Owner Builder Home Loans: Finance Your Dream Home

Owner-builder home loans are your stepping stone to your dream home. If you are building your own home, you may encounter difficulty funding a construction loan through a bank. Intellichoice solves your problems with getting the right loan. Speak to one of our mortgage brokers at 1300 55 10 45 to discuss owner builder finance, owner builder insurance or how the home building system can benefit you in your next building project. Your home may be one of the most important purchases you will ever make. It is a big decision and one that may have a long-term impact on your financial strategy.

What is an Owner Builder Mortgage?

An owner-builder mortgage is specially designed for people who want to build their own home and often the banks and lenders will use the property as security for your mortgage.  Most of the time, it’s all too hard for the banks; they find it a high risk and the process daunting.  Intellichoice LOVES providing this type of loan because our team comes from a building/farming background and we know how incredibly rewarding it is the build your own home the way you want it.  We know how to guide you through the stages of the loan application.  We will advise you on how to provide the right estimates for your loan. Our 15 Years Of Experience Can Help You. Through our extensive knowledge gained from 15 years in the industry, we make the loan application and approval process as simple as possible so that you can get moving on your dream. We have the best people to consult when it comes to Owner Builder Home Loans. We love Owner Builder Loans so much that we can connect you with the perfect lenders tailored for your needs. Tied with major mortgage lenders in Australia. We have tied up with one of the major mortgage lenders in Australia to offer owner builder finance when used in conjunction with our owner builder the owner builder system. We can offer owner builder finance that works with your circumstances. Owner builder loans are available in QLD, NSW, VIC, WA, TAS, and SA. Owner builder loans are available for people who wish to take on building their home without engaging a licensed builder. In order to comply with this, one needs to submit his building plans to his local council, and be granted the appropriate building permits, which include DA, and CC. Should you seek pre-approval or loan parameters before considering an owner builder loan? You should seek pre-approval before entering into an owner builder arrangement. The reason is simple, a building is a complex exercise requiring good coordination and technical skills. Lenders are aware of the complexity owner builders face, and the possibility of costs overruns. This comes primarily from in-experience with managing this type of project. Hence most lenders are not generous when it comes to lending at high Loan to Value Ratio (LVR) on an owner builder loan. By getting a pre-approval, you will have a good idea of what your maximum loan amount could be and at what LVR terms. This will help you gauge if doing an owner builder construction loan will be viable or resort to doing your construction under a licensed builder and engaging a licensed builder to construct your home where you could borrow at a higher LVR.

What is the maximum a lender will lend on an owner builder loan?

The maximum LVR one can raise as an owner builder as the full doc is 80%. This can be found with only 2 lenders in Australia. Yet most other lenders will generally accept 50-70% LVR.

What work do I need to show that I am capable of raising an owner builder loan?

Lenders require you to create an owner builders cost estimate before you start construction. This is a research of what trades are required and their costs. This should be put together as a cost estimate, by yourself. In many respects, a lender will assist by providing you a cost estimate template which can act as a strong guide, but it is important to remember that your project is could have its slight variations. Once this is completed, a bank valuer or possibly quantity surveyor will confirm the costs estimates as adequate and realistic. Your owner builder cost estimate is different than a licensed builder home loan where a licensed builder supplies a fixed price building schedule.

What provisions must be put in place to safeguard against cost overruns on an owner builder loan?

High LVR lender’s like to factor in a contingency part in the lending estimate. This means that they prefer that a part of the funds be kept aside from the total building price to cover any unforeseen expenses. Depending on the lender, the contingency could be anything between 10% of the of total construction costs, 20% of total construction costs.

When I build, how does the funding process work?

Once a cost estimate is approved and verified by the bank’s valuer or QS, then the lender issues a commencement letter. As the lender will lend only to a maximum of 80% of the hard cost, then a client must contribute 20% of the funds by way of cash. Hence the construction will initially be funded the client as he will contribute his funds first to 20% of the costs. The lender will eventually complete the project by providing the 80% of funds required for the project to be complete.

Are owner builder loans more expensive?

Because there is a limitation to the number of lenders who provide owner builder loans at high LVR’s people assume they must be more expensive. Let’s imagine for a moment that you are ready to build your home. You have a deposit saved and you know which area you want to buy into. You may have already owned a home before and sold it and this time you are going to build the exact house you want. No more compromises for you! At this point, you really have 2 choices to make. The first is to go with a registered architect and builder. The second is to make the decision to become an owner builder and in order to do that, you need to take out an owner builder loan. There are many things to consider when deciding whether or not an owner builder project and therefore an owner builder loan is for you. The first is to determine what the advantages would be for you. There are a number of advantages to becoming an owner builder and getting an owner builder loan. The first is that it is possible, by going down the owner builder route to save lots of money. The cost savings of becoming an owner builder come about because the owner builder takes the place of coordinating the project. Instead of passing control over to a builder (who takes a percentage to compensate for the extra work involved) the person who owns the home is in charge of that. That is one of the main differences and it is one of the main reasons why an owner builder loan is fundamentally different to a standard home loan. Because an owner builder is in charge of the project, banks and other financial institutions consider owner builder loans to be less secure than a loan which is being managed and controlled by a qualified and experienced builder. Statistically, this is correct as owner builder projects do have a greater likelihood of either going over budget or time. Just because banks consider owner builder loans to be less secure than standard home loans or construction loans doesn’t mean they are impossible to get. The secret to getting owner builder loans is to find an experienced and qualified broker who know which banks and financial institutions deal in this type of loan. A good broker will also be able to include information in your owner builder loan application that will illustrate the strengths of the project. The loan application will include information such as your past success with similar projects, any experience you have within the building industry, information about a subcontract you have taken out with a registered builder who will help steer you through the construction process. All of this information adds up and makes the project a lot more attractive to banks. There is another thing that banks and other financial institutions look at when assessing how viable an owner builder loan is. They look at the final value the project will be worth once the entire project is completed. This is another area where an experienced broker can also help get the owner builder loan approved. Many banks automatically assess the final value of a property by adding together the cost of the property and the cost of construction. In the case of an owner builder loan, the value of the finished property may be significantly higher than this however because the cost of construction on an owner builder property is often well less than the actual value. A good broker will be able to illustrate this to the bank by looking at similar properties in the area to provide a more accurate reflection of value. Owner builder loans are an area that requires input from someone with expertise in the area. If the project is right, owner builder loans can make owner builder projects possible cost effective but it is important that you understand all the implications that go with them. The challenge for an owner builder is to demonstrate to the lender the “intrinsic” value you bring to your project. Intellichoice has developed a unique approach to solving this dilemma. We work collaboratively with you to demonstrate the optimal end market value of your property, which is the key to maximizing your borrowing for your construction project. Through this approach, Intellichoice has a track record of obtaining lending at 80% of land value and up to 100% of construction costs, based on the end market value. If you have already commenced your “finance” journey you will have identified there are very few financiers within Australia who provide owner builder loans. Owner builder lending makes up less than one percent of all loans. If you approach one of these lenders it can be difficult to find an “expert” within the institution who can guide you through the financial aspects of your owner builder construction project. This gap in the mortgage market is a legacy of lender caution created by owner builder projects not being completed within budget and within reasonable timeframes. Hence a well planned and executed owner build has a huge potential to create wealth. Over the many years that Intellichoice has been delivering lending solutions for owner builders, we have identified a myriad of reasons you would elect to owner build encompassing: · Saving significant amounts of money · Having control over the quality of the build · Getting a larger home for the price of a smaller one · Making use of your project management skills · Making use of your trade · Getting to select the trades’ people who work on your home · Being able to draw on the skills of your friends and family · The satisfaction of completing your project Whatever your motivation, at Intellichoice we appreciate an owner builder will end up with a home for a significantly reduced price and this dovetails into a lower mortgage with reduced monthly repayments and increased equity in your home. As an owner builder you may well be on an extreme learning curve around the construction and management aspects of your project. Having to concurrently invest enormous amounts of time in researching and understanding owner builder finance can be a distraction diverting your attention away from the “passion” of your project. At Intellichoice we have invested heavily in understanding the finance space for owner builders and our experience is much larger than words on a page. We see our role as being more than sourcing an owner builder loan for you At Intellichoice, we know where to find the cheapest and most flexible owner builder loans. We can help you with the steps necessary to obtain this type of loan. For more details on owner builder finance, owner builder insurance or how the home building system can benefit you in your next building project, speak to one of our mortgage brokers at 1300 55 10 45.

You should seek pre approval before entering into an owner builder arrangement. The reason is simple, building is a complex excerise requiring good co ordination and technical skills.