Principal & interestInvestmentRefinance Only 20% min. deposit
6.29
%
p.a.
interest rate
6.20
%
p.a.
comp. rate
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.
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.
There are 3 things every borrower needs to look at when hunting for the perfect home loan:
Find a lower rate
Avoid big fees
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 rate
Monthly 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.
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.
🏆 Best Owner Occupier Variable Home Loan – Tiimely – Live in 10% deposit variable Rate - Principal and Interest (with offset)
🏆 Best Owner Occupier Fixed Home Loan - 1 year – BCU – Fixed Rate Home Loan, 1 year (Owner Occupier, P&I)
🏆 Best Owner Occupier Fixed Home Loan - 2 year – Australian Mutual Bank – Fixed Home Loan, 2 year fixed (Owner Occupier)
🏆 Best Owner Occupier Fixed Home Loan - 3 year – The Capricornian – Premium Choice Home Loan - Fixed 3 Year LVR ≤90% (Owner Occupier)
🏆 Best First Home Buyer Home Loan – Tiimely - Live in 10% deposit variable Rate - Principal and Interest (with offset)
🏆 Best Owner Occupier Refinance Variable – Tiimely – Live in 10% deposit variable Rate - Principal and Interest (with offset)
🏆 Best Owner Occupier Refinance Fixed – Pacific Mortgage Group - Fixed Home Loan - 1 Year (Owner Occupier, P&I)
🏆 Best Investor P&I Variable Home Loan – Bendigo Bank – Live in Express Variable Home Loan (Investor, P&I)
🏆 Best Investor IO Variable Home Loan – G&C Mutual Bank – Momentum Home Loan - LVR 60 to 80% Special Offer (Investor, IO)
🏆 Best Investor Fixed Home Loan - 1 Year – BCU – Fixed Rate Home Loan, 1 year (Investor, IO)
🏆 Best Investor Fixed Home Loan - 2 Year – Greater Bank – Great Rate Home Loan, 2 year fixed (Investor, IO)
🏆 Best Investor Fixed Home Loan - 3 Year – Greater Bank – Great Rate Home Loan, 3 year fixed (Investor, IO)
Check out the full awards page to learn more about how we chose the winners.
"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:
Lender
Overall satisfaction
Trustworthy/reliable
★★★★★ 4.23/5
91.5%
★★★★★ 4.17/5
92.5%
★★★★★ 4.16/5
94%
★★★★★ 4.09/5
92%
★★★★★ 3.97/5
92.5%
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
There's no one best home loan for every borrower. And there is certainly isn't one bank that consistently has the best home loan in Australia.
Online lenders tend to offer the lowest interest rates. For many borrowers that's enough. But it's worth comparing a wide range of lenders to make sure you really find the bank or lender with the best loan for you.
At the moment, the home loan market is incredibly competitive. Lenders big and small are offering very competitive rates. In the past, you could usually find the lowest interest rates by looking at online lenders rather than the Big Four. But now the gap between the various lenders is much smaller.
And it's important to look at loan features too. A lender may have the market's lowest rate, but if the loan doesn't allow extra repayments or doesn't have an offset account (and you want one), then it's not the best loan for you.
There are many different home loan rates on the market, with different types of loans having higher or lower rates. To get a good sense of what's a competitive rate in the current market, take a look at our current home loan rates guide.[/faq_question]
Right now, it's basically impossible to get a home loan below 5%. The best rates start around 5.8% for a fixed rate loan and are around and higher 6% for a variable rate loan. The rate you can get depends on each lender but also whether it is P&I or interest only; whether it is investment or owner occupied; and what your LVR is.
Many lenders offer very low interest rates on package home loans, especially fixed rate package loans. There is nothing wrong with a package loan. It just means you can combine the home loan with a bank account (that usually offsets your loan interest, saving you money) and a credit card or other products.
The package usually means you can avoid fees on some of the products. But you pay an annual package fee instead. This can cost a few hundred dollars a year. But you pay it every year of the loan.
To work out if a package loan is right for you, be sure to factor in the cost of the package fee. And decide if you really need the other products in the package. It could be a convenient option to have all your banking and loan products in one place. Or you might be better off finding a low rate loan elsewhere and avoiding the package aspect altogether.
It never hurts to ask for a discount. The worst your lender can do is say no. Some mortgage brokers claim they can get discounts for their clients, but you can always ask your lender yourself. It helps to be in a good financial position before asking for a lower rate, of course.
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:
Repay your loan faster and save thousands by finding a lender that will reduce your LMI. To find the right home loan for you, compare different loans today.
Do lenders policies change regularly?
Which lenders lend against Centrelink payments and which payments?
Are there government regulations about lending against Centrelink income?
Finder
ShirleyJanuary 19, 2015Finder
Hi George,
Thanks for your question.
Lending policies tend to change according to national legislation and regulations. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority website is a good source of this information and to stay updated.
Please see Centrelink loan options for a list of lenders that lend against Centrelink payments. The type of payments that they lend against will most often depend on their policy and the nature of the payments. You can find a list of them on the same page.
In terms of government regulations, pensions are usually regarded as income in the same way as wages and salary. However, the lender has a duty to ensure that the loan is serviceable by the borrower and therefore, generally can’t be the main source of income.
Cheers,
Shirley
chrisJanuary 18, 2015
With loans.com.au….. I need to put $90,000 of my savings into their account to benefit the offset facility as well as my monthly wages….. Q. HOW SAFE & SECURE is all y money there??? Eg, especially online fraud activity (from their end) etc etc???
Finder
ShirleyJanuary 19, 2015Finder
Hi Chris,
Thanks for your question.
The loans.com.au customer care team will be able to discuss this matter to you as we do not have the authority to disclose any information such as this in a public forum.
loans.com.au currently uses an OpenSSL encryption standard that features a full strength general purpose cryptography library.
Cheers,
Shirley
AnandDecember 10, 2014
hi
I started new job a month ago and its casual basis, how long my job would be to qualify for home loan ? I heard some banks requires minimum 3 months job profile, but I don’t know which ones ..
Can you please let me know banks which requires minimum 3 moths or less job for home loan.
thanks.
Finder
ShirleyDecember 11, 2014Finder
Hi Anand,
Thanks for your question.
For this enquiry, it’s advisable that you get in touch with a mortgage broker instead. They will be able to search their database for lenders that can lend to those who have been working for less than three months.
Cheers,
Shirley
PhilomenaNovember 24, 2014
I need to reduce my current interest rate with NAB for the two Variable Rate Loans is 5.28%.
What are my options? I heard on TV today that Heritage Bank is offering the rate of 4.39%. Bank of Qld is currently offering me 4.87%.
I would like to find out from you, a list of such options together with fees required initially for a change-over to another institution. And, will NAB charge me a Penalty Fee for switching to another financial institution?
Philomena.
Finder
ShirleyNovember 25, 2014Finder
Hi Philomena,
Thanks for your question.
Just wanted to let you know that I’ve emailed you a response instead.
Cheers,
Shirley
shintoNovember 21, 2014
hi,
does my employment status affect the application of a home loan? as per my employment contract i work part time (30 hrs permanent/week) . in fact i work fulltime.i am new to home loan & procedures . anyone can help me to know the procedures & processes in home buying & home loan ?
Finder
ShirleyNovember 24, 2014Finder
Hi Shinto,
Thanks for your question.
Your employment is one of the considerations for your home loan application. Your lender will also look at things such as in your income, credit history, personal and financial situation.
A mortgage broker can help you regarding the procedures and processes in buying a home loan.
Cheers,
Shirley
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Finder makes money from featured partners, but editorial opinions are our own.
Finder is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stand by our editorial principles
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labeling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
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Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
Do lenders policies change regularly?
Which lenders lend against Centrelink payments and which payments?
Are there government regulations about lending against Centrelink income?
Hi George,
Thanks for your question.
Lending policies tend to change according to national legislation and regulations. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority website is a good source of this information and to stay updated.
Please see Centrelink loan options for a list of lenders that lend against Centrelink payments. The type of payments that they lend against will most often depend on their policy and the nature of the payments. You can find a list of them on the same page.
In terms of government regulations, pensions are usually regarded as income in the same way as wages and salary. However, the lender has a duty to ensure that the loan is serviceable by the borrower and therefore, generally can’t be the main source of income.
Cheers,
Shirley
With loans.com.au….. I need to put $90,000 of my savings into their account to benefit the offset facility as well as my monthly wages….. Q. HOW SAFE & SECURE is all y money there??? Eg, especially online fraud activity (from their end) etc etc???
Hi Chris,
Thanks for your question.
The loans.com.au customer care team will be able to discuss this matter to you as we do not have the authority to disclose any information such as this in a public forum.
loans.com.au currently uses an OpenSSL encryption standard that features a full strength general purpose cryptography library.
Cheers,
Shirley
hi
I started new job a month ago and its casual basis, how long my job would be to qualify for home loan ? I heard some banks requires minimum 3 months job profile, but I don’t know which ones ..
Can you please let me know banks which requires minimum 3 moths or less job for home loan.
thanks.
Hi Anand,
Thanks for your question.
For this enquiry, it’s advisable that you get in touch with a mortgage broker instead. They will be able to search their database for lenders that can lend to those who have been working for less than three months.
Cheers,
Shirley
I need to reduce my current interest rate with NAB for the two Variable Rate Loans is 5.28%.
What are my options? I heard on TV today that Heritage Bank is offering the rate of 4.39%. Bank of Qld is currently offering me 4.87%.
I would like to find out from you, a list of such options together with fees required initially for a change-over to another institution. And, will NAB charge me a Penalty Fee for switching to another financial institution?
Philomena.
Hi Philomena,
Thanks for your question.
Just wanted to let you know that I’ve emailed you a response instead.
Cheers,
Shirley
hi,
does my employment status affect the application of a home loan? as per my employment contract i work part time (30 hrs permanent/week) . in fact i work fulltime.i am new to home loan & procedures . anyone can help me to know the procedures & processes in home buying & home loan ?
Hi Shinto,
Thanks for your question.
Your employment is one of the considerations for your home loan application. Your lender will also look at things such as in your income, credit history, personal and financial situation.
A mortgage broker can help you regarding the procedures and processes in buying a home loan.
Cheers,
Shirley