Consumers still hungry for home and loans

According to the latest statistics released by BetterBond Homeloans, South Africa’s biggest mortgage origination group, the number of homeloan applications received by the group increased by 5,06% in the 12 months to end-October, compared with the previous 12 months, while the total value of those applications showed a 12,26% year-on-year increase.

In addition, BetterBond CEO Shaun Rademeyer says the total value of home loans formally granted through the originator showed a huge year-on-year increase of 23,85% at end-October by contrast with the 2,7% year-on-year growth in overall household mortgage balances reported by the Reserve Bank at the end of the third quarter.

“This shows,” he says, “that there has been a healthy increase in the demand for property over the past year, in spite of all the cost-of-living increases that consumers have had to contend with, and the fact that home prices have been rising.

“Secondly, these figures indicate that applying for a homeloan through an originator like BetterBond really does give prospective homebuyers a better chance of being granted that loan, with the value of bonds that we were able to secure for clients having grown at about six times the rate at which household mortgage lending grew in the general market.”

The BetterBond statistics also show that its initial decline rate (the percentage of applications declined by the first lending institution to which they are submitted) showed a year-on-year drop of almost 9% at end-October, to 38% of applications submitted.

“This speaks to the quality of applications we submit, as well as an improvement in the banks’ willingness to lend,” Rademeyer says. “Being familiar with the banks’ application requirements, we assist clients in assembling all the required supporting documentation before submitting an application. In some instances we may also refer a client for credit repair before making an application.

“And of course we are able to motivate applications individually and submit them to a number of different banks if necessary.” Indeed, he notes, the ratio of applications declined by one bank but approved by at least one other showed a year-on-year increase of 18% at end-October, resulting in a 9,5% year-on-year increase in BetterBond’s overall approval ratio.

“In other words, we have been able to secure a bank approval for three out of every four applicants that have come to us in the past 12 months – and in real terms, we have been able to help more than 25 000 SA families fulfil their dreams of homeownership.”

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05 Aug 2015
Author Betterbond

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