Luke Lu in Huntingdale, Western Australia | Mortgage brokers

Luke Lu

Locality: Huntingdale, Western Australia

Phone: +61 433 669 515

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25.01.2022 Have you spotted a property bargain recently? If you think there may be a few property bargains just waiting for you to check them out, why don't you ask me to confirm your borrowing capacity before you go and have a look around? There have been lots of changes in home loans too, so a bit of homework could be worthwhile.... It doesn't cost anything to find out and usually only takes a few minutes. The least I can do is point you in the right direction and the privacy act ensures our conversation is entirely confidential. Some of my more astute investors take the opportunity during these times to purchase more investment properties while the market conditions are good. If you'd like to know more about this, contact me about using your equity to purchase an investment property. An email or a phone call is all it takes.

24.01.2022 Introducing the new home building methods that can save you a lot of time and money. In the past, prefabricated houses would connote images of tackiness and shipping container living, but prefab housing is now enjoying an avant-garde revival. Today's prefab houses consist of high end materials, follow strict green building practices and are designed by leading architects. Often they have substantially better thermal ratings than brick homes, meaning they actually cost a lot l...ess to heat and cool. Some new builders even start with a traditionally built lower floor, then build a prefabricated second floor, being less expensive and much faster than building a standard two-storey home. To find out more, download my short introductory PDF article to this style of home that is growing in popularity - Absolutely Prefabulous. https://www.mortgageaustralia.com.au//absolutelyprefabulou

23.01.2022 The mortgage market is competitive and always on the move. And things in your life are probably on the move too. My role as a mortgage broker is to ensure my clients have the right home loan to meet their needs. And as things change, either with your situation or with the lending landscape, a regular review makes sure that your loan is still the right fit. To get an idea of when it might be time to take a look around, our Mortgage Indicator is a super simple place to start - ...if you answer any of our questions below with a 'yes', then you're heading into the red zone where it is time for a quick catch-up to make sure your finance solution is still the right fit. The more questions you answer yes to, the more important it is to get cracking on a review. - Are you thinking about renovating your home? - Are you thinking about moving house or even caught yourself scanning real estate sites or the for sale section of the paper? - Has life changed for you since you took out your loan? Is your relationship status still the same, have you changed jobs or increased your salary or are there any new children in your home? - Do you have a few spare dollars each week you could use to pay down your home loan faster and save on repayments? - Do you have any money left over each month to potentially start a small investment fund? - Have you thought about consolidating your debts? If you have a credit card you just can't pay down or a car or personal loan, you might save by rolling these debts into one. - Are you concerned about being able to meet your current loan repayments? - Have a think about the questions above, and if you'd answer 'yes' to any of them, it's time to talk. A review of your finances is a quick and painless exercise and you know that I'll be going into bat for you. I'll do all the running around and negotiating with the lenders on your behalf, knowing which questions to ask and hunting down the features that will be of most benefit to you. Give me a call or shoot me a quick email and we can make a time to run through what's been happening and I'll get the ball rolling for you.

23.01.2022 How to save for your FIrst Home - without moving back to Mum and Dad: Are you trying to save up for your first home? There's so much to think about - not just an enormous deposit, but stamp duties, moving costs, conveyancing fees and loan costs all add up to quite a number. Saving such a large amount can be a tough slog. You try and put a bit away each week but unexpected things tend to pop up, and it can feel like you're not getting anywhere at all. But there are a few thing...s you can do to speed up your savings journey. 1. Cut your costs It's time to sit down with the calculator and work out just how much you spend - on what. It's all too easy these days to 'tap and go' when you make purchases, without really stopping to notice the cost. For example, you might be horrified to learn that you currently spend $900 per year on energy drinks. And that's not including your morning coffee. Wait until you're in the right mood - and then be brutal. It's time to work out where you can trim the fat. 2. Kill the credit cards Credit cards are expensive to keep - and they have a way of blossoming if you don't keep paying them off in full. If you have a credit card debt, get rid of it. Sell your old textbooks, get a Saturday job, do whatever it takes because this one isn't doing you any favours. Not only will a credit card accrue interest, your savings goals will be undermined if you have to keep making repayments on credit cards all the time. 3. Make a budget Write down what you earn. Then list all of your 'non-negotiable' expenses - like rent, groceries, bills, train fares etc. Deduct the non-negotiable expenses, and what you have left is your disposable income. Rather than disposing of it - try to save as much as possible. Make a plan for how much you can afford save each month. It might be a bit of a stretch some months if you receive a big bill - so try keeping a separate account where you save a small amount every week. That way, if you receive your car registration you can pay it without compromising on your savings that month. 4. Leave some room to breathe We all need a break occasionally, and it's important that your budget does include some room to breathe. You might need to buy new shoes for work, or a present for your sister's birthday. Don't make it so tight that you can't even go to the movies. Leave a bit of slack for those times when you really need to live a little. That way, you're more likely to reach your savings goal.

23.01.2022 Cure your confusion today - 9 steps to purchasing your first home. Do you start to get a headache when you think about everything involved in getting a home loan? Don't despair. Many other borrowers have felt the same way in the past. ...Continue reading

23.01.2022 With fewer first buyers taking out home loans than a decade ago12, one might have concerns for the future of the Great Australian Dream. While affordability is squeezing high-demand capitals, such as Sydney and Melbourne, interest rates remain at record lows, continuing to give astute first-time buyers opportunities to purchase their piece of the property pie. Just because you cant afford what or where you want to buy first up, doesnt mean you should forego property altoget...Continue reading

21.01.2022 Discover how to turn your home equity into a better retirement for you. If you have equity stored away in your home, now could be the perfect time to tap into it for an investment property. Equity is simply the difference between the value of your home and what you owe on it. If you have a property valued at $500,000 and owe $200,000 on it, you have $300,000 equity available....Continue reading

21.01.2022 Buying or selling - or even just thinking about it? We may not have met in person yet, but I thought you would appreciate knowing that I'm always quoting and arranging home loans for people across our suburb. If you are even remotely thinking about buying or selling, or you are just not sure what your home is worth and how much you can borrow, why not ask me to help you work it out? That way you will know exactly what you can do...and it doesn't cost anything either!... I have access to home loans for just about everyone and every situation so please try me out. It usually only takes a few minutes and the privacy act ensures our conversation is entirely confidential. A cuppa and a chat It could be as simple as that.

20.01.2022 Six Steps to becoming mortgage-free - Step 4: Offsets and Redraws Would you like to cut your mortgage by years and pay less? What if you could get your mortgage all wrapped up in record time, and spend more time doing the things you love?... Well, there are six steps you can take now, which will make a real difference to the time it takes to pay off your loan. You could be mortgage-free sooner than you think. In the past weeks, we looked at Step 1: choosing the best loan, Step 2: changing your repayment frequency, and Step 3: Pay more to pay early. Today, find out how offset accounts and redraw facilities can help you move quickly towards losing that mortgage forever. Step 4: Offsets and Redraws Do you have a savings account that you use to put money away for a rainy day? You might be surprised to learn that this can save you money on your home loan - even if you keep the money in savings. This is commonly referred to as an offset account. Many lenders offer a 100% offset account which, when linked with your mortgage, can dramatically reduce the interest that you pay on your loan. The reason for this, is that the savings 'offset' what you owe, and you're only charged interest on your loan amount - minus your savings. This can have a significant impact on your loan in the long term. For example, if you have a loan of $400k, and keep $30k in an offset account, you could save over $150k in interest over the life of your loan. Another handy mortgage feature to look out for is a redraw facility. This allows you to make extra repayments on your loan whenever you want, but gives you the flexibility of taking that additional money back in the future if your plans change. By taking advantage of offset accounts and redraw facilities, you can take control of your financial goals today, and pay your loan off sooner. Want to escape your mortgage as soon as possible? Stay tuned for Step 5: Don't take candy from strangers.

20.01.2022 How to make sure your next home isn't a money pit. The typical home purchaser spends around 90 hours over 6 months browsing the internet, researching websites, visiting real estate agencies and inspecting no less than a dozen properties. However we only spend a little more than one hour inspecting the home we eventually purchase.... Not surprisingly, 55% of us discover 'hidden problems' after the settlement. Please read this article on how to avoid problems before finalising the purchase of your next home - Biggest Investment. https://www.mortgageaustralia.com.au//biggestinvestment.pdf

19.01.2022 Here are some Super Savings: In March this year Australian workers had more than $1.8 trillion stored away in superannuation funds, in part thanks to a system that generally requires employers to pay a contribution on employees behalf. From July 1, this required employer contribution jumped .25% to 9.5%.* For many wage and salary earners who benefit from these compulsory super contributions, super is often something they think about once a year when their statement arrives i...Continue reading

15.01.2022 Variable Interest Rate - Are you sure this is the right choice for you? With so many different loans on the market, it's easy to get a little confused. It's not always simple to work out which lender is offering the best deal, or who has the best interest rate. One of the main choices you need to make early on, is whether to opt for a standard variable interest rate, or a fixed rate loan.... Many lenders offer fixed rate loans for 1 to 3 years, some even offer periods of up to 10 years without a change to your interest rate. So with all of this certainty on offer, what are the benefits of the old-fashioned variable interest rate? Lower interest rate Usually your rate will be lower than a fixed rate mortgage, meaning that you pay less interest. Variable rates are generally lower than fixed rates. If you choose to fix your rate, you're paying for the certainty that this offers. Take advantage of decreasing cash rate If your lender reduces their standard variable interest rate, your interest will be reduced accordingly, meaning that you always pay the lowest standard rate that your lender is offering. So when the Reserve Bank lowers the official cash rate, there is a good chance that your repayments will reduce. Features and Flexibility Usually standard variable rate loans offer an array of features that you don't get with a fixed rate loan. Most variable rate loans give you the flexibility to make additional payments when you want to, but then redraw the extra money again later if your situation changes. Many lenders also allow offset accounts for your savings which reduce the overall interest charged on your loan - because the bank takes your savings into account before calculating your interest. When you opt for a variable rate loan, you always have the flexibility to fix your rate later, meaning that you can wait and see if rates are further reduced, potentially saving you money. If you have already fixed your rate, you will continue to pay the same interest rate even when the official cash rate continues to decrease. On the other hand though, if the official cash rate rises, your loan repayments will increase accordingly. Did you make the mistake of borrowing too much? If you opt for a variable rate loan, and then interest rates start to rise, you might find that you struggle to meet your repayments. To avoid issues in the future, it's really important that you take the time to compare the loans available to you, and choose the loan that suits your lifestyle and budget.

13.01.2022 You're a parent whose grown up kids want to buy their first home. And because you want the best for them, you probably also want to ensure that they get the correct advice before they sign anything. A truer word has never been spoken. ...and I think the best start for first home buyers is to talk through their options with someone who has done it before as well as someone who is directly involved with the process every day.... If you are a parent whose children have grown up, you've probably bought a home before. I'm helping people buy their home every day, it's my job. This means, together, we are well qualified to point your young adults in the right direction when it comes to buying their first home. So, why don't we catch up with your kids and discuss their options together. Between us, we should be able to provide helpful advice and motivation along the way. I provide home loans for just about everyone and every situation so why not try me out? It doesn't usually take long and the privacy act ensures our conversation is entirely confidential. A cuppa and a chat. It could be as simple as that.

13.01.2022 Do you know what your credit record says about you? Have you ever actually seen it? For many borrowers, it can be quite a surprise to learn that a few blotches have appeared over the years on their credit history report. ... Unfortunately, many are blissfully unaware until they apply for a home loan. Once your application has been lodged, it can be tricky to challenge your credit report and prove your worth to the lenders. Don't let this happen to you. Enrol in boot-camp today and get your credit record in shape - and the good news? You won't need to squeeze into the Lycra and start counting calories. 1) Review your credit record The first step is to get your hands on a copy of your credit history report. This can usually be done through your mortgage broker, or by directly contacting a Credit Reporting Body. There are quite a few companies who can provide your credit report to you, but the national bodies are: Veda, D&B, and Experian. 2) Challenge any discrepancies or misunderstandings If you think that there's a discrepancy on your credit history report, you can challenge these. The first step is usually to contact the company who added the incorrect information to your report, and see if they can amend it. Failing this, you can dispute the discrepancy through a Credit Reporting Body. 3) Be honest It pays to be upfront with your lender about anything on your credit report that could impact your ability to borrow. Most lenders are fairly strict, but some will take into account your explanation credit issues, and the steps you took to resolve them. 4) Cut down debt and credit Before you apply for a loan, try to reduce the amount of credit card debt - and also available credit that you have. Some borrowers are surprised to learn that a credit card with no debt owing at all - but with a high limit, can have an impact when being assessed for a loan. Try to reduce your limits wherever possible, or if you don't really use the card then consider cancelling it. 5) Know your finances Come to the first meeting with your lender or broker, prepared to explain your budget, expenses, income and your capacity to repay the loan. It's also important that you can demonstrate savings, as most lenders will require at least 5% of the purchase price in order to approve a loan. When it comes to the deposit, the more you can pay upfront, the greater your chances of being approved for a loan. If you can put down 20%, you will remove the need for Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) which could represent significant savings for you.

10.01.2022 If you are a first home buyer - know what you are entitled to: First home buyers have a range of different entitlements and concessions they may be eligible for. They differ from state to state, and often are dependent on the value of the home you are buying. There are also various ways that first home buyers can be helped by family members to get into their first home - not just by lending money towards a deposit - which can possibly save thousands in fees when done the righ...t way. For more details about the ever changing government incentives, read my guide - "Know your entitlements". https://www.mortgageaustralia.com.au//knowyourentitlements

09.01.2022 Summer is almost here so it's the perfect time to give your finances a spring clean. Whether you're looking to consolidate credit card debt, renovate your home or purchase your new car, our team can help give your finances a spring clean. Our partners offer a fast, simple, online application process and access to funds typically within 48 hours. Dont delay, get in touch today!

08.01.2022 We have all heard of credit reporting, but have you heard of credit scoring? Your credit file is one of your most important financial assets. Safeguarding this file is an important part of the finance application process. Your credit file contains... - credit applications - overdue credit accounts - payment defaults - clearouts (as a missing debtor) - commercial credit information - public record information. You will have a credit score calculated from your credit file. Did you know that a score of less than 500 will severely affect your ability to gain finance from many lenders? Read our one page guide - "Keeping Score" - to find out more. https://www.mortgageaustralia.com.au//fil/keepingscore.pdf

08.01.2022 Switching home loans could help pay down your mortgage sooner, providing you are refinancing for the right reasons and understand whats involved. Heres our guide to refinancing to help you make the right move when the time comes. Know the costs: Paying 0.5 per cent less per annum on a $250,000 principal-and-interest mortgage could save you around $23,000 over the life of a 25-year loan. Thats a sizeable chunk of change back in your pocket over the long term, but there are ...Continue reading

07.01.2022 Is your old equipment slowing you down? Old tech? Outdated machinery? Vehicle breakdowns? Will the purchase of new assets or equipment speed you up, help you become more efficient and help you get ahead? Asset finance is often the answer. ... Financing new equipment, instead of purchasing it outright, can be a good way to preserve cash flow and working capital while adding an asset that can begin to generate immediate income. And, of course, there may be potential tax advantages that could also come your way.

07.01.2022 Mortgage traps ahead! - Don't fall in. Do you love a bargain? It can feel like such a victory when you find that special deal on a new TV, or when you save a bundle by doing your Christmas shopping during a toy sale. Unfortunately, this sort of approach to looking for a mortgage can easily land you in hot water. Whilst it always pays to look around for a good deal on a home loan - there's also an old saying: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is".... There are a few fatal traps when it comes to choosing the right loan for you. Unfortunately the excitement of buying your first home can be all too distracting, and it's easy to put your foot in it by failing to research your loan options. Irresistible Offers The majority of lenders are very responsible and cautious, and only give out loans to people likely to make their repayments. These lenders will offer the best deals their desired customer - usually someone who earns a good income, has a clean credit history report, and has a decent deposit to contribute. If you know that your circumstances don't make you particularly appealing to a lender, but you're being offered a crazy deal - there might be something amiss. Take some time to read the fine print and make sure that the loan contract doesn't contain any nasty surprises. Remember - there's no such thing as a free lunch! Fixed rates You might be tempted to lock in a low interest rate for a couple of years so that you can have the peace of mind that comes with knowing your repayments. The danger here, though, is that you might be missing out on features that you need, or being charged additional fees. Make sure that you research all aspects of the loan, rather than just focussing on the interest rate. Fees and Charges Loan contracts can be very detailed - packed full of confusing words and legal disclaimers. But one section that you should study with a magnifying glass is the schedule of fees and charges. Do you know whether you can make changes to your repayments? How much will it cost if you default on a repayment? What is the fee associated with ordering a statement ahead of time? And importantly - what establishment fees will you have to pay at settlement? If you don't know this amount, you might not be able to proceed with your purchase and you could lose your deposit. Flexibility and Features It's important to consider what features you need in a loan - do you want to be able to make extra repayments when times are good? Would you like to be able to take that money back again if something doesn't go according to plan? What about if you want to change your repayment frequency? The features of your loan are just as important as the interest rate - and not paying attention could mean that you end up paying a lot more in the long term.

06.01.2022 BUYER BEWARE THE BARGAINS Limited cash flow and equity mean many first-time property investors feel the need to chase down a bargain to enter the market. But, like most things in life, you usually get what you pay for, which in the case of property can mean unrealised returns or even losses. While theres nothing wrong with paying less in the hope of making more, investors need to understand when a cheap property is truly a bargain and when they could be selling (or rath...Continue reading

04.01.2022 Should you buy or build your next home? Many buyers struggling to find the right home are going back to the drawing board and building rather than buying an existing home. There are obvious benefits to a brand new home: you can build exactly what you want and enjoy shiny new surrounds, with no wear and tear costs for years to come. But there can be downsides to creating your castle....Continue reading

03.01.2022 Here are the key questions many property investors ask me. 1) What's the difference between an investment loan and an ordinary home loan? Most of the same types of home loans and loan features apply for investors as for owner occupiers. Some lenders may charge higher rates for investment properties if the associated risks are higher....Continue reading

01.01.2022 Drive away in your dream car with a low cost car loan.