What is shared equity?
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A guide to help you understand the basics of shared equity.
Contents
- What is shared equity?
- How does shared equity make buying a home more affordable?
- How does it work?
- Shared equity schemes available
What is shared equity?
Shared equity can cover the gap between what you can afford and the cost of a property. With shared equity you may only need to make repayments on part of the loan, with the remainder being held by a lender (which could be a bank, financial institution, or the government).
HomeStart
Everyone deserves the chance to own their home and for 35 years HomeStart have been helping South Australians achieve this dream. They understand that everyone’s circumstances are different which is why they have a range of innovative, low deposit loans and additional options like the Shared Equity Option that cater to the diverse needs of our community. So, whether you're starting out on your home ownership journey or starting over, HomeStart could help you make it a reality.
Learn more about HomeStart's Shared Equity Option here.
Indigenous Business Australia
Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) offers a shared equity to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people achieve their home ownership goals. The shared equity option is offered in combination with an IBA home loan, covering up to 35% of the property purchase price.
Read more about the IBA’s shared equity option here.
How does shared equity make buying a home more affordable?
Shared equity has a significant impact on affordability because homebuyers only needed to afford repayments on the portion of a home’s purchase price not covered by shared equity, typically 75 per cent (but it can be a higher or lower percentage).
Rising rents, interest rates and house prices, coupled with growing cost of living pressures, mean that more South Australians are stuck in a cycle of paying much higher rents, while not being able to move into home ownership.
The wider benefit of getting more South Australians into home ownership through schemes like shared equity can pull more South Australians out of renting and into their own home, freeing up more rental properties which are in high demand.
Shared equity is unlocking home ownership for many renters, often without paying any more in loan repayments than they were paying in rent.
How does it work?
At the South Australian Government’s housing financing company, HomeStart, the Shared Equity Option allows people to partner with HomeStart to get into the housing market, with HomeStart contributing up to 25% of the purchase price.
Repayments are based on borrowings for the remaining 75% of the purchase price and not the shared equity component.
HomeStart acts as a silent partner which will share in the profit or loss when the house is sold.
Shared equity schemes available
Most states in Australia have shared equity programs available.
In South Australia, the HomeSeeker SA website managed by the Department for Housing and Urban Development has a range of properties available for purchase with shared equity through HomeStart: