Much attention has been given to professional package home loans recently. Their base concept is to reward lower risk, higher benefit borrowers with lower interest rates, thereby keeping their business. However, professional package home loans are not restricted to professionals, nor are they only available to loans in the top 10% of borrowing amounts. In fact, some analysts recommend that all borrowers check for a package home loan option with their bank, rather than choosing the default standard variable rate option.
A professional package could come with an interest rate discount of up to 0.9% off the standard variable rate, plus savings on insurance or investment products offered through your lender and the possibility of bonus interest on your savings. However, professional package home loans generally come with fixed annual fees.
Professional package home loans, by nature, are quite detailed and complex financial products, with more factors, fees and possibilities to consider than a simple home loan product would have.
This is where RatesOnline’s handy comparison service becomes essential – you can check all the base features of your potential loans against each other, and access the expertise of a RatesOnline broker to help you decide whether a package deal home loan is truly for you, and which product will suit your circumstances best.
What Are the Benefits of a Professional Package Home Loan?
In addition to their attractive base interest rates, professional package home loans come with a wide range of additional discounts and advantages for different financial products. These discounts could be applied to insurance products, investment accounts and loans, financial planning advice or credit cards. Bonus interest may also be available for term deposits or saver accounts.
Not all lenders offer professional package loans. The main products on the market are offered by the big 4 banks and major non-bank lenders. Because your ‘discount’ comes off a narrower range of offerings, you may actually be able to source an equivalent rate and benefits elsewhere, with lower or none of the fees associated with a professional package loan. Additionally, if you don’t plan to utilise the full range of additional financial services, the annual fee may be greater than any interest savings you make.
However, many customers will find benefits in package loans such as:
Lower interest rates: If you have sizable loans with the lender, an interest rate discount could save you a significant amount over the life of the loan.
Flexibility: Professional package loans usually offer the greatest degree of flexibility in a home loan product. They can be fully featured with a line of credit, offset account, redraw facility, ability to split your interest rates or make additional repayments, and more.
Discounted investment and banking products: The idea of a ‘package’ loan is to roll a number of products needed by professionals into a single package; as such, most loans offer discounted investment solutions, transaction/offset/line of credit accounts, other loan products, insurance products and credit cards.
Bonus interest: If you choose a term deposit or ‘saver’ type account as part of your professional package home loan, you may be eligible for bonus interest.