Buy your next home before you sell the one you are in, without the timing deciding the price.
With a bridging loan: short-term property finance secured against both homes until the current one sells. Interest is usually added to the loan during the bridge, and many lenders assess you on the end debt after the sale, not the peak.
It costs more than an ordinary loan, so the sale price and timing have to stack up first.
Part of the construction loans guide.
Yours could be the next one.
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Book my free callOne broker, a panel of more than 70 lenders and no broker fee on most loans.
You deal directly with Charles from the first call to settlement. No call centre, no hand-offs.
Major banks, non-bank lenders and specialists through Connective, so the loan is matched to your file rather than to one bank’s policy.
The lender pays a commission, disclosed in writing before you apply.
How much equity could you use?
For upgraders and investors, how much of your home could work as a deposit.
That usable equity could work as a deposit on an investment property or renovation, structured so your properties aren’t tied together unnecessarily.
Usable equity assumes lending to 80% of your home’s value against your current loan. Lender policy and serviceability decide the real figure.
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I honestly couldn’t recommend Links Property Finance and Charles highly enough. After speaking with others who weren’t able to help me, Charles went above and beyond to understand my situation…
A huge thank you to Charlie for his exceptional support and expertise throughout the process of securing finance for my first home.
Had a really good experience with Charles at Links Property Finance. He was easy to deal with, always quick to respond and kept everything simple and clear throughout the whole process. You can tell he genuinely cares about getting the best outcome for his clients rather than just getting things done quickly. Really happy with the experience and would happily recommend Charles and Links Property Finance to anyone.
Charles Touma, Mortgage Broker.
Every bridging risk is a version of one scenario, the existing property takes longer to sell than planned, or sells for less. The bridging loan calculator shows how the peak debt and the end debt move when the sale takes longer.
Interest keeps accruing on peak debt, the bridging term keeps counting down, and if the term expires unsold, you are negotiating with your lender from a weak position: extending, refinancing under pressure, or reducing the price to move the property.
Bridging is rarely the only route, and sometimes not the best one:
Most lenders allow six months to sell an existing home, and up to twelve months when building. Interest is usually capitalised during the bridge, so the debt grows until the sale.
If the home does not sell in time, the lender can require a sale or a restructure.
No. Open bridging has no sale in place; closed bridging has exchanged contracts on the existing home. Closed bridging is easier to approve and cheaper because the lender knows the sale date and price. Open bridging needs more equity and a conservative sale estimate.
Not necessarily: with specialist lenders, bridging rates are often similar to standard variable rates, but interest is capitalised, so the cost compounds over the bridge, and fees and a valuation on both properties apply.
The total cost depends mostly on how quickly the home sells.
Commonly six to twelve months depending on the lender, with some allowing longer for construction-related bridges. The term is a hard boundary, not a guideline, plan the sale campaign to finish well inside it, and know before signing what an extension would involve.
It depends on the structure. Some lenders capitalise bridging interest, nothing is payable monthly, and the accrued interest is settled from your sale proceeds. Others require interest payments through the bridge. Capitalising protects monthly cash flow but grows peak debt; servicing does the reverse.
Either, depending on the lender, and it is the biggest practical difference between bridging policies: end-debt assessment suits borrowers who can service the final loan but not two at once; peak-debt assessment is stricter but more widely available.
You negotiate: an extension if the lender offers one, a refinance of the combined position if servicing allows, or a price reduction to complete the sale.
Generally yes while the bridge runs, rates on bridging are typically variable and can sit above standard owner-occupier pricing, and interest may compound if capitalised. The end debt, once the sale settles, prices as an ordinary loan.
Thirty minutes with Charles: your equity, your peak and end debt, the slow-sale stress test and the alternatives, priced side by side, no obligation.
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General information only, not credit advice. Bridging finance is not suitable for everyone; availability, structure and assessment depend on your circumstances and each lender's current policy. Your situation is assessed properly before any recommendation.
