As expected, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) decided to leave the official cash rate on hold at 1.5 per cent at their July meeting on Tuesday.

This month, it’s all good news for home-owners and those in the market for a new loan!

Next month (August) will bring us to a record breaking two-year period since the RBA moved on interest rates. Many Aussies are using this period to pay down their home loans.

When it comes to saving on your mortgage, some of you may not have to look further than your job. If yours is a profession that classifies you as a ‘low risk’ borrower in the eyes of lenders, then you may be entitled to special discounts.

The lucky ones

Accountants, lawyers and teachers are commonly eligible for home loan discounts, or particular loan types without fees, based on their professions. “The benefits differ depending on specific professions, it depends on what industry the lenders decide to target as it’s a constantly changing situation, so what’s here today may not be around tomorrow.

Doctors take the cake

Lenders have their own target lists of professions, but doctors are the big winners. They'll get waived Lender’s Mortgage Insurance, lower interest rates and, in many cases, banks will even go outside of their normal policy to get their loans approved. Some banks will also consider vets, dentists as well as physio therapists so best to confirm.

How the perks work

Simply being in a certain profession won’t automatically save you on your home loan. To qualify you must apply with a lender that offers your profession a special discount and meet that lender’s criteria. You’ll often need to provide evidence of membership of a certain industry body such as the Australian Medical Association.  Waived LMI is usually approved without any problems if you meet the criteria, however you’ll need to negotiate to get a better interest rate as well.

Because lenders don’t publish these better interest rates, to benefit from the discounts it’s best to have your broker by your side. Not only will they know which lenders to apply to, they will also assist you with pricing requests and negotiating the best possible interest rate.

Get in touch to see if we can help.

As expected, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) decided to leave the official cash rate on hold at 1.5 per cent at their June meeting today.

The RBA has not moved on rates since August 2016, with the objective of stimulating inflation, employment and wages growth through rate stability. However, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is now forecasting official rates should gradually start to rise in late 2018, as these RBA measures start to take effect.