With housing affordability in recent decades seeing a growing trend towards children living at home for longer, a gentle nudge towards home ownership will ultimately give them independence and long-term financial security. Now is an ideal time to buy, improved affordability across the nation while the market undergoes an adjustment offers some very attractive buying opportunities.
At the same time, however, changes to lending policies rolled out in recent months make it more difficult to secure a home loan. With finance applicants having to provide more detailed information and meet more stringent lending criteria, it’s now harder to get approval. More serious buyers, however, are rising to the challenge and doing their due diligence to take advantage of current house prices while they can.
Whether your ‘children’ are still at home or out renting, here’s where you can step in to lend a helping hand.
- Encourage them, if they haven’t already, to explore the First Home Owner Grant (FHOG), an excellent government incentive offering eligible applicants $10,000 towards buying a home (up to five years old) or building a new home, valued up to $750,000. The grant, subject to eligibility, also has homes in regional Victoria attracting a substantial $20,000 aide. Significant exemptions and concessions can also potentially save eligible applicants many thousands of dollars in stamp duty. For concession amounts, applied on a sliding scale, more detailed eligibility criteria, and the application process, please see www.sro.vic.gov.au
- Parents or other family members with sufficient equity in their home can also offer to act as personal guarantor, offering the lender additional security against the loan and thereby helping secure it. While an important decision to be made with close financial consideration and a clear understanding of respective rights and responsibilities between relevant parties, it’s also often the assistance that has loved ones make their break into the property market.
Any buyers, or parents of buyers, looking for assistance, whether with further information or finding the right home, are welcome to get in touch. Noel Jones’ consultants, with 10 reputed offices across Victoria’s eastern suburbs, also have access to a number of trusted finance brokers, a must for anyone
looking to secure the most suitable and competitive loan in the current lending climate.
