0423 952 184 Book a free call
First home buyers Contact
Book a free call Call 0423 952 184
Call Charles Book a meeting
Guides

Links Property Finance · Sydney home loans: How to Choose a Mortgage Broker in Sydney

Every broker says they are the best. These are the checks that separate them.

Reviewed by Charles Touma Updated 18 October 2026

I’m buying my first home Book my free call
$0broker fee on most loans
5.0from 32 Google reviews
70+lenders on our panel
Charles Touma, mortgage broker at Links Property Finance

Charles Touma Sydney mortgage brokerYou deal directly with Charles.

Book a free call

How do you choose the best mortgage broker in Sydney?

There is no single best mortgage broker in Sydney, only the best fit for your loan. A good broker shows you the comparison, explains the commission in writing, and still answers the phone a year after settlement.

Read more

Check four things: the credit licence or credit representative number on ASIC’s register, how many lenders the broker used last year, what they verify before lodging, and how they are paid.

A couple on the front porch of their home

  • The one legal fact worth knowing

    Since 2021, mortgage brokers in Australia have been bound by a Best Interests Duty: a legal obligation to act in your best interests when recommending a loan.

Recent Links clients

  • Two Links Property Finance clients standing inside the timber frame of their new home Building · Sydney
    Their new home, at frame stage. Walls next. The frame is up.
  • A Links Property Finance client in front of the sold sign at the first home she bought First home · Inner West
    Sold. Her first home. Deposit, scheme and lender, sorted.
  • Next one

    Yours could be the next one.

    One short call tells you what you can borrow and what to do first.

    Book my free call
Charles Touma, mortgage broker at Links Property Finance
5.0 from 32 Google reviews

Real outcomes for real borrowers.

★★★★★
Charles and the team at links property finance recently assisted me with my purchase of my first property in Burwood. As a first home buyer, Charles made the process simple and easy. I would recommend Charles to all first home buyers
Elijah Google review
★★★★★
Had a great experience with Charles at Links Property Finance. He made the whole home loan process straightforward and easy to understand, kept me updated throughout and was always quick to answer any questions.
Louie Google review
★★★★★
Charles and the team recently assisted me with the refinance of my investment property.
Max Google review

Check ours before you call

The test above applies to us too. Here's what to verify, and where.

Charles Touma, mortgage broker at Links Property FinanceCharles Touma, Mortgage Broker.

A family together in their backyard
  • Since 2021, mortgage brokers in Australia have been bound by a Best Interests Duty: a legal obligation to act in your best interests when recommending a loan.
  • A bank's lending staff carry no equivalent duty, they can only offer their own products and are not required to tell you a competitor would suit you better.
  • This is the structural reason a majority of Australian home loans are now written through brokers, and it's the first thing to understand before comparing anyone.

How are brokers paid?

A family exploring rock pools
  • Lenders pay brokers a commission when a loan settles, which is why most brokers, including us, charge nothing on most home loans.
  • Ask any broker to disclose their commissions; they are required to, and ours appear in writing before you sign anything.
  • The Best Interests Duty exists precisely so the recommendation can't follow the commission, and a broker who squirms at the payment question has answered a different, more important one.

Questions worth asking any broker

How many lenders are on your panel, and how many did you actually use last year? A long panel means little if everything gets placed with the same two banks.

Are you licensed? Every legitimate broker operates under an Australian Credit Licence, ask for the credit representative number and check it on ASIC's register. Ours is Credit Representative 580078 under ACL 389328, and we'd think more of you for checking.

What do you verify before lodging? The right answer involves your payslips, statements and credit file up front, not "we'll see what the lender says". What happens after settlement? The right answer is a scheduled review, because the loan that was right at settlement drifts off the pace within a few years.

Broker vs going direct to your bank

Your bank sees its own shelf. A broker across a wide panel sees the market, including the lender whose quiet policy quirk happens to fit your self-employed income, your HECS balance or your five per cent deposit.

The bank's assessor owes you nothing beyond their product rules; a broker owes you their best-interests recommendation, in writing. Loyalty to a bank is a sentiment; banks price for new customers, not old ones, which is exactly what a loan health check tends to reveal.

Moving day at a new home

How we'd like to be judged

By the same tests on this page. Charles is a director-broker, MFAA member, working across 70+ lenders, and every review on our Google profile is from a real, settled client, because we don't buy or invent them.

The first conversation is thirty minutes, costs nothing, and ends with real numbers rather than a pitch. If we're not the right fit, you'll leave knowing the questions to ask whoever is.

Red flags that should end the meeting

"Guaranteed approval"

No one can guarantee approval, lending is always subject to assessment. A broker promising it is telling you how they treat the truth generally.

  • Your application is a legal document. A broker casual about what goes in it is gambling with your name.
  • A good recommendation survives a night's sleep. Urgency that isn't yours is a sales technique.
  • You should see the shortlisted options side by side with reasons, not a single "trust me" product.
  • If the credit representative number isn't offered readily, walk. Legitimate brokers volunteer it.
  • The brokers most comfortable with the Best Interests Duty were already working that way before it was law.
"Sign here, I'll fill in the rest"
Pressure to decide today
No written comparison
Vague about the licence
Never mentions the duty

Common questions about choosing a broker

How much does a mortgage broker cost?

On most home loans, nothing. The lender pays the broker a commission at settlement, and the rate you receive is the same as going to that lender directly.

Some brokers charge fees for complex scenarios; any fee must be disclosed and agreed in writing before work begins. Links charges $0 on most home loans.

Is a broker really better than my bank?

Not automatically; a good broker is. The advantages are real: many lenders instead of one, a legal best interests duty your bank’s staff do not carry, and policy knowledge across the market.

Whether a particular broker delivers on that is what the questions on this page are for.

How do I verify a broker is legitimate?

Ask for their credit representative number and the Australian Credit Licence they operate under, then check both on ASIC's public registers. Membership of an industry body such as the MFAA or FBAA adds a layer of professional standards. A legitimate broker volunteers this information without being asked twice.

Do brokers get paid more for recommending certain lenders?

They can differ slightly: commission rates vary a little between lenders, which is why the best interests duty exists and why commissions must be disclosed to you.

Read the comparison you're given: the recommendation should be justified by your numbers, and you're entitled to ask how the alternatives compared, we show ours side by side as standard.

What should I bring to a first meeting?

For a first conversation: roughly your income, savings, debts and timeline, no documents needed yet. If you want a head start on the numbers, run the borrowing power calculator first and bring the result; the meeting then starts from your figures instead of from zero.

Put these questions to Charles

Thirty minutes with Charles: every question above, answered straight, plus your actual numbers across 70+ lenders. No pitch, no pressure, nothing to sign.

Book my free call or call 0423 952 184
Prefer a callback?

Charles Touma, mortgage broker at Links Property FinanceCharles calls back within one business day. No documents needed yet.

A Links Property Finance client in front of the sold sign at the first home she bought

From the blog

View all articles
Deposits and schemesThe First Home Super Saver Scheme, Explained 7 min readDeposits and schemesHelp to Buy in NSW: The Shared Equity Scheme 7 min readBuying processThe First Home Buyer Checklist 7 min read
Charles Touma, mortgage broker at Links Property Finance
Reviewed by Charles Touma Director & Mortgage Broker · MFAA member · Credit Representative 579003 under ACL 389328 About Charles · MFAA register · ASIC register · Complaints processEvery page is reviewed by Charles before it is published and checked against current lender policy and the official scheme pages linked where figures appear.

General information only, not credit or financial advice. Regulatory obligations described are general summaries of Australian credit law as it applies to mortgage brokers; verify any broker's credentials directly with ASIC's registers.