LOOKING TO BUY OR FINANCE PROPERTY IN AUSTRALIA?

THESE 3 ADVISORY COMPANIES ARE CRUCIAL TO YOUR SUCCESS

Buying or financing property in Australia as an expat or overseas resident can be a lot easier than you think, assuming that is, you don’t decide to go it alone. You need a team of experts on your side to guide you through the process and help you make the best decisions possible.

The right advisors provide the guidance and background knowledge to help you achieve your goals with minimum risk. You need the support of a mortgage broker, buyer’s agent and a tax specialist to save you the cost and hassle of heading Down Under to facilitate the buying process.
So how do you choose your dream team of advisors? Well, we’ve done that for you: Read on to discover why Odin Mortgage, Propertybuyer and Connole Carlisle Chartered Accountants are crucial to your success.

MORTGAGE BROKERS

Purchasing a property overseas can be daunting, even more so when you are unfamiliar with the Australian mortgage market. Mortgage brokers are more than just intermediaries, they use their expertise to ensure you get the best interest rates, lower fees and long-term benefits.

As one of Australia’s leading mortgage brokerages for Australian expats and overseas residents globally, Odin Mortgage is well-versed in the complexities of financing property in Australia while overseas – from loan structuring, tax residency considerations, maximising borrowing capacity and foreign income bank policies. A specialist expat broker, they understand your situation and ensure you get the best deal possible.

Odin Mortgage offers round-the-clock personalised service to prospective homeowners ranging from pre-approval to loan application and settlement. “We do not charge any fees, we have access to 40+ lenders in Australia and can recommend better products than going directly to a bank, and unlike banks we look after you for the life of your loan. We do annual reviews, whereas banks typically switch you to higher rates after a couple of years,” says Matt Hooper, Business Development Manager at Odin Mortgage.
“We’ll look after you from enquiry to settlement to ensure your lending experience is as smooth as possible,” Matt adds. “When you come to us, no stone will be left unturned to ensure you get the best possible deal and access to all the best options available.”
Importantly too, Odin Mortgage can help you find the best possible loan for your circumstances. For example, in addition to low interest rates, Odin Mortgage’s brokers factor in numerous other elements such as fees and charges, loan-to-value ratios and the effect of cross collateralisation.

A simple process with Odin Mortgage:
1. Get a free assessment from your dedicated broker over the phone, in-person or via email
2. Select your preferred lender from a specific personalised list and finalise your loan structure
3. Upload your documents to a secure online portal quickly and easily
4. Receive the final approval and sign in-person or electronically
5. Enjoy the entire service completely free of charge (they are paid by
the lenders)


Odin Mortgage’s number one piece of advice: Get a pre-approval!
A pre-approval is an important step to get you closer to your new home or investment property. A pre-approval means a lender has agreed, in principle, to lend you an amount of money towards the purchase of a property. It lets you know your maximum available funds so you can narrow down your search and negotiate or bid with more certainty. While you don’t need to have a pre-approval (often due to time restraints), if there is time, knowing with certainty where you stand with your chosen lender will provide added confidence and peace of mind to move forward.

BUYERS’ AGENTS

Part and parcel of the hassle-free home-buying journey, buyers’ agents can help you save time and money. Through their expertise and local outreach, they can find the best property for you and as professional negotiators can secure it for the best price. What’s more you pay them directly (they do not collect a commission off selling agents), so you can be certain they will always act in your best interests.

It sounds obvious enough but one of the keys to success is selecting a buyers’ agent with experience in your desired location. Propertybuyer has a team of 25 experts who specialise in their local suburbs and can give amazing insights into value and property types. The team is well networked and also highly skilled at uncovering “off-market” opportunities.

Rich Harvey, CEO & Founder of Propertybuyer believes property investing requires both art and science. The science is all about the data and reading and understanding what drives a local market. The art is learning how to interpret the data and seeing what is actually happening at ground level (as the data is often three months behind) – knowing the tactics in dealing with real-estate agents and having astute local knowledge is essential.

“Selecting the right investment property starts with research,” Rich says. “Based on our clients’ investment goals, we help design a strategy for their individual situation. We then conduct extensive market analysis to identify and recommend suburbs and properties likely to deliver the best return using our unique data platform “Suburb Selector™”. This comprehensive investment analysis platform uses over 35 key criteria such as annual capital growth, median rent, rental yield, vacancy rate, number of sales, days on market, population, gross weekly income, median monthly mortgage repayments, online search demand and many more, and covers property data for every suburb in Australia.”

Propertybuyer is Australia’s most awarded buyers’ agency with 38 Awards for Excellence. It’s also one of the most established buyers’ agencies with over 21 years in business. “We’ve helped over 3,500 investors find top performing properties so you can be confident you are in safe hands,” says Rich. “What’s more, we are investors ourselves – we use live data platforms to identify the top suburbs for capital growth and rental yield. We understand how to crunch the numbers.”

Propertybuyer works to understand your aspirations – whether it be to own a home or investment – and find the right property for you. “We handle the negotiation and even help manage the process to settlement, co-ordinating your other team members to get the job done. Good buyers’ agents also provide ongoing support and advice after sale so you can prepare to make your next move,” says Rich.

TAX SPECIALISTS

Whilst high compared to some other developed nations, Australia’s tax system is notorious for being one of the world’s most complicated, which is one of the reasons you need a chartered accountant on board to help you buy that dream Australian property. As an expat or non-resident of Australia the complexities become even more overwhelming.

Certified and registered with ASIC, Connole Carlisle Chartered Accountants provides accounting advice across the board, but importantly it has specialists in the field of property investment and ownership. You can be sure that the team is up to date with legislation changes and well-equipped to provide expert, tailor-made advice.

Once your Australian property finance has been settled is the ideal time to engage a qualified tax specialist. You can then discuss the preparation and lodgement of your Australian tax return.

Accounting fees for white-collar accounting firms can be high, so it’s important to understand the fees and charges you’ll be asked to pay. Connole Carlisle advises property investors both big and small, and you can rest assured its services will be affordable as well as first rate.
Ensure you have a team of experts you can trust when buying or financing property in Australia while overseas. Contact the team of specialists today.