These 9 steps will help make sure you get the best interest rate, and a great deal on your new home too. 

• Check your eligibility for finance first. Setting your heart on a home before you know if you can afford it is a fast trip to disappointment.
• Get pre-approved before you make an offer – Having a pre-approval can give you an advantage and is a negotiation tool to get the property you want ahead of other buyers who may not have their finance in order
• Use a broker. They know all the products, interest rates and can negotiate the best package for you. Not all mortgages are the same and a broker can help determine which is best for you and which lenders are offering discounts and cash backs. 
• We know you want to enjoy your life but cut back for a few months, build up your deposit and show a history of saving. That will make you more appealing to a lender and help us get you the best interest rate
• When you find the home you want, be willing to negotiate on settlement terms with the seller. If you’re willing to settle early, to offer longer settlement terms it may be the difference between the buyer accepting your offer, or someone else’s. They may even take a lower offer if you can give them the flexibility to settle when they need to. 
• Get to know the real estate agents and ask about off-market properties. Up to 50% of properties that get sold are never publicly listed. 
• Remember, the real estate agent works for the vendor! Their job is to get you to pay the highest possible price. 
• Beware the tactics sellers use…
  1. Attaching brushwood covering to deteriorating fences
  2. Freshly painting water-stained ceilings
  3. Covering dead gardens with bark chips
• Get a building and pest inspection. These will cost a few hundred dollars but could save tens of thousands in repair bills.  Sometimes the most costly repairs are to things you can’t see. Timbers under the floor or in the ceiling are rotten. Damp under the house that could cause mold. Signs of water leaks. And of course the dreaded termite infestation.  Building and pest inspection can help identify these things so you can make an informed decision, or possibly even ask for a reduction in the price to help pay for repairs.