COSTS RELATED BUYING HOUSE PERTH
There are many upfront costs related buying house Perth that it can be a shock to some first home buyers.
I have detailed some of the key purchasing costs below to give you a bit of guidance.
You can split the upfront costs when buying a house into the Deposit, fees associated with the loan, and fees associated with the property.
Fees associated with the loan include:-
- Establishment fee
- Valuation fee
- Mortgage Stamp Duty
- Mortgage Insurance
- Mortgage Preparation Fee
- Registration Fee
Fees Associated with the Property include:-
- Land Transfer Stamp Duty
- Solicitor/Settlement Agent fees
- Sundries (searches etc…)
- Shire/Water Rates
- Registration – Transfer of Land
Deposit
One of the first upfront costs related buying house is the deposit. Many lenders require will a minimum deposit of 5% of the purchase price. On a property purchase of $500,000, a 5% deposit would be $25,000.
Should you be putting less than a 20% deposit down then you will need to be prepared to pay Lenders Mortgage Insurance or a Lenders Risk Fee.
This is a one off payment made to the lender The premium due will vary depending on the loan amount and the Loan to Value Ratio (LVR).
Establishment Fee
An establishment fee is the cost of setting the loan up. An establishment fee can cover costs such as the application fee, valuation fee, preparation of mortgage documents and settlement fee. Some lenders will include all the costs in one establishment fee while others may charge the fees independent of each other.
Establishment fees are generally around $600. Not all lenders charge an establishment fee, some lenders will not charge an upfront fee but will have higher exit costs should you choose to exit the loan before the agreed period has expired.
Valuation Fee
The Valuation fee is the cost paid to the valuers to value the property you are purchasing. This is often included in the loan amount and deducted at settlement. However, some lenders will require the valuation to be made upfront.
Lender Mortgage Insurance
Many people get confused with what mortgage insurance is, they assume it is protection for the buyer.
Unfortunately this is not the case, mortgage insurance protects the lender. It is generally called Lenders Mortgage Insurance or LMI. Should you default on your loan repayments the LMI will cover the payment of any outstanding amount on your loan, once the lender has received the funds from selling your property.
Generally if you borrow more than 80 percent of the property value you will be required to pay the LMI. With some lenders you may be required pay LMI if the loan to valuation ratiois less than 80%.
Lenders mortgage insurance is charged as a one-off premium and is calculated based on the amount of the loan and the Loan to value relationship. The higher the loan amount and loan valuation relationship the higher the lenders mortgage insurance premium.
Lenders mortgage insurance does not have to be an upfront costs related buying house. Many lenders allow you to cap the lenders mortgage insurance on top of your home loan.
However,if your home loan is for more than 95% of the property value then another upfront costs related buying house is the requirement to pay lenders mortgage insurance upfront. The higher the loan the greater the LMI you would be expected to pay.
Mortgage Preparation Fee
This is the charge for preparing the documents ready for settlement. It is a fee that is often included as part of the establishment fee.
Registration Fee
The Registration Fee is a government charge
Land Transfer Stamp Duty
Land transfer stamp duty is generally the largest of the upfront costs related buying house. The land transfer stamp duty is a general revenue tax imposed by the government.Whenever a property changes ownership the stamp duty is paid into a government fund.
As property prices have risen in Australia so has the stamp duty payable. On a purchase of a $500,000 home you would have to pay a land transfer stamp duty bill of $20,700.
Until the WA state budget in 2007 the stamp duty was payable by all purchasers, and first home buyers on purchases over $250,000.
Its worth taking into account the upfront costs related buying house such as the stamp duty when you negotiate your deposit.In Western Australia the stamp duty has to be paid prior to settlement, so you may find that you need to keep some funds back to cover the cost of the stamp duty.
The State Budget in May 2007 has just seen the threshold for first home buyers double to $500,000.
Here is a stamp duty calculator to help you calculate how much stamp duty you will have to pay.
Solicitor/Settlement Agent Fees
You will need to engage a settlement agent to attend to the final stage in the purchase of your property. This involves the transfer of the legal title from the seller (vendor) to the buyer (purchaser).
The balance of the purchase price is paid and any other outstanding matters are attended to.
Settlement Agents Fees are set by legislation, which means there is a maximum amount thatthe settlement agent can charge.
When sourcing your settlement agent be sure to ask for a discount as many will give a discount off the fee set by legislation.
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Settlement Agents Scale of Fees for a Buyer: (inclusive of GST)
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Value of Property
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Fee
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Not exceeding $25,000
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$235.40 |
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$25,001 – $150,000
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$235.40 + 0.264% of amount in excess of $25,000
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$150,001 – $500,000
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$572.00 + 0.22% of amount in excess of $150,000
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$500,001 – $1,000,000
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$1357.40 + 0.165% of amount in excess of $500,000
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$1,000,001 onwards
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$2198.90 + 0.11% of amount in excess of $1,000,000
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Sundries
Sundries covers the costs to the Settlement Agent for miscellaneous costs such as phone calls, postage, photocopying etc…. costs which they will pass on to you the client.
Shire/Water Rates
When you purchase a property as part of the settlement process you are required to pay the balance of payment on the Water and Council Rates for the current financial year. The amount of the fee payable will depend on the time in the financial year the purchase is made. The Settlement agent will organise this for you.
Registration/Transfer of Land
The costs involved with the transfer of the interests of a registered proprietor to a purchaser by means of lodgement at, and acceptance by the titles office.
TALK TO A MORTGAGE CONSULTANT
If you are buying house Perth or will be looking to buy a house Perth in the future then the chances are you will need to organise a mortgage.
So if you are looking to buy a house Perth and would like to be contacted by a qualified mortgage broker to discuss your mortgage options then complete the enquiry form below.