FAQs - Athena's Home Loans

What type of loans do you offer?

We have loans for every borrower. From home owners and investors, to specialist loans for construction, self employed, bridging and even the trickier situations. Talk to us to see how we can help.

If we can't give you a loan, we'll find someone who can. We do the search, the paperwork and negotiations. Find out more.

Do you really charge no fees?

It’s true, we really don’t – no application or valuation fees, no annual or monthly fees, no discharge fees on our Straight Up or Power Up home loans. Seriously WTF, Where’s The Fees? There are no Athena home loan fees, although there will be Government charges involved, regardless if you’re buying or refinancing.

If you’re buying, there are upfront costs charged by the Government and third-parties that you will need to consider. These can include stamp duty, transfer fees, mortgage registration fees, legal fees, pest and building inspections fees, and home, building and contents insurance. Upfront costs will vary depending on your situation.

If you’re refinancing, the Government will charge you for making the switch. We will increase your loan amount by $260 - $440 depending on your State, to cover not only these but also any minor changes to your existing loan balance right before the refinance. This helps speed up your refinance and reduces the hassle of you having to cover any shortfall on the day of settlement. Of course any surplus that isn’t needed goes straight to your nominated account at settlement, which you can choose to pop back into the loan and reduce the balance again.

If you’re on a fixed rate loan, there is a break cost to us that we may pass on if your fixed loan is broken. That’s because we borrow money and enter a financial contract on your behalf for a fixed rate period. If that loan is repaid early, changed or ended before the end of the fixed rate period, we may incur break costs. The factors which influence the break costs are the movement of the interest rates, the amount of time left on the loan and the size of the loan amount.

Am I eligible for an Athena home loan?

We have loans for every borrower. From home owners and investors, to specialist loans for construction, self employed, bridging and even the trickier situations. Talk to us.

If you don't tick every Athena box, our Home Loan Experts will work with you to find an alternative. If we can't give you a loan, we'll find someone who can. We do the search, the paperwork and negotiations. Find out more.

What is your minimum and maximum loan amount?

Our minimum loan amount is $10,000 and our maximum loan amount is $2,000,000. These limits also apply to split loans.

Do you have a redraw? Do you have an offset?

Yes, our Straight Up home loan has a fee-free redraw and on our Power Up home loan you can choose either a fee-free redraw or offset.

Both are easy to use and help you pay down your loan faster! Here’s a comparison between our redraw and offset.

Can I easily switch between redraw and offset?

If you are on the Standard Variable Rate home loan, you’ll be able to switch between redraw and offset the same way that you are able to now.

If you are on a Straight Up home loan, you’ll only have access to a redraw, and if you’re on a Power Up home loan you can choose either a redraw or offset account.

If you’re on Straight Up and would like to have an offset, you can easily switch to Power Up for free by calling us on 13 35 35.

What’s the difference between a Straight Up and Power Up home loan?

Straight Up gives you our lowest rate without the frills. It’s a simple home loan with a great, low rate, and easy to set up and go. We've kept all the Athena good stuff like our Automatic Rate Match, AcceleRATES and no fees to help you pay down your home loan faster.

Power Up boosts all the same goodness with extra features, flex and saving power like split loans and fee-free offset.

Are there any costs associated with switching to a Straight Up or Power Up home loan?

We don’t charge you a fee to switch between our Straight Up and Power Up loans. You can switch between the two at any time for free. Just give us a call on 13 35 35 and we’ll sort it out for you.

Remember, Straight Up gives you our lowest rate without the frills. Power Up has a different interest rate as it’s our supercharged home loan with extra features like multi-offsets and split loans.

I’m on the Standard Variable Rate home loan. If I switch to Straight Up or Power Up, do they still reward me for paying down my loan faster with a lower rate?

Yes absolutely! Both Straight Up and Power Up will have access to our lowest LVR tier ≤50%, ObliteRATE. We want to reward our customers for paying down their loan even more.

How many split loans can I have?

Split loans are available on our Power Up home loan. You can have up to 10 split loans.

Can I get a home loan if I am earning casual income?

Yes, if you’re earning casual income, you can apply for a loan. We evaluate each case individually, considering factors such as income stability and our affordability criteria. If you need help, get in touch so one of our Loan Experts can guide you through the required documentation and application. If we can’t give you a loan, we’ll find someone who can. We do the search, the paperwork and negotiations.

I'm self-employed, how will you verify my income?

To verify your income, we’ll need to review your personal tax returns, and if applicable, your business ones too, for the last two years.

Are there future plans to grandfather the Standard Variable Rate home loan and move all customers to Straight Up or Power Up?

No, we have no plans to mandate customers to move from our Standard Variable Rate home loan to our Straight Up or Power Up home loans.

Meet our loan experts

Our friendly local home loan experts are here to answer all your questions, 5 days a week.

Want to chat before you apply online?

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Athena acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we gather the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded and respect their continued and continuing connection to this place.