Is your Interest-Only investment loan about to expire?

Making a plan before your IO term expires can save you stress and money.

There’s recently been a growing focus among residential property investor communities about the expiry of interest-only (IO) periods on home loans.

According to recent RBA data, approximately 200,000 home loans will end their IO term each year until 2021, resulting in average increases of $7000 to borrowers’ annual repayments. Interest-only loans are especially popular among residential property investors because of the potential cash flow and tax benefits they might provide.

If your residential investment loan is due to switch to P&I (principal and interest) repayments soon, act quickly so that you can work towards achieving the best outcome for your needs.

Understand your current situation
In a perfect world you’ll have a little bit of time to review your options. So if you’re reading this knowing that your term is nearing its close, why not double-check your contract and clear a time in your calendar for exploring next steps.

First on your to-do list might be a talk with your current lender, to really understand the cost impacts of the upcoming changes. One of the most important questions to answer during this discussion is what your new repayments will look like, and whether these suit your cash flow.

Together with your new repayment amount, it’s a good idea to write down all the features and benefits of your existing loan. Here’s a checklist to help you:

– New P & I repayments
– Is your rate fixed or variable?
– Old Interest-only repayment
– Contract exit fee
– Offset account fee
– Cash out fees
– Other ongoing fees and charges

Also make a note of your current equity and the LVR of any new loan you’d seek, and think about whether your credit rating may impact your ability to access a new loan.

Refinancing your interest-only investment home loan
If Principal and Interest payments aren’t for you, maybe it’s time to consider alternative lenders. Shop around and use your checklist to compare what’s on offer, out in the market.

Remember to venture beyond the major banks when looking at your options.  You might be surprised at the value and service non-banks and specialist lenders are able to provide. For example, one of our lenders, Bluestone Mortgages, offers up to 5 years of IO repayments on residential investment loans and just won Best Mortgage Product at the Australian Property Investor Awards 2018.

Our role as your broker is to find a solution across a large panel of lenders – and we are really good at it!

If you are interested in learning more about refinancing your residential investment home loan, reach out to Centra Money’s finance specialists by calling 08 8211 7180 or at info@centramoney.com.au.

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Zac Zacharia (Managing Director) has been assisting clients to create wealth and secure their futures for over 14 years.

He is also an accomplished presenter and educator

Co-authoring the popular investment book, Property vs Shares.