Buying A Property Below Market Value

Buying a property below market value essentially means that you’re acquiring the property for a low price.

Favourable purchases are ideal for people who don’t have a large deposit. Discover how you can qualify for a home loan.

How much can you borrow?

Some of our lenders have excellent policies that allow you to maximise the amount you can borrow when buying a property below market value.

• If you have 5% in genuine savings: You can borrow up to 95% of the property value as long as you don’t borrow more than 105% of the purchase price.
• If you don’t have any savings: You can borrow up to 90% of the property value as long as you don’t borrow more than 105% of the purchase price.
• Guarantor mortgage: Borrow up to 105% of the property value.
• Low doc: 60% of the property value (80% is available in some circumstances) as long as you don’t borrow more than 100% of the purchase price.
• Discounts: Competitive professional package and basic loan discounts are available.

Note: Most lenders are very restrictive in the way they assess home loans for buying a property below market value. Some will lend no more than 80% of the property value while others will use the lesser of the purchase price or valuation in their assessment.

Please call us on 1300 889 743 or enquire online to find out how much you can borrow.

What's a favourable sale?

If you’re buying a property below market value then this is known by the banks as a “favourable sale”.

A favourable purchase or sale comes in two forms:

• Parents selling a property to their adult child: If your parents have several investment properties then they may decide to help you get a head start in life by selling you a property below its market value.
• Buying a property to recover a debt: If someone owes you a significant sum of money then you may reach an agreement where they sell a property they own to you for less than it’s actually worth instead of repaying the debt. This is a common way for people to settle debts in the construction industry.

The banks have special home loan lending policies for buying a property below market value. For example, there may be plenty of “gifted equity” in the property but banks are often hesitant to grant approval for the mortgage.

Do I need a deposit?

The majority of banks will require you to have 5% in genuine savings no matter how much the property value has been discounted.

Despite this, buying a property below market value will accepted by some banks with no savings whatsoever.

The LVR calculation is different

The Loan to Value Ratio (LVR) is the home loan amount divided by the lesser of the purchase price or valuation.

Banks use the LVR to calculate the risk of your mortgage and to work out the maximum amount you can borrow.

With a favourable purchase, the banks with the most progressive lending policies will calculate the LVR using their bank valuation only – they won’t take the purchase price into account.

Why are the banks so conservative?

Australian banks are very wary when it comes to buying a property below market value. The reason is that these favourable purchase arrangements are often made without the intervention of an agent, known as an ‘off the market transaction’.

Banks know that if there’s no real estate agent listed on the contract of sale then there’s a higher risk of fraud and if their valuer makes a mistake then they could make a significant loss.

How do the banks protect themselves?

Because of the nature of buying a property below market value, banks will always order a valuation to confirm the property value and investigate the details of the favourable purchase to ensure that they’re comfortable with the transaction.

Some lenders mortgage insurers used by the banks have policies that make it near impossible for you to borrow over 80% of the property value.

Thankfully, not all lenders and LMI providers have these policies.

If you need help getting your loan approved then please enquire online or call one of our mortgage brokers on 1300 889 743 to discuss your situation.

How much stamp duty will I pay?

The exact method that’s used to calculate stamp duty depends on the state you’re in.

In most states, you’ll be required to arrange a stamp duty valuation from a licensed valuer. You’ll then pay stamp duty based on the valuation, not on the agreed purchase price.

In other words, don’t expect to get away with paying less stamp duty – it’s only the purchase price that has been discounted!

An example purchase

George wants to sell his investment property valued at $500,000 to his son Richard. Instead of selling it at market value, George decides to help Richard by selling it to him for only $400,000.

Richard has no savings so, in most cases, a lender would be unable to give him a home loan.

However, one of our lenders can approve Richard for a loan of up to $420,000 (105% of the purchase price) because he’s not borrowing more than 90% of the market value of the property ($450,000).

Because Richard is borrowing over 80% of the property value, he’d need to pay Lenders Mortgage Insurance.

Buying under market value

When you’re considering buying a property below market and it’s not from your parents, it’s important to do some research before you purchase.

Some sellers need a quick sale for genuine reasons while others may be selling the property where there have been problems with the house.

The most common type of property that has no problems with it, yet is sold below market value, is when a bank is foreclosing on a property.

It’s also advisable to further negotiate. Generally, the seller will be more flexible, especially where a quick sale is imperative.

If you’re looking to buy a property below market value and need a home loan, please call us on 1300 889 743 or enquire online and one of our mortgage brokers can help you to finance your purchase.

Tips when buying your parents' property below market value

Three key things to know when buying your parents’ property below market value:

• Firstly, some lenders can use the real property value rather than the purchase price when calculating how much they’ll lend. For example, if the property is worth $1.5 million, some lenders can lend 80% of the property value, i.e. $1.2 million even though the (discounted) purchase price is $900,000.
• Secondly, you pay stamp duty based on the real value regardless of the purchase price. Your conveyancer/ solicitor will organise a stamp duty valuation which is used to show the government the real value.
• Lastly, one concern is that if you and your spouse split up then it would be unfair to the parents who sold you their house below value as you’d be effectively gifted a large sum of money. So one potential better way to structure it is to have the purchase price as the real value and to have the parent give a loan (no interest and no repayments) for the difference e.g. $1.5m – $900k = $600k loan. This can have a formal agreement and be secured on the property via a mortgage/caveat and that is all really simple to do through your conveyancer solicitor. You may not split up hopefully but being risk-averse is always a good approach.

Apply for a home loan

We’re the experts in home loans for buying a property below market value!

• We know which lenders will allow you to borrow 100% of the purchase price.
• As most of our brokers have worked for the major banks, we understand how they think.
• Our mortgage brokers can help you formulate your loan application to ensure approval.
• We offer nationwide service.

Did you know some of our lenders offer purchase cash backs for property buyers?

Please enquire online or call 1300 889 743 and one of our mortgage brokers can provide you with several competitive options to choose from.