Proper
Finance Solutions
Level
1, 530 Little Collins Street MELBOURNE VIC
3000
Australia
telephone: +613
9909 7494 facsimile: +613 9909
7496
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Welcome to July edition of our
newsletter. In this
issue:
-
How a negatively geared
property can be turned into cash flow positive: cash flow mortgages
coming to Australia
-
Are variable interest rates variable? -
Recent testimonials
-
Update on Australian
mortgage interest rates -
Our selection of articles by The Age
For many years, mortgages in Australia offered only three
repayment options:
1. interest only, where the repayment just covers the monthly interest
charge
2. principal and interest repayments that reduce the principal of the
loan as well as cover the interest
3. reverse mortgage designed for elderly people who can borrow against
the equity in their property and make no repayments in their lifetime.
In most cases, the
loan is paid off when the encumbered property is sold.
The first option is quite popular with property investors
as it minimises their repayments, increases tax benefits, and speeds up saving for the next property
purchase. With most investment properties, the interest only
repayments are not covered by the rental income, making them cash flow negative. In other words, the investor
still needs to make up for the shortfall.
Imagine, you are required to pay only half of the monthly
interest and the other half can be added on top of your loan. This
would then significantly reduce your repayments, making them small enough to
be fully covered by the rental income. This is exactly how the cash flow
mortgage works.
For example, consider a $350,000 property with a
mortgage of $300,000 at
the ongoing interest rate of 7.49% per annum. The traditional interest only
repayment for this mortgage would be $1,873. The cash flow mortgage
requires you to make monthly repayments at 3.99% and the remaining 3.50% is
added to the loan balance. The monthly repayment is only $996.
If the property is rented for $350 per week, or $1517 per month, then in
this example, the rent is well above the cash flow mortgage repayment, but
still falls short of the traditional interest only repayments.
Since the cash flow mortgage capitalises
part of the interest, its balance grows over time. This cannot run
forever and after the initial period of 2-5 years, the lender will
either require to start principal reductions or to pay off the
mortgage completely. This can be done by refinancing the loan to another
lender and perhaps opting for another cash flow period. Naturally, the
rent will grow with the inflation and at some stage the property will start paying
itself off. The cash flow mortgage simply helps to achieve positive cash
flow
from day one.
Who the cash flow mortgage would suit:
-
property investors wanting to improve their cash flow
-
home owners who need a break from high mortgage repayments
-
investors and owner occupiers who prepare for a big financial
commitment such as parenting, lengthy holiday, university study, etc
The cash flow mortgage in not suitable for:
-
property buyers who cannot afford a traditional mortgage
-
people in financial difficulty
-
property investors with less than 15% equity
in their property portfolio
Please note that the cash flow mortgages are partly to blame for the housing downturn, and subprime
credit meltdown in the USA that are shaking up the worlds financial
markets at this moment. A few years
ago those mortgages were widely offered to people who could not afford
the traditional home loans. Since then, the American interest rates went
up significantly, the initial "honeymoon periods" on the
mortgages have expired and a lot
of borrowers had no other option, but default on their mortgages and sell
up their homes. In Australia, borrowers taking out a cash flow mortgage
must to prove that they can meet principal and interest
repayments on the initial loan amount plus any capitalised interest. For
any further information relating the cash flow mortgages, simply email
us on
enquiries@properfinance.com.au

Are variable interest
rates variable?
The vast majority of
mortgage loans are wholly variable at the lender's
discretion. But are they?
This publication is
provided by Gadens Lawyers to their clients and
correspondents for their information on a complimentary
basis. It represents a brief summary of the law
applicable as at March 2004 and should not be relied on
as a definitive or complete statement of the relevant
laws.
click here for the full article

Recent
Testimonials
Hi
Anton,
Thanks for the follow up. Everything's been great and we still can't
believe that it was possible to obtain a mortgage. Just really nice to
have a place of your own in Sydney.
Again thanks to you and Chantal for making things possible and taking
us every step of the way. We will definitely be in touch if any queries
arise.
Arigato gozaimasu,
Anna and Pierre
Japan
I have recently completed on a flat in
Brisbane by utilising the exemplary professional service provided by
Anton and Chantal. Being an ex-pat Aussie living in London I
initially thought the buying process would prove to arduous from
abroad. Like many here I have set up as limited company and thought
this company structure would be dismissed by most lending
institutions in OZ. Initially St George proved that point however
NAB took just 3 days to give a positive response. I would like to
thank Anton for making the whole process seamless and for Chantal
keeping me up to date and on the ball. I highly recommend their
services if you are contemplating buying Australian property from
abroad.
Kind Regards,
Kelvin
London
Australian mortgage interest rates update
Variable Rates
depending on the percentage of the property value:
-
up to 80%
- 7.20%
-
up to 95% -
7.34%
-
up t0 100% -
7.39%
Fixed rates depending on the fixed period:
-
1-year fixed - 6.99%
-
3-year fixed - 7.55%
-
5-year fixed - 7.65%
-
10-year fixed
- 7.69%

Our selection of articles by The
Age
Boom fuels explosion in manual jobs
THE building boom, security fears and
years of strong growth have dramatically changed the job prospects of
blue-collar and lower-skilled men, on a scale not seen for a
generation...more
A town hits paydirt
Many
workers earn more than $100,000 a year, have pay TV and get six days
straight off work. So what is it really like in a remote Western
Australian mining boom town? David Cohen reports on life in Tom Price...more
Experts divided on timing of rise: will
it be August or next year?
The unexpectedly large rise in core
inflation, plus an upward revision to the last quarter's rise in the
weighted median (now 0.6 per cent quarter-on-quarter from 0.5 per cent
previously), is likely to trigger a rate rise in early August. We expect
a second tightening probably later this year, although a federal
election could delay this until early 2008...more
Mortgage jitters prove contagious
When
Americans buy fewer houses or default on mortgages, investors
worldwide - including in Australia - worry, writes John Mangan...more
Australian dream fades as cost sends
some to ghetto
WITH housing affordability now an election
issue — and with house prices falling in Sydney's battler electorates
and a Labor poll showing high rents are eating into people's incomes in
marginal seats — experts warn the problem will get worse. They also say
it might be permanent...more
Building approvals,
credit surge point to rate rise
A surge in credit
demand has compounded the risk of an interest rate rise, possibly as
early as next month...more
In
our next newsletter - October 2007
We will be happy to discuss and research various
options for your new or existing mortgage in Australia. There are plenty
of deals in store for you, simply contact us by
sending an enquiry.
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