What Can Make Property Values Go Down?
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A property valuation is an important step in a home loan application process as it determines the value of the property you’re using as security.
Although it may seem far-off in today's property market, not so long ago vendors were concerned with decreasing property prices. This can put stress on the economy and a sudden change in interest rates or external global activity could cause housing valuations to slide.
Like any free market, property prices are influenced by a number of macroeconomic factors and can both rise and fall in value on a regular basis. Core Logic publishes a daily home value index, tracking movements in prices across Australia’s capital cities.
Why does a valuation matter?
Lenders use the valuation of a property to work out how much money they're willing to offer - as a percentage of a property's total value - known as the Loan to Value Ratio (LVR).
The amount of a deposit you have will also affect your LVR as lenders calculate your LVR by dividing the amount you need to borrow by the value of the property. The more of a deposit you have, the less you will need to borrow for a home loan, thus your LVR will be smaller. An application with an LVR of 80% or more may be considered higher risk by a lender which effectively increase the interest rate lenders can offer.
When your property valuation comes in lower than you expected, you may have trouble borrowing the amount you’ve applied for. In some cases, it could also mean there is an additional risk of losing your deposit or property, but there are some things you can do to avoid this.
What can you do if your valuation comes back low?
If you think that your property valuation seems too low, get back in touch with your lender to get more information so you can understand why the number is lower than you expected. If you are still not satisfied with the outcome, you can choose to send a formal (written) objection to a valuation through the relevant government agencies in your state:
Alternatively, if the low valuation leaves you with a fund gap - called a valuation shortfall, consider the following options:
- Cover the shortfall difference if you can afford it.
- Consider looking for an alternative lender who can lend to you at a higher LVR. Depending on the situation the amount you might be able to borrow could be up to 95% of the property value - which could provide you with enough funds to cover the valuation shortfall.
Tip: To be valuation-savvy, do your research. Collect the last 3 to 6 months of house sales data from the area to have a basic sense of what property is worth. It doesn’t replace a formal valuation but it can help you to be realistic about your own home (we tend to overvalue what we own) and to make sure you don’t commit more money than a property is worth. Our guide covers everything you need to know about property valuations.
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