Property prices are dropping. Should you refinance now?

You may have heard that property values are on the decline. But what does this mean if you’re planning to refinance or may need to access equity? We’ll discuss how falling housing prices may affect your refinancing application and what you can do about it.

With the rising cost of living and climbing interest rates, you may be looking to refinance your mortgage. Or you may want to access your equity to invest, buy a car, or go on a holiday.

Depending on your circumstances, refinancing can be a great way to get a better interest rate on your loan.

Not to mention that if you need access to funds for an investment property or renovation, refinancing can allow you to cash out equity in your home to use for other purposes.

But, according to CoreLogic, 79.5% of house and unit market values are on the decline across Australia. And this can affect refinancing outcomes.

We’ll walk you through just what the effects of a property value drop can mean for refinancers and how you can act now to get ahead of the curve.

Refinancing and your property’s value

Rising rates have contributed to declining property values in some areas around the country.

For example, Sydney property prices have declined 10% since they peaked in February this year, according to the latest CoreLogic data, and many economists believe they’ll fall even further.

And as a homeowner, a drop in property value can affect your equity.

That’s because equity is the difference between your property’s (market) value and your mortgage balance. And it’s a number that lenders pay attention to when assessing refinancing applications.

Refinancing before your equity drops may see your refinancing application have a greater chance of success. It can potentially give you access to more cash as your property value may be higher now than in say 6 months’ time.

Most lenders will typically require you to have 20% equity in your home to refinance, which essentially serves as a deposit.

For example, if youve bought a house in Sydney since June 2021, due to the recent property price declines you soon may no longer have 20% equity in your home.’

If you don’t have 20% equity, you could still refinance by paying lenders mortgage insurance – but that would likely defeat the purpose of refinancing in the first place.

If you fall into negative equity – where your home’s value drops below your mortgage balance – then refinancing most likely won’t be on the cards at all and you’ll be stuck with your current lender.

So, if you’re interested in refinancing your loan to get a better rate, sooner may be better than later … depending on how your property value is fairing.

Refinancing to cash-out equity

If you’re keen to unlock some equity – you’re not alone!

According to NAB research, seven in 10 mortgage holders recently cashed out equity while property prices were high and used the money to renovate, invest in property or shares, or boost their superannuation.

So how does cashing out equity work?

Let’s say you bought an $800,000 house five years ago that is now worth $1 million.

And let’s also say you took out a $600,000 loan for that house, which you’ve managed to pay down to $500,000 (great work!).

By refinancing that $500,000 loan into an $800,000 loan (banks will typically let you borrow up to 80% of a property’s market value), you can unlock $300,000 in equity.

However, if you delay a year or so, and national property prices decline 10% over this period, your house might only be valued at $900,000.

That would mean if you wanted to unlock 80% of your property’s market value, you could only refinance your $500,000 mortgage into a $720,000 loan – and therefore only unlock $220,000 in equity.

If you would like information on refinancing benefits, or how unlocking cash using equity may assist you, please get in touch.

Our lending specialists are available in person, online, or on the phone. We’ll take you through home loan options that can potentially help you save and provide you with a free market report on your property so you can see your current equity.

This article is prepared based on general information. It does not take into account individual financial objectives or needs and is not financial product advice.