lot of mortgage lenders in Australia will only ask for a 10% down payment those applying for and getting a low documentation loan might be asked to offer up to 40%, possibly more. If you are able to get the First Home Owner Grant this can be counted towards the down payment by some lenders. Some lenders also penalize you with higher interest rates and higher fees, though with a self-employed mortgage specialist that is something you can navigate around better to get the best deal you can.
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