Links is based in Enfield, where a third of households rent and most homes are semis, townhouses or flats. Charles turns a lease end date into a pre-approval before you start inspecting.
Yes. Work back from the date your lease ends: documents and a credit-assessed pre-approval take a few weeks, and settlement runs about six weeks after exchange.
A renter in Enfield can buy with a 5 per cent deposit under the 5% Deposit Scheme and pay no stamp duty up to $800,000, and a record of rent paid on time counts with some lenders when they judge your savings and repayment capacity.
Attached homes are a big part of Enfield, at 29.6% against 11.7% statewide. Shared walls and older building fabric are where a building report earns its fee. Enfield is small, at 1,191 private dwellings, so comparable sales are thin and a valuation can be harder to predict.
Separate housesTownhouses and semisApartments
apartments NSW 21.7%
separate houses NSW 65.6%
terraces and semis NSW 11.7%
rented NSW 32.6%
with a mortgage NSW 32.5%
private dwellings
Source: ABS Census 2021, Suburbs and Localities (SAL11424).
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Charles Touma from Links Property Finance was a great help with buying my first home. I had plenty of questions and he took the time to explain things clearly without making me feel rushed. He kept me updated throughout and made the process much less stressful. Really appreciated his patience and would happily recommend him to other first home buyers.
I have had a number of dealings with Charles from Links Property Finance. He is very knowledgeable, thorough, and detailed with his advice. Importantly, he is very approachable and easy to deal with. His advice has been beneficial to myself and my acquaintances. I highly recommend him.
Charles looked after us really well and his knowledge gave us the confidence to purchase our property. He wasn’t pushy and always ensured we felt comfortable with the repayments.
Charles Touma, Mortgage Broker.
Yes, it can: rent does not become a deposit, but a lease and statements showing rent paid on time over a sustained stretch show a lender you already carry a regular housing cost.
Some lenders give that real weight; others still want savings built up in your own account over time.
Freestanding houses make up about four in ten dwellings, semis, terraces and townhouses close to three in ten, and flats almost as many.
Strata records for a flat or townhouse, a building report for an older semi, and heritage controls on the Mitchell Street conservation area. Enfield has no station of its own; buses along Liverpool Road reach Strathfield, Ashfield and Burwood stations, and Henley Park on Portland Street is the main park.
Links compares a panel that includes ANZ, Westpac, Macquarie, ING and Resimac for the lender whose rules fit the purchase: how it reads rent history, whether gifted money counts as genuine savings, and its policy on the strata of an older block.
One pre-approval also covers Burwood Heights next door, where many Enfield searches end up.
Yes, potentially: the scheme has a $1.5 million Sydney cap, no income caps and unlimited places, and you apply through a participating lender that also assesses your income and the property. Confirm eligibility, secure pre-approval, then make your offer.
Often, yes, if your landlord is willing to sell. The sale still needs a proper contract reviewed by your conveyancer, and the lender orders its own valuation, so the price should line up with recent sales nearby. Living there is no substitute for a building report or the strata records.
Money saved and held in your own name over a period, rather than a recent lump sum. Gifts, inheritances and bonuses can still be used but are assessed differently and may need a letter showing the source. Lenders set their own rules, so your deposit is read before you inspect.
Not for eligible first home buyers up to $800,000, and only a concession between $800,000 and $1 million. Above that, full duty applies. Enfield has houses, semis, townhouses and flats, so the property you choose decides which side of the threshold you land on.
Usually three to four months before the lease ends: documents and a credit-assessed answer take a few weeks, pre-approvals usually last about three months, and settlement commonly takes six weeks after exchange.
Bring your Enfield plans to a free 30-minute call: your borrowing range, the lenders that fit the property and your next step.
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General information only, not credit or financial advice. Lender policies and government scheme criteria differ and change over time. All lending is subject to individual assessment and approval.
