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Finder Home Loans – 3 ways to grow your savings through the sharing economy

Posted on by Reduce Loans
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21
Aug

Bessie Hassan | Money Expert at finder.com.au

Whether it’s promoting your skills on Airtasker, renting out a spare property on Airbnb or signing up to become an Uber driver, there are plenty of ways that you can grow your savings via the sharing economy.

The sharing economy is a useful way to make some extra income with minimal effort. If you’re looking to purchase your first home and you’re hard-pressed to come up with a deposit or if you’re a current mortgage holder looking for a financial reprieve, consider using the sharing economy to raise some extra funds.

Doing so will help you fast-track your savings plan and potentially help you to get into the property market sooner. However, if you are thinking of leveraging the sharing economy, make sure you speak to a tax accountant so that you fully understand how the extra work will affect your taxable income once the end of the financial year rolls around.

Read on to find out three ways that you can use the sharing economy to boost your savings.

Rent out a spare bedroom

A new finder.com.au survey revealed that renting out a spare room in your house could add an extra $808 to your monthly income. This extra income could go a long way in helping you pay off your mortgage. For instance, if you have a home loan of $450,000 with a 5.5% interest rate and a term of 30 years, making additional monthly repayments of $808 from year 5 onwards would save you over $150,000 in interest.

It would also shrink your loan term by 9 years and 9 months, leaving you with an updated loan term of 20 years and 3 months. That’s nearly 10 extra mortgage-free years! The numbers speak for themselves.

So whether you have a whole granny flat or even just a spare guest bedroom, why not consider renting it out? You can create an account on Airbnb or Stayz to get started and if space isn’t being used anyway, it’s a no-brainer.

Promote your skills on sites like Airtasker

Airtasker is an online service that allows you to promote your skills to potential candidates who need to outsource a job. Whether you’re a graphic designer, a writer, a business strategist or a handyman, consider promoting your skills on Airtasker to make some extra cash. Even an additional $200 per month could go towards a home deposit or extra loan repayments. Other sites such as Upwork, Oneflare and Fiverr also provide a similar service.

Become an Uber driver

More people are cottoning on to the fact that becoming an Uber driver is a pretty good way to make some extra cash. In Australia, Uber drivers make 75% of their weekly fare and have an average income of $35-$40 per hour (before Uber takes its cut). Not bad for driving people from A to B while listening to the radio! Use finder.com.au’s nifty calculator to estimate how much you could earn as an Uber driver. The sharing economy allows people to generate income by utilising what they have, so if you have some spare time and some skills to leverage, why not consider using it to help grow your savings?

Whether your goal is to create some extra income to help manage the costs of homeownership or to come up with a 20% deposit for a property purchase, the sharing economy is an innovative way that you can improve your financial position with minimal effort.

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(29)    For the Rate Cutter Variable where the borrower pays $1170 upfront fees then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.10% p.a. off the Rate Cutter Variable (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(27)    For the Investor Rate Slasher Cash Back Variable where the borrower pays $0 upfront fees then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.06% p.a. off the Investor Rate Slasher Cash Back Variable (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(26)    For the Low Rider Cash Back Variable where the borrower pays $0 upfront fees then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.06% p.a. off the Low Rider Cash Back Variable (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(25)    For the Economizer Cash Back Variable where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $697 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.08% p.a. off the Economizer Cash Back Variable (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(24)    For the Super Saver Cash Back Variable where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $697 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.10% p.a. off the Super Saver Cash Back Variable (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(23)    For the Super Saver Variable where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $1170 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.15% p.a. off the Super Saver Variable (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(22)    For the Economizer Variable where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $1,170 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.11% p.a. off the Economizer Variable (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(21)    For the Investor Cash Back Hero Variable where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $697 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.08% p.a. off the Cash Back Hero Variable (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(18)    For the Home Owners Dream 1 year fixed where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $697 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.20% p.a. off the Home Owners Dream reverted variable rate (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(20)    For the Cash Back Hero Variable where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $697 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.08% p.a. off the Cash Back Hero Variable (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(14)   For the Investor Rate Slasher where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $1,170 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.09% p.a. off the Investor Rate Slasher rate (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(12)   For the Investor Rate Lovers Interest Only where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $697 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.07% p.a. off the Investor Rate Lovers Interest Only rate (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(11)   For the Wealth Maximizer 3 year fixed Principal & Interest where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $697 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.20% p.a. off the Wealth Maximizer reverted variable rate (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(10)    For the Wealth Maximizer 2 year fixed where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $697 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.20% p.a. off the Wealth Maximizer reverted variable rate (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(9)    For the Home Owners Dream 3 year fixed where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $697 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.20% p.a. off the Home Owners Dream reverted variable rate (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(8)    For the Home Owners Dream 2 year fixed where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $697 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.20% p.a. off the Home Owners Dream reverted variable rate (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(7)    For the Investor Rate Slasher where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $1,170 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.09% p.a. off the Investor Rate Slasher rate (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(6)    For the Investor Rate Buster Variable where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $697 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.08% p.a. off the Investor Rate Buster Variable rate (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(5)    For the Rate Buster Variable where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $150 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.05% p.a. off the Rate Buster Variable rate (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(4)For the Rate Slasher Variable where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $1,170 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.08% p.a. off the Rate Slasher Variable rate (at that time) will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan. These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate. The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(3) For the Investor Rate Lovers Variable where the borrower pays $0 upfront fees then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.06% p.a. off the Investor Rate Lovers Variable rate (at that time) will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan. These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(2)For the Rate Lovers Variable where the borrower pays $0 upfront fees then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.06% p.a. off the Rate Lovers Variable rate (at that time)  will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan.  These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate.  The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(1) For the Low Rider Variable where the borrower pays $0 upfront fees then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.06% p.a. off the Low Rider Variable rate (at that time) will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan. These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate. The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(28) For the Rate Crusher 1 Year Fixed where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $697 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.05% p.a. off the Rate Crusher reverted variable rate (at that time) will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan. These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate. The loan setup fees are not refundable.

(19) For the 1 Year Fixed Wealth Maximizer where the borrower pays an upfront fee of $697 then a corresponding loyalty discount of 0.20% p.a. off the 1 Year Fixed Wealth Maximizer reverted variable rate (at that time) will automatically apply after the 5th anniversary of the loan. These fees and loyalty discount are factored into the comparison rate. The loan setup fees are not refundable.