Refinancing
Overview
Your mortgage shouldn’t be a “set and forget” product. As your needs change and the market moves, reviewing your loan regularly can help you stay in control.
A better loan could help reduce your repayments, lower your interest rate, consolidate debts, or unlock equity for your next goal. Our team provides a free home loan health check, comparing your current mortgage against options from over 55 lenders to see if it still suits your circumstances.
Explore your refinance options
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Clarity is a dedicated team of financial professionals committed to providing tailored solutions for your financial needs. With a focus on clarity and transparency, we guide our clients through the complexities of financial planning, investment strategies, and wealth management. Our experienced advisors work closely with you to ensure your financial goals are met with confidence and clarity.
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A simple, 15-minute chat is all it takes to find out if a better home loan is available for you. Talk to one of our friendly Canberra-based experts today for a free, no-obligation mortgage review.
Talk to usFrequently
asked questions
It may be worth reviewing your home loan when your circumstances change, your future plans are shifting, or your current loan no longer feels like the right fit.
You might consider refinancing if your repayments are putting pressure on your budget, your fixed rate is ending, you want to access equity, consolidate debt, renovate, invest, or change your loan structure. It can also be a good idea to complete a home loan health check if you haven’t revisited your mortgage in a few years.
Even if you don’t end up switching lenders, reviewing your loan can help you understand what’s available in the market and whether your current lender is still offering you a competitive deal.
Refinancing may help lower your repayments if you can move to a more competitive interest rate, extend your loan term, change your repayment type, or restructure your debts.
It’s important to look beyond the monthly repayment though. A lower repayment may save money in the short term, but could cost more over the life of the loan if the loan term is extended. A broker can help you understand both the immediate and long-term impact.
Refinancing is worth considering when the potential savings or benefits outweigh the costs of switching. These costs may include discharge fees, government registration fees, lender fees, valuation fees, or break costs if you are leaving a fixed rate early.
At Clarity, we compare your current loan against other options and help you understand whether refinancing could genuinely improve your position, not just whether there is a lower rate available.
Refinancing usually involves a credit enquiry as part of the loan application process. A single enquiry is generally not a major issue, but multiple applications with different lenders over a short period can affect your credit file.
Working with a broker can help reduce unnecessary applications. We’ll assess your situation first, compare suitable options, and help you apply with a lender that fits your circumstances.
Yes, in some cases you may be able to refinance your home loan and consolidate debts such as credit cards, personal loans or car loans into one repayment.
This may help reduce your monthly repayments and make your finances easier to manage, but it needs to be structured carefully. Rolling short-term debts into a home loan can increase the total interest paid over time if you don’t have a clear repayment strategy
Yes, if you have enough usable equity in your property and meet the lender’s requirements, you may be able to access funds when you refinance.
Equity can be used for things like renovations, an investment property deposit, shares, a new car, a boat, medical expenses or other major life goals. We’ll help you understand how much equity may be available and what the new repayments could look like.
Not always. Before refinancing, it can be worth asking your current lender whether they can offer a more competitive rate.
As part of our rate review process, we can approach your existing lender first and negotiate on your behalf. If they can’t offer a competitive option, we can then compare alternatives across our lender panel and help you decide whether switching makes sense.
The timing can vary depending on the lender, your circumstances, property valuation, documents required, and how quickly your current lender processes the discharge.
Some refinances can be completed relatively quickly, while others take longer if there are complex income, valuation, title or lender requirements. We’ll manage the process, keep you updated, and help make the transition as smooth as possible.
Some lenders offer cashback or refinance rebates from time to time to encourage customers to switch their home loan. These offers can be appealing, but they shouldn’t be the only reason you refinance.
A cashback offer may help offset some of the costs of refinancing, but it’s important to compare the full loan, including the interest rate, fees, features, loan term, and long-term savings. In some cases, a loan with no rebate may still be the better option overall.
At Clarity, we’ll help you compare available refinance offers and explain whether a cashback or rebate genuinely improves your position.
FastRefi is a process some lenders use to help refinance a home loan more quickly. Instead of waiting for your current lender to fully complete the discharge process before the new loan settles, the new lender may be able to pay out the existing loan and take over the mortgage sooner.
This can be useful when you want to move to a new lender quickly, especially if you’re trying to access a better rate, take advantage of a limited-time offer, or avoid delays with your current lender’s discharge process.
FastRefi isn’t available with every lender or in every situation, and there may be additional requirements or costs involved. We’ll explain whether FastRefi is an option for your refinance and whether it suits your circumstances.