Wednesday, September 19, 2012

National Rental Affordability Scheme Home Loan Is the Answer to Shortage of Affordable Housing


The National Rental Affordability Scheme home loan is the answer to expensive rental housing. In Australia, rent can be very high and that makes a lot of families face difficulties in keeping a roof over their heads. And since not everyone would be able to buy a house of their own, renting one is the next best option.

But what would happen if the rent is too high?

Through the National Rental Affordability Scheme, the government has provided a way for people to get a place to live in despite not earning enough. This is a program that is designed to help people from low- and moderate-income brackets.

The loans offered by this program are sure to be something that would help a lot of people. Not only that, this federal program is also going to do the housing market a lot of good because more people would be entering the market, which could help boost the economy.

The program works two ways: it offers financially challenged families affordable rental housing and it encourages investors to invest in properties that can be converted to dwellings through tax incentives. It is very favorable for both parties.

There are several benefits to this program:
  • Tenants will pay reduced rent that is 20% lower than the current market rates.
  • Tenants will be able to better manage their limited resources for other daily expenses.
  • Investors will receive tax incentives from the federal and state governments for a period of ten years. These should be enough to compensate for the loss of income due to the reduced rent.
  • The housing market will experience a spike as more people are investing in properties.
  • This will result to better cash flow.
  • Increased benefit in negative gearing.

For tenants to qualify for the reduced rent, families need to meet a certain income threshold. Families from the low and moderate-income brackets are those that are given priority by this program. Also, those who play a crucial role in the community, like nurses, teachers, police, firefighters, and paramedics, are also prioritized. These people will undergo a screening process and their annual income is going to be reviewed.

Struggling families don’t have to worry about not getting the chance to get affordable housing since there is an increasing number of dwellings that are approved for NRAS.

For those who are interested in owning a property, it needs to be approved by the NRAS first. Once that is done, the investor will need to get financing, which can be done by taking out a loan. An investor is most likely to approach a lender and ask for money. But since most lenders are not keen on approving NRAS loan applications because they think these are high risk and they don’t accept consortiums, which manage NRAS properties, investors may face a string of difficulties when trying to get the money they need to buy the house they want.

Fortunately, there are several lenders that are willing to offer investors the loan they need. It should not be hard to find them. Talking to good mortgage brokers should help one do it. Brokers are great because they can provide more info on National Rental Affordability Scheme home loan. They know how to make sure a borrower’s application look favorable to lenders and easily convince them to loan the money. It is a borrower’s best interest to learn more about National Rental Affordability Scheme home loan to better understand the better and easier way to get the funding he needs.

That way, he will be able to contribute to the solution to the country’s shortage of affordable housing for certain people in financial distress.