Best home loan rates – 6 expert picks

We put 50+ home loans through the wringer every month. You're welcome.

Our expert's top picks: Best home loans in November 2024

There isn't one best home loan on the market. And all home loans can't be compared equally. So our experts have chosen a top pick for each type of home loan offer that appeals to a wide variety of people in Australia.

Our picks for the best home loans for November:

These home loans have a Finder Score of at least 8/10 in each category.


Best home loan pick for refinancers

Unloan Variable Home Loan - (Owner Occupier)

Unloan Variable Home Loan

  • $0 Application
  • $0 Annual Fee
  • 5.99% Interest rate
  • 5.9% Comparison rate

Pros & cons

  • A competitive variable rate home loan
  • Automatic interest rate discount
  • No lender fees
  • No offset account
  • You can’t borrow more than 80% of the property value, even with a first home buyer scheme
  • Unloan doesn’t offer fixed rates or interest only loans

Why we like it

  • You can redraw from any extra repayments you make without paying any fees
  • There are also no other fees with this loan.
  • You receive an automatic rate discount for each year you hold the loan.
  • This home loan has a Finder Score of 9.1.

    Best home loan pick for first home buyers

    loans.com.au Variable Home Loan - LVR 90% (Owner Occupier, P&I)

    loans.com.au Variable Home Loan

    • $0 Application
    • $0 Annual Fee
    • 6.04% Interest rate
    • 6.06% Comparison rate

    Pros & cons

    • A competitive variable rate home loan
    • Optional offset account
    • No application fee
    • You can apply online
    • Offset account comes with 0.10% rate

    Why we like it

  • You can take out this loan with a 10% minimum deposit.
  • This loan offers extra repayments and a redraw facility.
  • You can choose to add an offset account.
  • This home loan has a Finder Score of 8.5.

    Best home loan pick for investors

    Unloan Variable Home Loan - (Investor)

    Unloan Variable Home Loan

    • $0 Application
    • $0 Annual Fee
    • 6.29% Interest rate
    • 6.2% Comparison rate

    Pros & cons

    • A competitive variable rate home loan
    • Automatic interest rate discount
    • No lender fees
    • No offset account
    • You can’t borrow more than 80% of the property value, even with a first home buyer scheme
    • Unloan doesn’t offer fixed rates or interest only loans

    Why we like it

  • There are no fees to pay with this loan
  • You receive an automatic rate discount for each year you hold the loan.
  • You can make extra repayments and redraw from the extra cash if you need to.
  • This home loan has a Finder Score of 8.9.

    Best home loan pick for cashback

    Newcastle Permanent Premium Plus Package Fixed Rate - 2 Year Fixed Special (Owner Occupier, P&I)

    Newcastle Permanent Premium Plus Package Fixed Rate

    • $0 Application
    • $395 Annual Fee
    • 5.49% Interest rate
    • 7.65% Comparison rate

    Pros & cons

    • No application fee
    • Discounted fixed rates
    • Loan can be packaged with other financial products
    • A $395 annual fee applies
    • No offset account

    Why we like it

    This loan has a very low rate for 2 years. And it offers a very generous cashback for refinancers.
    This home loan has a Finder Score of 9.

    Best home loan pick for redraw

    Unloan Variable Home Loan - (Owner Occupier)

    Unloan Variable Home Loan

    • $0 Application
    • $0 Annual Fee
    • 5.99% Interest rate
    • 5.9% Comparison rate

    Pros & cons

    • A competitive variable rate home loan
    • Automatic interest rate discount
    • No lender fees
    • No offset account
    • You can’t borrow more than 80% of the property value, even with a first home buyer scheme
    • Unloan doesn’t offer fixed rates or interest only loans

    Why we like it

  • You can redraw from any extra repayments you make without paying any fees
  • There are also no other fees with this loan.
  • You receive an automatic rate discount for each year you hold the loan.
  • This home loan has a Finder Score of 9.1.

    Best home loan pick for offset

    ANZ Plus Home Loan Variable Rate - (Owner Occupier, P&I)

    ANZ Plus Home Loan Variable Rate

    • $0 Application
    • $0 Annual Fee
    • 6.09% Interest rate
    • 6.1% Comparison rate

    Pros & cons

    • Competitive rates
    • 100% offset account
    • Low fees
    • No low deposit option

    Why we like it

    This loan has a pretty competitive variable interest rate plus a 100% offset account. Fees are very low, and there's a cashback offer for refinancers.
    This loan has a Finder Score of 8.9.

    Want to dive deeper? Compare over 400 home loans and find the right one for you

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    Finding the best home loan for you

    Every month, our home loan experts take a look at the top scoring products in our Finder Score data to find the best home loan picks from our partner lenders.

    Our home loan picks showcase the best loans for:

    • First home buyers
    • Refinancers
    • Investors
    • Redraw
    • Offset accounts
    • Cashback offers

    What is Finder Score?

    The Finder Score crunches 7,000 home loans across 120+ lenders. It takes into account the product's interest rate, fees and features, as well as the type of loan eg investor, variable, fixed rate - this gives you a simple score out of 10.

    To provide a Score, we compare like-for-like loans. So if you're trying to find the best home loan for you, you can see how each product stacks up against other home loans with the same borrower type, rate type and repayment type. In the case of fixed loans, we also split them up into short term and long term fixed rates.

    Read our full Finder Score methodology

    Why you can trust Finder's research

    Rates
    100+ rates compared
    Expert
    Analysis from the experts
    Calendar
    Picks updated monthly

    How do I get the best deal on a home loan?

    There are 3 things every borrower needs to look at when hunting for the perfect home loan:

    1. Find a lower rate
    2. Avoid big fees
    3. Get mortgage features you need

    1. Find a lower rate

    The interest rate determines your borrowing costs. The lower the rate, the less interest you pay each month.

    Let's say your loan amount is $500,000 with a 30-year loan term. Here's how different rates change the repayments.

    Interest rateMonthly repayment
    5.75%$2,918
    6.00%$2,998
    6.25%$3,079
    6.50%$3,161
    6.75%$3,243
    7.00%$3,327
    7.25%$3,411

    The best home loan will always have a low interest rate compared to most loans on the market.

    2. Avoid big fees

    Look for a loan that doesn't charge many fees. Ongoing annual fees can cost hundreds of dollars and one-off application or settlement fees can costs hundreds more.

    While a low rate is more important, don't forget to add up the cost of fees. Take a look at our full guide on home loan fees so you know what to watch out for.

    3. Get mortgage features you need

    Home loans with added features can offer you more flexibility in how you repay and manage your loan:

    • Offset accounts can help you cut down your interest repayments.
    • Redraw facilities let you take out extra money you've paid into your mortgage to use in emergencies.
    • Loan portability lets you move your home loan from one property to another without refinancing.

    Finder Awards 2023 Best Home Loan Awards winners for 2024

    Every year Finder runs awards to find the best home loans from the previous 12 months. These are the loans which came out on top in the 2024 Finder Awards.

    Check out the full awards page to learn more about how we chose the winners.

    Richard Whitten's headshot

    "For me, the best home loan needs to have an offset account along with a low interest rate. My home loan offset account is now my primary savings account. Instead of earning interest, I offset the interest my lender charges every day. This works for me because the rate on my home loan is higher than a savings account, and the debt is large. I'm saving thousands of dollars and will pay the loan off much faster this way."

    Top 5 home loan providers for customer satisfaction in 2024

    Want to know what people actually feel about their home loan provider? Each year, thousands of Australians rate brands they've used as part of Finder's Customer Satisfaction Awards program. Aussies rate brands within a product category across a range of metrics, including 'value for money' and 'customer service'. Here are the results:

    LenderOverall satisfactionTrustworthy/reliable
    ING★★★★★ 4.23/591.5%
    Picture not described★★★★★ 4.17/592.5%
    Picture not described★★★★★ 4.16/594%
    Picture not described★★★★★ 4.09/592%
    Picture not described★★★★★ 3.97/592.5%

    Why the best home loan is different for every borrower

    Low rates and fees always matter. But every borrower's needs are slightly different. The best home loan for each borrower depends on their short- and long-term plans.

    Here are some examples of specific borrowers with very different needs.

    Icon of a man.A property investor with a mortgage on the family home

    Plenty of property investors haven't paid their own home loans off yet. For this type of borrower, one approach could be as follows:

    1. Make sure your owner-occupier loan has a low interest rate. Focus on repaying this debt as fast as possible. The interest you pay on your home loan is not tax deductible. But it is on your investment loan.
    2. Choose interest-only repayments on your investment loan. This allows you to minimise your investment loan repayments while focusing on your own home loan first. This makes sense because the interest is tax deductible too.

    This is just one approach for a property investor to take. In a complex scenario like this, getting personal advice from a mortgage broker and an accountant is a really good idea.

    Money.A cautious homebuyer with plenty of extra money in savings

    Let's say you have a 20% deposit and you're looking for a home loan. Obviously, the best loan for you has a low interest rate. But let's say you also have a lot of extra money sitting in your bank account earning very little interest.

    Assuming you don't want to invest this money and want access to it in an emergency. In this scenario the best home loan for you will come with a 100% offset account.

    The offset account means you can park your savings in the home loan. By saving the money there, you're cutting down the amount of interest your lender charges you.

    Clock You've signed a contract to buy and you're running out of time

    If settlement day is fast approaching and you haven't got a home loan approved, the best home loan is the one that a lender will approve quickly.

    This could mean a few things. You might abandon the hunt for a better deal and just talk to your own bank. Or you might try an online lender with a fast approval process.

    Need more help finding the best home loan for you? Talk to a mortgage broker

    Mortgage brokers are professionals who have access to a panel of lenders. They can find you a product that matches your financial needs and also help with your application.

    Talk to a qualified mortgage broker today.

    Your home loan questions answered

    Richard Whitten's headshot
    John Pidgeon's headshot
    To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Richard Whitten and reviewed by John Pidgeon, a member of Finder's Editorial Review Board.
    Rebecca Pike's headshot
    Written by

    Senior writer

    Rebecca Pike is Finder's senior writer for money. She joined Finder after almost four years writing for business publications in the mortgage and finance industry, including three years as editor of Mortgage Professional Australia. She regularly appears as a money expert on programs like Sunrise and Today, as well as across radio and newspapers. She also holds ASIC-recognised certifications in Tier 1 Generic Knowledge and Tier 2 General Advice Deposit Products. See full bio

    Rebecca's expertise
    Rebecca has written 197 Finder guides across topics including:
    • Home loans
    • Cost of living
    • Budgeting

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    116 Responses

      Default Gravatar
      steveMay 31, 2015

      What is the difference beteen the interest rate and the comparison rate?

        Default Gravatar
        BelindaJune 1, 2015

        Hi Steve,

        Thanks for your enquiry.

        The interest rate is the percentage of your home loan that you’ll end up paying in addition to the original loan amount.

        Whereas the comparison rate is a percentage amount calculated by adding together the interest rate plus any additional fees or charges associated with the loan. The figure is then converted into a percentage to reflect the true cost of the home loan.

        If you compare home loans based on the comparison rate, you’ll get a more accurate idea of the true cost of the loan.

        I hope this clarifies things for you.

        Thanks,
        Belinda

      Default Gravatar
      KMay 11, 2015

      Are there any fees if you choose to pay out the Essentials home loan (on Interest only terms) earlier? If so, what are they? Thank you

        Default Gravatar
        JodieMay 12, 2015

        Hi,

        Thank you for contacting finder.com.au, we have followed up directly via email.

        Regards
        Jodie

      Default Gravatar
      raeleneMay 7, 2015

      what is interest rate for fixed an varible.. and what charges are there?

        AvatarFinder
        MarcMay 7, 2015Finder

        Hi Raelene,
        thanks for the question.

        The interest rates for fixed and variable rate home loans is different depending on the product. The table on this shows some of the different rates and fees for some home loans.

        I hope this helps,
        Marc.

      Default Gravatar
      JeffMay 1, 2015

      Does it cost $ to ask a question of a 1300Home Loan broker through this website? I already have a home loan and want to compare rates to see if I am still getting the best deal. What if the broker decides that I am and so do not ned to change, will I have to pay them?

        Default Gravatar
        BelindaMay 5, 2015

        Hi Jeff,

        Thanks for your question.

        It doesn’t cost anything to ask a question of a 1300 Home Loan broker through our website.

        Please note that 1300 Home Loan consultants provide advice free of charge for all residential mortgages.

        I hope this helps.

        Thanks,
        Belinda

      Default Gravatar
      derekApril 19, 2015

      Hi was wondering if you can borrow money for a house and get extra to pay off your outstanding debts. I would be eligable for first home owners grant but have no deposit as pay 550 per week rent, thanks

        Default Gravatar
        JodieApril 28, 2015

        Hi Derek,

        Thanks for the question.

        Home loans can be used to consolidate your debts through refinancing, please see our guide to refinancing your home loan to consolidate debt. To get any further advice on this type of borrowing you can also contact a lender or mortgage broker who can help your specific needs.

        Regards,
        Jodie

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