If you’re a self-employed borrower with an existing home loan, you might be thinking about refinancing (or switching) your home loan. There are a number of reasons you might consider doing this, so let’s explore the benefits and the process of refinancing.
As you may remember, self-employed borrowers generally follow a slightly different process when applying for a home loan. Applying to refinance is no different. There are a few reasons why you might consider refinancing your home loan as a business owner – especially if you’ve had the loan for a few years. Over time, things change. Your personal situation might be different, the property market may have shifted, so the loan you initially took out may not be right for you anymore.
That’s where refinancing comes in.
Refinancing your home loan involves replacing your existing home loan with a new loan. In many cases, switching your home loan is done to negotiate a more favourable interest rate, to change the length of the loan period or to update your home loan with new features. This can be a home loan you have with another lender or with Westpac.
There are a few reasons why refinancing your home loan could be beneficial for self-employed borrowers – let's take a look.
This is one of the main reasons people choose to refinance their home loan. If you can refinance your home loan for a better interest rate, this could mean that your monthly repayments are reduced – saving you money and time in the long run. You could potentially pay off your home loan sooner as the extra money you’re saving on interest repayments could be pointed towards paying off the principal loan amount.
As you probably know, not all home loans are the same. If you’ve had your current loan for a period of time, your needs may have changed. You might be able to add an offset or redraw account to your mortgage, or perhaps choose to split your home loan between variable and fixed interest rates.
Streamlining debt is an appealing concept for some homeowners. Consolidating other debts (like a business loan, credit card or personal loan) into your mortgage means you’d have one repayment each month instead of several, which could help you simplify your finances and repayments.
When it comes to refinancing, some borrowers might think that the process can be complicated – but it’s a lot simpler than you might think. So, how do you get started? Here’s what you need to know.
When thinking about refinancing as a business owner, there are a few initial steps you should take.
It’s important to assess your current circumstances before starting the refinance process. You might look into things like:
These things will have an impact on whether refinancing is the right move for you, so take the time to review your position.
A better interest rate is generally one of the main reasons people choose to refinance, but when comparing new home loan options, you should think about the interest rate as part of the equation. Refinancing is a good opportunity to optimise your current loan and make your home loan work harder for you – like choosing features that are more aligned with your needs. Keep in mind that typically self-employed borrowers can apply for the same home loans, offers and rates as salary-earners.
For example, an offset account could help reduce your interest repayments. Interest-only repayments might help free up cash flow for your business. Your home loan may be coming to the end of a fixed rate term and it’s a good time to reassess. Refinancing gives you the opportunity to really consider your wants and needs when it comes to a home loan, and to explore the different options and features that might be available to you.
Depending on your situation, there could be several different fees to consider when refinancing – so it’s important to weigh up the benefits and the costs in order to determine whether switching your home loan is worth it.
Some lenders often offer lower introductory interest rates (i.e. short term interest rates, that revert to a different ongoing rate), but it’s important to run the numbers to work out whether these offers will be valuable to you in the long run. As part of the calculations, you’ll need to take into account things like whether you’ll need to pay exit fees from your current loan, as well as upfront fees and ongoing fees that might be charged as part of your new loan. For example, if you choose to exit a fixed-rate loan early, there could be significant break costs that might outweigh any benefits that come with refinancing.
Another important element to consider is your equity position. If the loan-to-value ratio of your current property is above 80%, you may need to pay lenders mortgage insurance again in order to have the loan approved – which can often be costly.
Remember: your situation is entirely unique, so make sure you take the time to find the right loan for you. Reach out to your local Home Finance Manager or Broker to discuss your needs and options.
If your original self-employed home loan is through Westpac, you might be aware of our Fast Track Assessment Process. The same quick process is available for refinancing your home loan too.
Fast Track allows you to apply for a home loan using only your last two ATO notice of assessments – rather than your business financials – which can help us speed up the application process.
You might be eligible for Fast Track if you:
Chat to your local Home Finance Manager to see if Fast Track might be an option for you.
When it comes to applying for a home loan as a business owner, you might recall that the more information you can provide – the stronger your application will be. The same is true when it comes to refinancing.
Your lender will want to see that you still have the ability to comfortably make repayments on your new loan, and the best way to demonstrate this is by showing evidence of your business’ financial position. Most lenders do this by looking at your past income tax statements. Depending on whether you’re a sole trader, partnership or company, you’ll need to show different types of documents in order to refinance your home loan.
Sole traders - last two years of:
Business partnerships, trusts and companies - last two years of:
Aside from business and personal financial information, your lender will generally ask to see things like:
The key here is to provide as much information as possible. Staying on top of your paperwork and making sure your documentation is organised is a great start. This can really make a difference to how seamless your refinance experience is.
Now that you’ve assessed your needs a homeowner and have got your documents sorted, now it’s time to understand the application process. The refinance process for self-employed borrowers is the same as a standard home loan application process. There are four main ways to refinance your home loan. You can choose to apply:
Refinancing your home loan as a business owner doesn’t have to be complicated. At Westpac, we’re here to help, every step of the way – and the best way to get support is to reach out. For more information on how you can refinance your home loan with Westpac, call us on 131 900 or visit a branch to chat to your local Home Finance Manager.
Make sure you understand how refinancing will affect your loan and work out all the costs, before you decide whether it’s the right move for you.
Use our home loan refinance calculator to see how much you may be able to save when you switch your home loan from another bank to us.
Calculate how much you could save by switching your home loan to Westpac - you could get same-day approval.
Conditions, credit criteria, fees and charges apply. Residential lending is not available for Non-Australian Resident borrowers.
This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice. This includes any tax consequences arising from any promotions for investors and customers should seek independent advice on any taxation matters.