Property investors are taking on home loans at the highest level since 2015
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Investors appear to be returning to the property market at a greater rate based on figures put out by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) last week.
New lending indicators released by the ABS last Friday revealed that Australians took on $9.12 billion worth of new investment home loans during the month of May. As head of finance and wealth at the ABS Katherine Keenan explains, new borrowing from investors took a sizeable jump to reach the highest level recorded in years.
“The value of new loan commitments for investor housing rose 13.3 per cent to $9.1 billion in May 2021, which was the highest level since June 2015,” she said.
“The value of investor loan commitments rose 116 per cent in the year to May 2021, after falling to a 20 year low in May 2020.”
The total amount of new borrowing from investors is now edging closer to the highest monthly figure ever logged by the ABS: $10.1 billion in April 2015.
That peak in 2015 was recorded at a time when the first of a series of measures undertaken by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) were beginning to flow through, including benchmarks put in place by the regulator on lenders in order to slow the growth of investment loans.
Since then, and following subsequent action from APRA, monthly levels of new investor lending haven’t risen above the $9 billion mark - until May 2021.
However, as Keenan notes, the proportion of new home loans being taken out by owner occupier borrowers has greatly increased since 2015.
“Investor loans equated to 28 per cent of the total value of housing loan commitments in May 2021, compared to 46 per cent in 2015. This reflects the very strong growth in owner occupier loan commitments over the last year.”
Overall, total new loan commitments from all borrowers reached another record high of $32.6 billion, which is now the seventh consecutive month a new record has been hit.
First home buyer activity has continued to fall off compared to previous months with 15,050 new loan commitments recorded in May (down 0.8%), though this number is still one of the highest recorded by the ABS.
“First home buyer activity remained at high levels in New South Wales and Victoria. However, the number of first home buyers has fallen over the last few months in Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia, following the cessation of HomeBuilder and state government initiatives, such as the Building Bonus Grant in Western Australia,” said Keenan.
RELATED: Home loan rate check: How do ANZ, CBA, NAB and Westpac compare?
Contemplating an investment property purchase of your own? Check out some of the great loans on offer to investors from the lenders in the table below, or for even more deals check out our dedicated investment loan comparison table.
Home loan comparisons on Mozo
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Basic Home Loan
- Investment
- LVR<60%
- Principal & Interest
- Interest rate
-
6.34
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
6.36
%
p.a.
- Initial monthly repayment
-
$3,108
No annual or application fees. Competitive rate tiers based on your LVR as well as interest only and split repayment options. Fast application and turnaround process. Secure online application.
- Interest rate
-
6.34
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
6.36
%
p.a.
- Upfront fees
-
$350
- Ongoing fees
-
$0.00
- Discharge fee
-
$400.00
- Extra repayments
-
yes - free
- Redraw facility
-
yes - free
- Offset account
-
no
- Maximum loan to value ratio
- 60.00%
- Minimum borrowing amount
- $150,000
- Maximum borrowing amount
- $10,000,000
- Type of mortgage
- Variable
- Repayment types
- Principal & Interest
- Availability
- Investor
- Repayment options
- Monthly
- Special offers
- -
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about this Macquarie Basic Home Loan
-
Neat Home Loan
- Investor
- Principal & Interest
- LVR <60%
- Interest rate
-
6.24
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
6.26
%
p.a.
- Initial monthly repayment
-
$3,075
- Interest rate
-
6.24
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
6.26
%
p.a.
- Upfront fees
-
$250
- Ongoing fees
-
$0.00
- Discharge fee
-
$300.00
- Extra repayments
-
yes - free
- Redraw facility
-
yes - free
- Offset account
-
no
- Maximum loan to value ratio
- 60.00%
- Minimum borrowing amount
- $80,000
- Maximum borrowing amount
- $5,000,000
- Type of mortgage
- Variable
- Repayment types
- Principal & Interest
- Availability
- Investor
- Repayment options
- Weekly, Fortnightly, Monthly
- Special offers
- -
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about this ubank Neat Home Loan
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Mozo experts choice awards won:
- Low Cost Home Loan - 2024
Unloan Variable
- Investment
- LVR <80%
- Interest rate
-
6.29
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
6.20
%
p.a.
- Initial monthly repayment
-
$3,092
Built by CommBank, the Unloan is the first home loan with an increasing discount (conditions apply) for investors. No application or banking fees. No monthly account keeping or early exit fees. Apply online in minutes.
- Interest rate
-
6.29
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
6.20
%
p.a.
- Upfront fees
-
$0
- Ongoing fees
-
$0.00
- Discharge fee
-
$0.00
- Extra repayments
-
yes - free
- Redraw facility
-
yes - free
- Offset account
-
no
- Maximum loan to value ratio
- 80.00%
- Minimum borrowing amount
- $10,000
- Maximum borrowing amount
- $10,000,000
- Type of mortgage
- Variable
- Repayment types
- Principal & Interest
- Availability
- Investor
- Repayment options
- Weekly, Fortnightly, Monthly
- Special offers
- -
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about this Unloan Unloan Variable
-
Neat Home Loan
- Investor
- Principal & Interest
- LVR <60%
- Interest rate
-
6.24
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
6.26
%
p.a.
- Initial monthly repayment
-
$3,075
- Interest rate
-
6.24
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
6.26
%
p.a.
- Upfront fees
-
$250
- Ongoing fees
-
$0.00
- Discharge fee
-
$300.00
- Extra repayments
-
yes - free
- Redraw facility
-
yes - free
- Offset account
-
no
- Maximum loan to value ratio
- 60.00%
- Minimum borrowing amount
- $80,000
- Maximum borrowing amount
- $5,000,000
- Type of mortgage
- Variable
- Repayment types
- Principal & Interest
- Availability
- Investor
- Repayment options
- Weekly, Fortnightly, Monthly
- Special offers
- -
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about this ubank Neat Home Loan
-
Mozo experts choice awards won:
- Low Cost Home Loan - 2024
Unloan Variable
- Investment
- LVR <80%
- Interest rate
-
6.29
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
6.20
%
p.a.
- Initial monthly repayment
-
$3,092
Built by CommBank, the Unloan is the first home loan with an increasing discount (conditions apply) for investors. No application or banking fees. No monthly account keeping or early exit fees. Apply online in minutes.
- Interest rate
-
6.29
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
6.20
%
p.a.
- Upfront fees
-
$0
- Ongoing fees
-
$0.00
- Discharge fee
-
$0.00
- Extra repayments
-
yes - free
- Redraw facility
-
yes - free
- Offset account
-
no
- Maximum loan to value ratio
- 80.00%
- Minimum borrowing amount
- $10,000
- Maximum borrowing amount
- $10,000,000
- Type of mortgage
- Variable
- Repayment types
- Principal & Interest
- Availability
- Investor
- Repayment options
- Weekly, Fortnightly, Monthly
- Special offers
- -
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about this Unloan Unloan Variable
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Special Real Deal Home Loan
- LVR<80%
- Investment
- Principal & Interest
- Interest rate
-
6.29
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
6.34
%
p.a.
- Initial monthly repayment
-
$3,092
Investors enjoy no monthly or annual fees to pay. Flexibility to choose your repayment schedule (weekly, fortnightly or monthly). Make regular additional repayments and extra lump sum payments. Split your home loan into multiple loan accounts.
- Interest rate
-
6.29
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
6.34
%
p.a.
- Upfront fees
-
$595
- Ongoing fees
-
$0.00
- Discharge fee
-
$250.00
- Extra repayments
-
yes - free
- Redraw facility
-
yes - fees apply
- Offset account
-
no
- Maximum loan to value ratio
- 80.00%
- Minimum borrowing amount
- $150,000
- Maximum borrowing amount
- -
- Type of mortgage
- Variable
- Repayment types
- Principal & Interest
- Availability
- Investor
- Repayment options
- Weekly, Fortnightly, Monthly
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- $2,000 online cashback when for refinance or purchase loans of $250,00 -$499,999.99, $3,000 for loan amounts of >$500,000.
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about this Newcastle Permanent Special Real Deal Home Loan
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Flex Home Loan
- Investor
- Principal & Interest
- LVR <60%
- Interest rate
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6.29
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
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6.53
%
p.a.
- Initial monthly repayment
-
$3,092
- Interest rate
-
6.29
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
6.53
%
p.a.
- Upfront fees
-
$250
- Ongoing fees
-
$250.00 yearly
- Discharge fee
-
$300.00
- Extra repayments
-
yes - free
- Redraw facility
-
yes - free
- Offset account
-
yes
- Maximum loan to value ratio
- 60.00%
- Minimum borrowing amount
- -
- Maximum borrowing amount
- -
- Type of mortgage
- Variable
- Repayment types
- Principal & Interest
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- Repayment options
- Weekly, Fortnightly, Monthly
- Special offers
- -
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about this ubank Flex Home Loan
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Flex Home Loan
- Fixed
- Investor
- Principal & Interest
- LVR <60%
- Interest rate
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6.29
%
p.a.
Fixed 3 years
- Comparison rate
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6.53
%
p.a.
- Initial monthly repayment
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$3,092
- Interest rate
-
6.29
%
p.a.
Fixed 3 years
- Comparison rate
-
6.53
%
p.a.
- Upfront fees
-
$250
- Ongoing fees
-
$250.00 yearly
- Discharge fee
-
$300.00
- Extra repayments
-
yes - free
- Redraw facility
-
yes - free
- Offset account
-
yes
- Maximum loan to value ratio
- 60.00%
- Minimum borrowing amount
- -
- Maximum borrowing amount
- -
- Type of mortgage
- Fixed
- Repayment types
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Read our Mozo Review to learn more about this ubank Flex Home Loan
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Basic Home Loan
- Investment
- LVR<60%
- Principal & Interest
- Interest rate
-
6.34
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
6.36
%
p.a.
- Initial monthly repayment
-
$3,108
No annual or application fees. Competitive rate tiers based on your LVR as well as interest only and split repayment options. Fast application and turnaround process. Secure online application.
- Interest rate
-
6.34
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
6.36
%
p.a.
- Upfront fees
-
$350
- Ongoing fees
-
$0.00
- Discharge fee
-
$400.00
- Extra repayments
-
yes - free
- Redraw facility
-
yes - free
- Offset account
-
no
- Maximum loan to value ratio
- 60.00%
- Minimum borrowing amount
- $150,000
- Maximum borrowing amount
- $10,000,000
- Type of mortgage
- Variable
- Repayment types
- Principal & Interest
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- Repayment options
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Read our Mozo Review to learn more about this Macquarie Basic Home Loan
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Offset Home Loan
- Investment
- LVR<60%
- Principal & Interest
- Interest rate
-
6.34
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
6.59
%
p.a.
- Initial monthly repayment
-
$3,108
Up to 10 offsets. Competitive rate tiers and interest only repayment option. No application fee. Split loan option. Fast, secure online application. $248 annual fee.
- Interest rate
-
6.34
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
6.59
%
p.a.
- Upfront fees
-
$350
- Ongoing fees
-
$248.00 yearly
- Discharge fee
-
$400.00
- Extra repayments
-
yes - free
- Redraw facility
-
yes - free
- Offset account
-
yes
- Maximum loan to value ratio
- 60.00%
- Minimum borrowing amount
- $150,000
- Maximum borrowing amount
- $10,000,000
- Type of mortgage
- Variable
- Repayment types
- Principal & Interest
- Availability
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- Repayment options
- Monthly
- Special offers
- -
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about this Macquarie Offset Home Loan
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Basic Home Loan
- Fixed
- Investment
- Principal & Interest
- LVR <70%
- Interest rate
-
6.55
%
p.a.
Fixed 3 years
- Comparison rate
-
6.42
%
p.a.
- Initial monthly repayment
-
$3,177
Lock in repayments from 1 to 5 years. Competitive rate tiers depending on your LVR. No application or annual fee. Fast, secure online application.
- Interest rate
-
6.55
%
p.a.
Fixed 3 years
- Comparison rate
-
6.42
%
p.a.
- Upfront fees
-
$350
- Ongoing fees
-
$0.00
- Discharge fee
-
$400.00
- Extra repayments
-
yes - up to $10,000 p.a.
- Redraw facility
-
yes - free
- Offset account
-
no
- Maximum loan to value ratio
- 70.00%
- Minimum borrowing amount
- $150,000
- Maximum borrowing amount
- $10,000,000
- Type of mortgage
- Fixed
- Repayment types
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- Repayment options
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- Special offers
- -
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about this Macquarie Basic Home Loan
-
Offset Home Loan
- Fixed
- Investment
- Principal & Interest
- LVR <70%
- Interest rate
-
6.55
%
p.a.
Fixed 3 years
- Comparison rate
-
6.65
%
p.a.
- Initial monthly repayment
-
$3,177
- Interest rate
-
6.55
%
p.a.
Fixed 3 years
- Comparison rate
-
6.65
%
p.a.
- Upfront fees
-
$350
- Ongoing fees
-
$248.00 yearly
- Discharge fee
-
$400.00
- Extra repayments
-
yes - up to $10,000 p.a.
- Redraw facility
-
yes - free
- Offset account
-
yes
- Maximum loan to value ratio
- 70.00%
- Minimum borrowing amount
- $150,000
- Maximum borrowing amount
- $10,000,000
- Type of mortgage
- Fixed
- Repayment types
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- Repayment options
- Monthly
- Special offers
- -
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about this Macquarie Offset Home Loan
-
SMSF Home Loan
- LVR <70%
- Interest rate
-
6.99
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
7.00
%
p.a.
- Initial monthly repayment
-
$3,323
Enjoy a competitive rate on your SMSF home loan with Loans.com.au. Available for refinancers only. No application fee and no settlement fee. No monthly, annual or ongoing fees. Unlimited extra repayments. Online access via Smart Money App. 30% deposit required.
- Interest rate
-
6.99
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
7.00
%
p.a.
- Upfront fees
-
$720
- Ongoing fees
-
$0.00
- Discharge fee
-
$0.00
- Extra repayments
-
yes - free
- Redraw facility
-
no
- Offset account
-
no
- Maximum loan to value ratio
- 70.00%
- Minimum borrowing amount
- $50,000
- Maximum borrowing amount
- $2,000,000
- Type of mortgage
- Variable
- Repayment types
- Principal & Interest
- Availability
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- Special offers
- -
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about this loans.com.au SMSF Home Loan
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SMSF Home Loan
- LVR <80%
- Interest rate
-
7.49
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
7.50
%
p.a.
- Initial monthly repayment
-
$3,493
Enjoy a competitive rate on your SMSF home loan with Loans.com.au. Available for purchase and refinance. No application fee and no settlement fee. No monthly, annual or ongoing fees. Unlimited extra repayments. Online access via Smart Money App. 20% deposit required.
- Interest rate
-
7.49
%
p.a.
Variable
- Comparison rate
-
7.50
%
p.a.
- Upfront fees
-
$720
- Ongoing fees
-
$0.00
- Discharge fee
-
$0.00
- Extra repayments
-
yes - free
- Redraw facility
-
no
- Offset account
-
no
- Maximum loan to value ratio
- 80.00%
- Minimum borrowing amount
- $50,000
- Maximum borrowing amount
- $1,500,000
- Type of mortgage
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Read our Mozo Review to learn more about this loans.com.au SMSF Home Loan
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* WARNING: This comparison rate applies only to the example or examples given. Different amounts and terms will result in different comparison rates. Costs such as redraw fees or early repayment fees, and cost savings such as fee waivers, are not included in the comparison rate but may influence the cost of the loan. The comparison rate displayed is for a secured loan with monthly principal and interest repayments for $150,000 over 25 years.
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