Links Property Finance · Home loans for first home buyers: Real Client Cases

Stage. Completed: the client bought their first home.

• Situation. An Inner West first home buyer reached the milestone of buying their first property, shared by Links Property Finance alongside the local selling agents.
• Approach. The finance was arranged through Links Property Finance for the purchase.
• Outcome. The client purchased their first home.

Stage. Completed: refinanced and converted to an investment.

• Situation. A client bought their first home for about $600,000 using the government 5% deposit scheme. Later they wanted to keep it as an investment and prepare for another purchase.
• Approach. A new valuation of about $720,000 was used to assess the refinance, the change of loan purpose and the equity available for the next step.
• Outcome. The property was refinanced and converted to an investment, with around $40,000 of equity released for a future purchase.

Stage. Completed: the loan settled.

• Situation. A client had an interest-only loan settle with a balance of $66,650. On a balance that size, the dollar effect of a rate difference has to be weighed against fees.
• Approach. The review compared the interest cost at two rates to put the difference into dollars rather than percentages.
• Outcome. The confirmed settled amount was $66,650 on an interest-only basis.

Stage. Pre-approved: the purchase had not been recorded.

Situation. A couple wanted to buy their first home for up to $800,000. Their funds included savings and an inheritance, with a wedding also approaching, so the lender had to be chosen for how it would treat those funds and the savings they wanted to keep aside.

Stage. In progress when recorded: the outcome below describes the step reached.

• Situation. A prospective first home buyer wanted to purchase an existing house for up to $1.1 million with a small deposit, then spend about $250,000 to $300,000 on a secondary dwelling within the following year.
• Approach. The proposed assessment treated the purchase and the later construction separately: available funds, scheme eligibility and the loan position that would be needed before building.
• Outcome. At the time of recording, the assessment and the sequence had been set out for the client; the purchase and build steps follow from there.

Stage. In progress when recorded: the outcome below describes the step reached.

• Situation. A borrower had a loan of about $533,000 with a major bank supported by a family guarantee, and wanted the guarantee removed and the loan reviewed.
• Approach. A valuation of about $670,000 put the balance just under 80 per cent of the property value. Charles identified a Westpac refinance option and checked the proposed pricing and costs.
• Outcome. A refinance aimed at removing the guarantee was proposed; the final balance, settled rate and the guarantor’s release follow the lender’s decision.

Stage. In progress when recorded: the outcome below describes the step reached.

• Situation. An investor wanted to refinance an Ashfield property, move to interest-only repayments for five years and release about $80,000 for a future investment deposit, while leaving an existing Wiley Park loan unchanged.
• Approach. The requested structure used a separate equity split with total lending up to 80 per cent of the property value, and kept the other loan as it was.
• Outcome. The objectives and proposed structure were documented for the lender; the approved splits and funds released follow settlement.

Stage. In progress when recorded: the outcome below describes the step reached.

• Situation. An investor wanted to buy a Wiley Park property for up to $500,000 and borrow up to $400,000 using cash and equity. A loan held jointly with a sibling affected their borrowing capacity.
• Approach. Charles compared how lenders treated the shared debt and selected Westpac on the policy relevant at the time, with principal-and-interest repayments over 30 years.
• Outcome. A lender and structure were selected for the pre-approval; the approval amount and any purchase follow the lender’s assessment.

Stage. In progress when recorded: the outcome below describes the step reached.

• Situation. A borrower who had bought under the government deposit scheme was moving to an internal refinance supported by a family guarantee.
• Approach. The application involved reviewing the parents’ documents and coordinating the removal of the existing scheme guarantee as part of the refinance.
• Outcome. The refinance was progressing through the lender’s assessment and administrative steps at the time of recording.

Stage. In progress when recorded: the outcome below describes the step reached.

• Situation. A guarantor had a solicitor appointment approaching, but the solicitor needed the lender documents beforehand to review the proposed guarantee.
• Approach. Charles requested copies of the pages the guarantor had received and coordinated the appointment timing so the solicitor had time to review them.
• Outcome. The next step was independent legal advice after the document review, which is a condition of every family guarantee.