The finance market for property loans is a hugely competitive area. There are products for home loans and investment property. You can deal with a bank, or a credit union, or a home loan organisation or have a mortgage broker do the job for you.

Deciding which is best for you is a hard and sometimes lengthy process.

You can assist yourself by being prepared when approaching some of these financial institutions. They are going to want to know the following things about you.

• How much do you need to borrow?
• What percentage is the loan as a proportion of the property value? (This establishes how much equity you will have contributed).
• Is the loan for an investment or owner-occupier?
• How long will the loan be for?
• What income do you have?
• Where is the property located?
• What type of loan are you wanting?