How to Sell a House With a Mortgage 

If you also want to know How to Sell a House With a Mortgage so yes you are absolutely at the right place. Everyone wants to be mortgage-free, yet the average person needs 25 years to pay off their house loan. You will likely continue to make repayments when the time comes to sell.

When you technically co-own your home with the bank, how do you put it on the market? While it may seem difficult, selling a house with a mortgage is actually rather easy. You still have choices even if you haven’t made much progress on your debt.

You can even transfer your existing mortgage to your future property, enabling you to downsize or enhance. Or maybe just get out of the market completely.

It’s crucial to spend some time comprehending how your house loan operates and your responsibilities to your lender before you begin organizing your next move. This covers the anticipated fees as well as the time required to finish a transaction.

Finding out the value of your property by having it appraised is an excellent place to start. new, figure out how much you need to pay for your new home and how much is left over from your mortgage.

We’ve put together this information on selling mortgaged property to help.

If I have a Mortgaged House, How Can I Sell It?

Even though Australians are staying in their houses for longer than ever, the average home loan is still far shorter than 25 to 30 years with principal and interest.

rocket mortgage

According to the most recent CoreLogic data, the average tenure of home ownership in the country is slightly over 11 years for houses and nine and a half years for apartments. So keep in mind that selling a house while having a mortgage is typical.

The first thing to do is to inform your bank or lender that you intend to sell your property. They possess what is referred to as your home’s “Certificate of Title.” To put it another way, they formally have an interest in it. This allows them the right to sell the property in the event that you are unable to make their repayments. It also indicates that they expect to be paid in full at the time of your move.

How Do You Sell a House With a Mortgage?

A Discharge of Mortgage form, available on the website of your bank or lender, will need to be completed. It will request information like:

  • Name of the borrower
  • guarantor
  • solicitor
  • home loan account numbers 
  • Credit line

Before lodging, make sure you have read and comprehended all of the material since this grants the bank the ability to begin the procedure.


Keep in mind that it might take a mortgage anywhere from 14 to 21 days to be discharged, so make sure to account for this when planning your schedule. Until the transaction is completed, you will still be in charge of paying mortgage payments.

Getting a settlement or closing statement, which lists the closing expenses and may help you determine any profit, is another wise move.

The remaining balance on your mortgage will be deducted from the profits of your sale price at settlement, as agreed upon by your bank and your conveyancer or attorney.

Additionally, your lender will record the mortgage discharge with your state or territory’s Land Titles Office. This indicates that there are no legal constraints on the property that may hinder a sale, or “encumbrances.” Discharge costs may vary from $550 to nothing.

Is it Possible To Relocate To A New Home And Maintain Your Current Mortgage?

Relocating doesn’t always require switching banks and completing mountains of new paperwork. Home loans are “portable,” which means you can just move them to the next house.

It entails quicker processing timeframes and the avoidance of any upfront costs when reapplying for a loan. You may also maintain your existing loan information, rates, terms, and setups.

It will be necessary for you to have a “substitution of security.” In doing so, the mortgage is transferred from your old house to the new one.

How to Sell a House With a Mortgage 

In order to keep your business, your lender can also offer greater interest rates, which would make it more appealing to keep your current loan. Alternatively, you can determine that it’s time to refinance your mortgage after moving.

Be ready to pay more from your bank if you intend to pay off a sizable portion of your mortgage. ‘Break costs’ are so-called because you are breaching the terms of your house loan.

It is exclusive to fixed-rate mortgages, and the amount changes based on loan term and outstanding balance. It might not be high enough to discourage you from switching lenders, so check with your lender.

Should My House Sell For Less Than The Mortgage, What Would Happen?

Although recent price increases have helped Australian homeowners, the real estate market doesn’t always continue to rise.

It’s not typical, but occasionally, a mortgage’s outstanding sum exceeds the value of the house. You run the danger of having “negative equity” if you buy a house at the peak of the housing cycle, severely leverage your home loan, spend too much for it, or secure it with a little down payment.

How to Sell a House With a Mortgage 

Due to their tendency to sell at a premium, brand-new houses and apartments are sometimes furthermore vulnerable.


You will need to use your personal savings or the sale of assets, such a car, to cover any deficit in the amount of your mortgage that is not paid off at settlement. Your lender will request payment from your mortgage insurance if you are unable to make up the gap. Subsequently, they will attempt to collect the unpaid balance from you.

Can I purchase A New Property Before I Sell My Current One?

How to Sell a House With a Mortgage 

Purchasing a new property before selling your old one might be challenging because the majority of your equity will be invested in it. Many solutions exist that could make it feasible, but they would rely on the state of the market. The major ones consist of:

  • In a contingent offer, you consent to purchase a house but with the stipulation that you cannot move in until after the sale of your existing residence. However, sellers are unlikely to choose this course of action.

 

  • An additional short-term loan taken out on top of your current mortgage is known as a bridging loan. It allows you to sell your house in an extra six to twelve months. It includes your current house loan, the new property’s purchase price, plus any related expenses like lenders fees, stamp duty, and attorney fees. In a declining market, the risk may be higher.

What Additional Costs Should You Account For?

How to Sell a House With a Mortgage 

You will set aside money for marketing, conveyancing, and agency costs or commission in addition to banking expenses. A conveyancer or solicitor handles the legal aspects of the sale, so plan on spending between $800 and $2000 on these fees. Depending on the states and territories you live in, costs change.

Your real estate brokers may charge a flat cost or use a tiered commission structure. Before any contracts are signed, these procedures will be discussed and decided upon.

The best person to provide you advice on a marketing budget is your agent. Campaigns are determined by market performance, kind of home, and place of residence. It frequently consists of printed and digital media.

It may cover:

  • digital brochures
  • real estate portal listings
  • social media posts
  • professional photography
  • drone footage
  • signage
  • copywriting
  • advertising

Getting started

The most recognizable real estate brand in Australia is LJ Hooker. Their representatives are available to provide a seamless transaction procedure. Determining the property’s value is the most crucial stage before putting it on the market, regardless of whether you are selling it with a mortgage or not.

The first step in the process of finding your future home is a property appraisal. You may get a reasonable estimate of the price your house will sell for from our agents at LJ Hooker. This is predicated on expertise, market intelligence, and comparative data on previous sales. For a free property appraisal, get in touch with us right now.

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