Mortgages NSW

How much mortgage can I get in NSW?

When looking for a home mortgage in NSW, or a national mortgage anywhere in Australia, there are two different kinds. They are the same in all Australian states and territories, and they all attract certain conveyancing transactions and associated fees. The two home loans are:

• Investor. An investor mortgage in NSW is for those who are looking to buy common property as an investment. By investing in property, you can attract tax benefits and improve your credit rating over time.
• Owner Occupier. An owner occupier mortgage in NSW is one where you use the home loan to buy a property you intend to live in. These home loans are the most popular of the NSW mortgage options, which is why banks and lenders have a large range of different options to choose from.

Once you have worked out which kind of mortgage in NSW you are looking to apply for, the next step can be finding out how much you might be able to borrow. Whatever kind of property you are looking to buy, whether it’s a part of a strata scheme, a regular apartment, an existing house or a house and land package, you can discover your borrowing power before applying.

By using a Borrowing Calculator, such as the one below, you can get an idea of what a bank or lender may lend you, which can expand or help reduce your property search. All you need to do is provide the information below as accurately as possible, and you could be well on your way to successfully applying for a NSW mortgage. What is important to remember is a Borrowing Calculator is not pre-approval or conditional approval, but simply acts as a guide to help you in your property search.

A Borrowing Calculator can help you be more realistic about your property goals, and it’s also important to take into account any fees and charges that may come with buying a home. It is important to think about costs such as stamp duty when you are looking to buy a home, as well as how much your weekly, fortnightly or monthly repayments will be. A Borrowing Calculator can help you keep within your budget, as borrowing more than you may be comfortable with can be a poor home ownership strategy in the long term. A Borrowing Calculator is a good way to see whether you may need to start smaller and work your way up, especially if the day-to-day sacrifices of a large mortgage are not ones you are willing to make. At the end of the day, our Borrowing Calculator can help you find the information you’re looking for.

Can you transfer a mortgage in NSW?

To transfer part of or all of a mortgage in NSW, and therefore the property, to someone else, requires a number of steps, and the first one is contacting your bank or lender. They will need to talk you through the process and let you know what requirements will need to be satisfied before approval. If you are selling your property, then speak to your solicitor or conveyancer about what needs to be done.

The process of transferring a NSW mortgage and property, wither its full or part of the land and building, is done through the NSW Land and Registry Service (LRS). To add your partner’s name to a property title, it can be worthwhile speaking directly to the NSW LRS and letting them guide you. This is because there may be a raft of individual variables involved, and it is important the NSW LRS has as much information about your exact circumstances and needs as possible.

To transfer a share or interest in a property in NSW you will need two mortgage forms:

• Transfer Form 01T
• Notice of Sale or Transfer of Land Form

You can get the transfer mortgage form from:

• suppliers of legal stationery;
• Client services counter, NSW LRS, Sydney office
• NSW LRS’s customer service centre on 1300 052 637 (for single forms)
• The LRS website

The Notice of Sale mortgage form can be found:

• Suppliers of legal stationery
• The cashiers, NSW LRS Sydney office
• Client services counter, NSW LRS, Sydney
• NSW LRS’s customer service centre on 1300 052 637 (for single forms)

To register the transfer, the following steps need to be undertaken and the following forms must be lodged with NSW LRS:

• The completed Transfer form 01T marked by Revenue NSW, or Transfer severing Joint Tenancy form 01TJ (if relevant) and
• A completed Notice of Sale or Transfer of Land (NOS) form and
• The original Certificate of Title for the relevant property (if this has not been already produced by a mortgagee or another party) and
• A statutory declaration of the names and postal addresses of the other joint tenants and any mortgagees (if using a Transfer form 01T) for a severance of joint tenancy) and
• The current lodgment fee must be paid at lodgment (see schedule of fees).

One of the fees and charges that may be paid when transferring is stamp duty. Stamp duty is payable on most transfers, whether it was a financial transaction or not, but there may be some exceptions. Contact the NSW LRS for details around these.

How long does it take to register a mortgage in NSW

When you take out a mortgage in NSW, or transfer it or discharge a mortgage, the land title is transferred from the seller to the buyer, from one person to another. The transfer of ownership to the registered proprietor is recorded by New South Wales Land and Registry Services (LRS). As it is recorded by the NSW LRS, the title is guaranteed by the NSW government, which means the registered proprietor is recorded as the true owners of the land.

There are a number of parties that are involved when you’re buying or selling property in NSW, or any other of the states and territories. They include:

• The buyer: The person, business or organisation that is purchasing the property
• The seller: The person, business or organisation that is selling it
• Lawyer or conveyancer: Both the buyer and the seller are likely to have legal representation to handle the conveyancing transactions on their behalf
• Bank or lender: A financial institution will be the ones who discharge the mortgage for the seller or record it for the buyer after the title has been transferred
• NSW LRS: The New South Wales Land and Registry Service is the organisation that creates and manages the titles register that is associated with the sale. This document is also called the Certificate of Title.

According to the NSW LRS, the time and date of the registration of mortgages in NSW determines their priority. When the preparation of the mortgage in NSW begins, or when the mortgage is executed is not taken into consideration when it comes to timing priorities. However, a registered mortgage will have priority over an unregistered mortgage.

Who can witness NSW mortgage documents?

Once you have been approved for a mortgage in NSW, the paperwork doesn’t immediately finish. Conveyancing transactions still have to be done, stamp duty has to be organised and the legal work around changing the title and ownership needs to be arranged. That is why it is good to choose a solicitor or conveyancer when you decide to apply for a home loan. They will ensure all the documents are ready for you to sign, and let you know what steps need to be taken. One of these steps is finding witnesses who will sign the relevant documents. These witnesses can include the conveyancer or lawyer themselves, or another kind of lawyer. A witness can also be a Justice of the Peace, a notary public or someone who has been given witnessing rights in law.

What happens when you pay off mortgage in NSW?

When you have paid off a mortgage in NSW, or when you refinance your NSW mortgage with another bank or lender, there is a process that needs to be undertaken. That process starts with the lender preparing a Discharge of Mortgage form with the NSW LRS. That form is an acknowledgement by the lender that the mortgage – principal and interest – has been paid off, that the financial obligation has been met. It is important that the Discharge of Mortgage form is lodged with the NSW LRS, so that the mortgage can be removed from your land title. The mortgagee will usually arrange for this to happen, and there is usually a small fee attached to the process. The NSW LRS will then send you a new edition of your Certificate of Title, with the mortgage details removed, which is evidence that you are the sole owner of the title.