Construction home loan rates cut on back of HomeBuilder grant

Photo by Troy Mortier on Unsplash

Some lenders have cut interest rates for construction loans, with one cutting by 50 basis points.

Both Qudos Bank and Freedom Lend made adjustments to construction home loan rates in the past week in a possible bid to attract HomeBuilder grant recipients. 

The $25,000 HomeBuilder grant is available for people building a home up to the value of $750,000 including land value.

Qudos Bank's cuts were:

• Construction Home Loan 80%: 50 basis point cut to 2.89% p.a. (2.93% p.a. comparison rate*)
• Construction Home Loan 90%: 50 basis point cut to 2.99% p.a. (3.03% p.a. comparison rate*)

Qudos Bank also made cuts to its investment construction loans, but investment properties are not eligible for HomeBuilder.

Meanwhile, Freedom Lend made a smaller cut by 3 basis points to its construction loan, down to 2.68% p.a. (2.70% p.a. comparison rate*)

This rate is applicable for both 80% and 90% LVR borrowers, which is unusual given lenders usually charge a higher rate if borrowers have a smaller deposit.

Compared to others in the construction loan market, this is how these two lenders stack up:

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Green Construction Home Loan (Interest Only)

Product Features

• Interest Only during construction
• No monthly, annual or ongoing fees
• Get Australia’s lowest rate construction loan when you go green

Monthly repayments:$1,608

2.63%Advertised Rate (p.a.)

3.08%Comparison Rate*

More details

The 2% barrier got breached again

Earlier in the week, challenger brand loans.com.au introduced a home loan with a variable interest rate below the 2.00% p.a. barrier, down to 1.99% p.a. (2.55% p.a. comparison rate*).

The sub-2% rate is available for the first year, before the rate then reverts to 2.57% p.a.

The online lender also launched a two year discounted variable rate of 2.09% p.a.(2.71% p.a comparison rate*) which reverts to 2.79% p.a. after two years.

Both products are limited to borrowers with a maximum LVR of 80%, with a maximum loan amount of $1 million. 

This is how loans.com.au's 1.99% p.a. introductory home loan stacks up against other competitive variable-rate home loans on the market:

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Smart Booster Home Loan Discounted Variable - 2yr (LVR < 80%)

Product Features

• Fast turnaround times, can meet 30-day settlement
• For purchase and refinance, min 20% deposit
• No ongoing or monthly fees, add offset for 0.10%

Monthly repayments:$1,601

2.60%Advertised Rate (p.a.)

2.96%Comparison Rate*

More details

At the end of June, Bank of Us also breached the 2.00% barrier with 1.99% fixed rates across a suite of fixed-rate terms, although these are only available for Tasmanian residents.

Hobart was one of the only capital cities to record a home price growth in the June quarter, according to a Domain report, and had the second-strongest home price growth at 10% on the year, with Sydney in first.

Community First and Horizon Bank continue customer-owned cutting trend

In continuing the trend of customer-owned institutions cutting home loan rates, on Monday Community First virtually scrubbed the fixed home loan deck, making a wide variety of cuts by 20 basis points.

Some of its freshly cut rates include:

• Fixed P&I 3 Years: Down to 2.49% p.a. (3.56% p.a. comparison rate*)
• Accelerator Package Fixed P&I 3 Years: Down to 2.34% p.a. (3.80% p.a. comparison rate*)
• Investment Fixed P&I 3 Years: Down to 2.79% p.a. (3.86% p.a. comparison rate*)
• Inv Accelerator Package Fixed 3 Years: Down to 2.64% p.a. (4.09% p.a. comparison rate*)

Yesterday, Horizon Bank cut a few fixed rates for investors and owner-occupiers by 30 basis points. The new rates are:

• Fixed 1 Year: Down to 2.69% p.a. (3.45% p.a. comparison rate*)
• Fixed 2 Years: Down to 2.69% p.a. (3.38% p.a. comparison rate*)
• Inv Fixed 1 Year: Down to 2.94% p.a. (3.69% p.a. comparison rate*)
• Inv Fixed 2 Years: Down to 2.94% p.a. (3.63% p.a. comparison rate*)

CommBank has reported a spike in fixed rate lending in recent months, with around 40% of all new owner-occupier loans at fixed rates.

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Disclaimers

The entire market was not considered in selecting the above products. Rather, a cut-down portion of the market has been considered. Some providers' products may not be available in all states. To be considered, the product and rate must be clearly published on the product provider's web site. Savings.com.au, yourmortgage.com.au, yourinvestmentpropertymag.com.au, and Performance Drive are part of the Savings Media group. In the interests of full disclosure, the Savings Media Group are associated with the Firstmac Group. To read about how Savings Media Group manages potential conflicts of interest, along with how we get paid, please visit the web site links at the bottom of this page.

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