Refinancing

What is mortgage refinancing?

Refinancing is the process of restructuring or reorganising, your loan to ensure you have the combination of fixed and floating terms that work best for your individual situation. It involves transferring your loan from one bank to another bank to take advantage of more favourable terms and conditions that are in your best interest.

Refinancing is available for anyone with a mortgage and you don’t have to be a current Global Finance customer to take advantage of this service. Refinancing could be looked at as similar to taking your car in for a service. You do this to ensure your car performs at its best while also providing the opportunity for a mechanic to see if any adjustments are required to keep you confidently on the road for the foreseeable future.

With refinancing, our team of Advisors will review your financial situation and check to see if your mortgage is performing at its best. We look at the rate/s you are paying, the structure of your loan, your income and expenses as well as your near to medium term goals.

With this information, we can provide a recommendation for refinance that may save you thousands of dollars in interest payments and allow you to pay off your loan faster and still within your working life. If you are currently on a fixed term we can analyse the break costs (i.e. what you need to pay to end your term) to understand if this option is worth pursuing.

With refinancing, we will always present a deal that works in your interest. Think of it as a “check-up service” for your mortgage!

Should I refinance my mortgage?

Reasons for refinancing a home loan are diverse but generally, you may be looking to achieve one of these objectives:

Your current bank has said NO!

You’ve asked your current bank for additional loan and they said NO! Why not try asking another bank? Each bank’s lending criteria is a little different and switching your existing home loan to another bank may help you secure the additional funding you need.

Avoid ongoing bank fees

Often, you will come to a point where your current bank no longer waives the ongoing monthly account maintenance fees and debit card fees. Switching to a new bank may help you avoid these fees as most banks waive such fees for an initial period of one to two years.

Pay off your home loan quicker (restructuring)

Having the right structure on your home loan may help you pay off the loan sooner than a bank’s standard 30-year loan term. If restructuring your existing home loan with your current bank is costing you, then switching to a new bank may help you will avoid these costs and may allow you to pay the home loan quicker, saving thousands of dollars in interest repayments over the terms of the loan.

Time to switch from non-bank lender to mainstream bank

You may have been with a private or non-bank lender for a while and have grown tired of paying ongoing fees and high interest rates. Switching to a new bank can help you avoid these high interest rates and fees.

You have an interest-only loan for an investment property

The interest-only period on your property investment loan is coming to an end and your current bank is not going to renew it, meaning your repayments will increase. We can shop around on your behalf and negotiate a new interest-only loan with a new provider in order to keep your repayments at the current level. In some cases, this interest-only period can be extended up to five years.

What are the costs involved in refinancing
my mortgage?

It is important to weigh up the costs and the benefits of switching banks and ensure that the savings and benefits outweigh the costs. You may incur one or more of costs in the process of switching banks – some of them are listed here.

• Early Repayment Cost – If you repay your loan before your loan is due for maturity as part of refinancing, your current bank may charge a break fee.
• Discharge Fee – Banks may charge a discharge or admin fee to complete the paperwork involved in discharge of your home loan and transfer it over.
• Legal Cost – Switching to the new bank will involve signing new loan documents in front of a solicitor and the solicitor will charge you for their services.
• Valuation Cost – Many banks give cash and legal fee contributions to ensure the cost of switching is minimum or negligible. Most banks complete an electronic valuation of properties but in some cases banks may ask you to get a physical valuation completed using the services of a registered valuer.