How do I know if I need to refinance my home loan?
Many home owners are satisfied with a 'good' home loan even when there are 'great' home loans out there. My view is you should be striving for greatness (in everything you do for that matter!). So if you're paying any more than 0.10% more than the best rate out there then you should be at least considering refinancing in my view. If you're paying more than 0.20% above the best rate out there then you should definitely be refinancing. For some context, my own personal mortgage is currently $3,723 per month at 5.99% interest but if it was 0.10% higher it would cost me an extra $40 per month and at 0.20% higher an extra $80 per month.

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What does it actually cost to refinance?
Almost every lender will charge what is called a 'discharge fee' in order to process the paperwork required to effect the refinance. This is usually $300-$350 but can vary depending on the lender. This information should be included in your initial loan contract if you want to see for yourself. In addition to this fee there is typically a government fee charged for making changes to the certificate of title which is the legal document showing that you are the owner as well as any other.

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Does it cost extra to use a mortgage broker? How do you get paid?
Most mortgage brokers including me don't charge a fee. Where a broker does decide to charge a fee this must legally be disclosed upfront as part of a credit quote. The main way that mortgage brokers get paid is through commissions which they receive from the lender you choose as a "referral commission". You do not need to pay this amount and it is not added to your loan amount, it's simply a cost the lender pays to us for bringing your business to them. This applies to mortgages but it's slightly different when we're talking about car loans or personal loans. In these cases, we may receive a commission in the same way I describe above but often we will also charge a fee on top of this to make it worth our while as the commission on these types of loans is usually not enough to make it worth our while.

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What information do you need?
The answer to this varies a lot depending on who you are and your financial circumstances, needs and objectives are. However, as a general rule we must first get you to e-sign our privacy statement and credit guide and then we will perform an ID check on you. From there we will discuss your needs and objectives (I.e. what you want) and go about inquiring and verifying your financial situation including your income, assets, debts, expenses and anything else relevant to your loan application. Once we have obtained this from you, we will go about conducting our research to see which of the many options suit your situation best. Once we have shortlisted some options, we will then present them to you and discuss the pros and cons of each to help you decide on the best course of action. From there, we then apply to the lender of your choice on your behalf and get back to you shortly after with a result!

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Do I need to get a property valuation?

You will always need a property valuation. However, when purchasing a property the valuer will typically value the property you have purchased at the same price as what you have paid, even if this amount is a bit above or below what you may think it's "worth". The exception to this is when you have paid significantly above or below the market value or where other factors come into play such as buying from a family member or related party.

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Can you help first home buyers?
With various schemes, grants, concessions and exemptions available it can be tricky to navigate the options available and this can add unnecessary stress and anxiety to what should be an exciting time! That's where we come in! We make the complex seem simple and allow you to focus on finding the right property for you. What's more, we also work closely with conveyancers, utility providers, insurance providers and more to help simplify and streamline the process even further should you wish!

Can you help property investors?
Yes! We love helping our clients achieve financial freedom through property investing and we are strong believers that real property is the best way to achieve financial freedom for yourself and your family. Whether you're looking to make that first purchase or perhaps you're looking to get the most out of your existing portfolio, we are here to help you structure your finances to help maximise your returns and deliver that financial freedom both now and into the future.

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Can you do self-employed loans?
Yes! There's a common misconception that it’s tricky to get a home loan as a self-employed borrower. Whilst some lenders don't cater to self-employed borrower and others have stricter requirements for these types of borrowers, the benefit of working with a broker like us is that we have a market-leading panel of over 50 lenders, many of which specialise in self-employed lending! So you don't need to be every lender's cup of tea, nor do you need to know which lenders are best for you, we'll assess your needs and understand your financial situation and then recommend which are the best lenders for your unique situation.

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What is your cheapest home loan rate?
Interest rates are changing with lenders every single day so by the time I finish this sentence they might have changed. However, what I will say is that with over 50 lenders available to us, it's not often that you'd be able to find a better rate elsewhere! To date we are still yet to have the situation where an existing mortgage holder has been on the very best rate, we've always been able to help them do better!

How safe is my data?
Your data security and privacy is our highest priority. Without it, we lose trust and without trust we lose our business. We manage your information within Salestrekker, the market leader in customer management platforms for brokers. We prefer to use Salestrekker for the entire lending process and limit the use of less secure channels such as post or email. Salestrekker allows you as the customer to upload and input information directly into the system through the Client Portal, minimising the risk of data security breaches. We also never use your data for any purpose other than one you have agreed to. If you have further concerns about use of your data please view our privacy policy on our website home page and contact us directly should you have questions.

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Will rising interest rates affect my ability to borrow?
Your data security and privacy is our highest priority. Without it, we lose trust and without trust we lose our business. We manage your information within Salestrekker, the market leader in customer management platforms for brokers. We prefer to use Salestrekker for the entire lending process and limit the use of less secure channels such as post or email. Salestrekker allows you as the customer to upload and input information directly into the system through the Client Portal, minimising the risk of data security breaches. We also never use your data for any purpose other than one you have agreed to. If you have further concerns about use of your data please view our privacy policy on our website home page and contact us directly should you have questions.

How does your process work?
We like to describe our process as comprehensive but simple. By comprehensive, it's essential that we understand your needs and objectives as well as your financial situation to ensure we provide you with the most appropriate solution for your circumstances. But that doesn't mean the process needs to be long and complex. We also want to ensure that the process is tailored to you and your situation. Perhaps you enjoy corresponding via email or text or maybe you'd prefer a face to face meeting or a video call. Perhaps you can find time during the working week to speak with us or perhaps it's an after dinner chat or a catchup on a Saturday morning. We like to keep flexible because we know that's important to our customers. Where possible we like to rely on technologically such as e-signatures, digital ID verification and automatic bank statement processing which allows us to complete previously complex tasks in a matter of minutes! This allows us to focus more of our time on finding out exactly what suits you best while the paperwork takes care of itself!

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Do you have cash back refinances?
Yes! These offers are always changing but typically there are 4-5 lenders with cashback offers available for refinances at any given time and 2-3 offers available for new purchases. My customers don't realise that these cashback offers are still available when you use a broker and better yet, there are sometimes even larger cashbacks available when you choose to use a broker! There are also lenders who don't deal directly with the public and instead only issue loans through the broker channel. So it always pays to use a broker!

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Still have a question? Don't see what you're looking for? Ready to contact us?

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