Home loan insights
Negative Gearing Changes: What Investors Need to Know
Negative gearing changes from 1 July 2027: only new builds can be negatively geared. Who is grandfathered, what counts as new and what to check first.
Capital Gains Tax Changes From 1 July 2027, Explained
What Do Lenders Look For in Your Bank Statements?
Latest articles
Negative Gearing Changes: What Investors Need to Know
Negative gearing changes from 1 July 2027: only new builds can be negatively geared. Who is grandfathered, what counts as new and what to check first.
Capital Gains Tax Changes From 1 July 2027, Explained
CGT changes 2027: the 50% discount gives way to indexation and a 30% minimum tax on gains after 1 July 2027. How property held across the…
What Do Lenders Look For in Your Bank Statements?
What lenders look for in bank statements: pay, rent, savings, undisclosed debts, gambling and overdrawn days. What they check and how many months.
What Happens to a Mortgage When Someone Dies?
The mortgage does not end when someone dies. How joint tenancy, the estate, insurance and the lender work in NSW, and what to do first.
How Is Home Loan Interest Calculated in Australia?
How is home loan interest calculated? Daily on your balance and charged monthly. A worked example at 6%, and how an offset or extra repayments cut…
Rent to Own Homes in NSW: How They Work and the Risks
Rent-to-own deals are legal in NSW but you do not own anything until title is registered. How they work, the risks, and safer low-deposit routes.
Can You Use Your Super to Pay Off Your Mortgage?
Can you use super to pay off your mortgage? Usually once you retire after preservation age or turn 65. Early release only applies to stop a…
Moving Into Your Investment Property: Loan and Tax Effects
Moving into your investment property changes the loan rate, ends the interest deductions and splits capital gains tax by the time it was rented.
Renting Out Your Home: The Loan, the Tax and the 6-Year Rule
Turning your home into an investment property? Tell the lender, check which interest is deductible and use the 6-year rule to keep the sale tax free.
Should You Use Your Home Loan to Buy a Car?
Can you use your home loan to buy a car? The rate is lower, but over 30 years a $40,000 car costs about $46,000 in interest…
The NSW Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy: Can You Build More?
The NSW low and mid-rise housing policy allows dual occupancies in R2 zones, with set lot sizes near 171 stations and town centres. What you can…
PAYG Withholding Variation for an Investment Property
A PAYG withholding variation lets an investor take a negative gearing refund in each pay. How to apply, what changes from 2027 and what lenders see.
Low Deposit Premium vs Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI)
Some lenders charge a low deposit premium instead of lenders mortgage insurance. How the two differ, refunds, and how to compare the real cost.
FIRB Fees for Buying a Home: The 2026-27 Fee Table
FIRB application fees for 2026-27 start at $15,600 for a new home up to $1 million. Who needs approval, the ban on established homes and timing.
Can You Get a Home Loan on a Bridging Visa?
Bridging visa home loans: some lenders lend on the visa you held and the one you applied for. FIRB, the 9% NSW surcharge and whether to…
Home Loans for Uber and Rideshare Drivers
Uber driver home loans: rideshare drivers are self-employed, so lenders use taxable income from tax returns, not fares. How driving income is counted.
Can You Get a Home Loan on a PhD Stipend?
PhD stipend home loans: some lenders count a stipend with enough time left to run, often grossed up because it is tax free. How it is…
Can You Get a Home Loan on Centrelink Payments?
A home loan on the Disability Support Pension, Carer Payment or other Centrelink income: which payments lenders count and how to show them.
Can You Get a Home Loan While on Workers Compensation?
A home loan while on workers comp is hard because lenders see weekly payments as temporary. When a return to work changes that, plus lump sums.
Home Loans on Part-Time Income: How Lenders Count It
Part-time home loans: permanent part-time pay is usually counted in full at the hours you work. Recent hour changes, two jobs and what to show the…
Can Boarder or Flatmate Income Help You Get a Home Loan?
Boarder income for a home loan: some lenders count part of the rent from a boarder, flatmate or adult child paying board. The evidence they want.
Can You Get a Home Loan at 18 in Australia?
At 18 you can apply for a home loan and use the 5% Deposit Scheme, but lenders want stable income. What helps, and how much an…
Buying in a Mine Subsidence District: Approvals and Your Loan
Parts of Macarthur, the Hunter and the Central Coast sit in NSW mine subsidence districts. What to check before you buy, and how lenders see it.
Dual Key Property Loans: How Lenders Treat Two Rents on One Title
Dual key apartment loans: two self-contained homes on one title. Why some lenders limit them, how the two rents are counted and what to check first.
Buying a Block of Units on One Title: How the Finance Works
Multiple units on one title: when lenders treat a block of flats as residential, when it becomes commercial lending and how strata subdivision helps.
Student Accommodation Loans: Why Most Lenders Say No
Student accommodation loans in Australia: purpose-built units are small, managed and hard to resell, so most lenders decline or want a large deposit.
Modular and Prefab Home Loans: How Factory-Built Homes Are Financed
Modular home loans: factory-built homes clash with how construction loans pay builders. How lenders handle prefab homes, deposits and approvals.
Tiny Home Finance in Australia: What Can Be Funded
A tiny home on wheels is financed like a vehicle, not a house. When a tiny home can be part of a home loan, and the…
Green Home Loans: Discounts for Energy-Efficient Homes
Green home loans in Australia: some lenders discount the rate for 7-star homes or fund solar and batteries cheaply. What qualifies in NSW.
Childcare Centre Investment Loans: How Lenders Assess Them
Childcare centre investment is commercial property leased to an operator. How lenders assess the lease, operator and building, plus the deposit to expect.
Storage Unit Investment Loans: Financing a Self-Storage Unit
Storage unit investment in Australia: strata storage units are commercial property, so many home lenders will not fund them. The finance that works.
SDA Property Investment: Financing NDIS Disability Housing
NDIS property investment through SDA housing earns NDIS funding plus a resident contribution. How lenders value it, the vacancy risk and what to check.
Display Home Leaseback: How the Investment and Loan Work
In a display home leaseback the builder rents the home back for a set term. How the finance works, the valuation risk at the end and…
Should Your Business Buy Its Premises? Finance and Structure
Buying business premises instead of leasing locks in your location and builds equity. Who should own it, how lenders assess it and the SMSF option.
Using Home Equity to Fund a Business: Risks and Structure
Using home equity to start a business is cheap money, but it puts your home behind the business. How to structure it and what is deductible.
House Flipping in Sydney: Finance, Tax and the Real Costs
House flipping loans in Australia: how a flip is financed, why the profit is usually taxed as income and which holding costs to plan for.
Buying an Investment Property Interstate From Sydney
How lenders treat an interstate investment property bought from Sydney, which state’s duty and land tax apply and the postcode limits to check.
Buying a Tenanted Property in NSW: Leases, Loans and Moving In
Buying a tenanted property in NSW: the lease usually continues after the sale. How it is financed, the notice rules if you move in and first…
Adding Your Partner to Your Property Title in NSW
Adding a spouse to your property title in NSW can be exempt from stamp duty for your principal place of residence. The conditions, the loan and…
Subject to Finance in NSW: How Finance Clauses Work
Subject to finance clause in NSW: contracts have no standard finance clause, so most buyers rely on cooling-off. When to add one and the auction trap.
Buying a Mortgagee Sale Property in NSW
Mortgagee in possession sales are rarely bargains. How the contract differs, why most go to auction and how to have your finance ready before you bid.
Buying a Deceased Estate Property: Probate, Timing and Finance
Buying a deceased estate in NSW can mean a dated home and a settlement that waits on probate. How to plan the finance, the timing and…
What Happens to Your Construction Loan if Your Builder Collapses?
If your builder goes broke, the Home Building Compensation Fund can cover your deposit and the cost to finish, up to $340,000. What happens to your…
Can You Get a 40-Year Home Loan in Australia?
40-year home loans in Australia: a few lenders offer them. On $600,000 at 6% the repayment falls about $296 a month but interest rises about $290,000.
Moving Overseas With a Mortgage: Your Loan, Rent and Tax
Moving overseas with a mortgage? Tell the lender, expect an investment loan if you rent the home out and avoid the capital gains trap.
Breaking Your Lease When You Buy a Home in NSW
Bought a home before your lease ends? NSW sets break fees of one to four weeks’ rent on leases of three years or less. How to…
How School Fees and Childcare Affect Your Borrowing Power
Private school fees and childcare can cut borrowing power because many lenders add them on top of the living cost benchmark. How much, with an example.
Buying a Flood or Bushfire Prone Property: Insurance and Your Loan
A mortgage on a flood prone or bushfire prone property: the lender needs insurance at settlement. What the planning certificate shows and what to check.
Buying a Water-Access Home in Sydney: Island and Pittwater Loans
Island home loans for Scotland Island, Dangar Island and other water-access homes in Pittwater: why fewer lenders lend and the deposit they want.
Postcode Restrictions: Why Lenders Limit Loans in Some Areas
Postcode restrictions on home loans: some lenders cap the loan or want a bigger deposit in certain postcodes, often apartment areas. Why, and what to do.
Can You Buy a House With No Deposit in Australia?
Almost never with no help, but a family guarantee, a gift or a 2% or 5% scheme can get you close. The routes, the cash each…
Joint Mortgage With Your Parents: How It Works in NSW
Buying with a parent on the loan and the title: how lenders assess it, the NSW duty rule for a 50/50 split, scheme limits, tax on…
The Serviceability Buffer: Why Lenders Test You at a Higher Rate
Banks test your repayments at your rate plus 3 percentage points. Why APRA requires it, what it does to borrowing power and where exceptions apply.
The Home Equity Access Scheme Explained
A government loan for people of Age Pension age, secured on your home. How payments and lump sums work, the 3.95% rate and how it compares.
Can You Get a Home Loan With a Tax Debt?
An ATO debt on a payment plan does not rule you out, but it cuts borrowing power and can reach your credit file. What lenders check…
Does Buy Now Pay Later Affect Your Home Loan?
Since June 2025 buy now pay later is regulated credit. How it shows on your credit report and statements, how lenders count it and what to…
HECS-HELP Repayment Thresholds 2026-27, Explained
No repayment up to $69,528 in 2026-27, then 15c per dollar above it. The full ATO table, worked examples, indexation of 2.8% and what counts as…
Granny Flat Finance in NSW: How to Pay for a Secondary Dwelling
How to fund a granny flat in NSW: equity, a construction loan or a refinance, the 60 square metre rule, approval paths and how lenders count…
Second Home and Holiday Home Loans: How Lenders Assess Them
Buying a holiday or second home: how lenders classify it, NSW land tax above $1,075,000, short-stay limits, capital gains tax and the 2027 changes.
Getting a Home Loan After Bankruptcy in Australia
How long bankruptcy stays on your credit report, when lenders will consider you after discharge and the steps that rebuild a home loan application.
What Is the Average Home Loan in NSW and Sydney?
The average new owner-occupier loan in NSW was $842,000 in the June quarter 2026, the highest of any state. ABS figures, repayments and what drives them.
Conveyancing Costs in NSW: What You Pay When Buying
What NSW conveyancing costs are made of: the professional fee, searches, government fees of $182.73 each for transfer and mortgage, and what to ask first.
What Is HEM? How Lenders Work Out Your Living Expenses
HEM is the living cost benchmark lenders test your declared expenses against. What it measures, why the higher figure wins and how it affects borrowing.
Does Salary Packaging Count for a Home Loan?
Salary packaging lowers your taxable pay. How lenders count packaged income, the FBT caps for hospital and charity staff and the effect on borrowing.
Debt Recycling Explained: How the Loan Set-Up Works
Debt recycling replaces home loan debt with investment debt over time. How the loan splits work, the tax rule that decides it and the risks to…
Line of Credit Home Loans: How They Work and What They Cost
A line of credit lets you draw on your home equity up to a limit and pay interest only on what you use. How it works,…
Buying Your Parents’ House: How the Finance Works in NSW
Buying the family home from your parents: gifted equity, the lender’s valuation, NSW duty on market value, CGT and pension rules to sort before signing.
What Is a Deposit Bond? How It Works When You Buy in NSW
A deposit bond replaces the cash deposit at exchange. How it works in NSW, what it costs, when vendors accept it and when cash or a…
What Does a Mortgage Broker Do? From First Call to Settlement
What a mortgage broker does in Australia: the assessment, lender comparison, application and settlement work, and the duty to act in your interest.
How to Pay Off Your Home Loan Faster: Seven Methods, With the Numbers
How to pay off a home loan faster, with worked numbers: extra repayments, fortnightly payments, offset, lump sums, a lower rate and when not to rush.
Buying a House in NSW: The Process, Step by Step
The house buying process in NSW in order: pre-approval, offer or auction, contract review, exchange, cooling-off, approval and settlement, with timings.
The Cooling-Off Period in NSW: How It Works When You Buy
The NSW cooling-off period: five business days, 10 for off the plan, the 0.25% cost to withdraw, the auction exception and the 66W certificate.
What Happens at Settlement in NSW, and How Long It Takes
What happens at property settlement in NSW: the usual 42 days, the final inspection, how funds and stamp duty move electronically and what can delay it.
How Much Deposit Do You Need for an Investment Property?
How much deposit an investment property needs: 20% to avoid LMI, 10% with it, using equity instead of cash, and the NSW duty and costs on…
How to Choose an Investment Property in Sydney: What the Numbers and Lenders Say
How to choose an investment property in Sydney: yield against growth, what lenders will finance, and new versus established after the 2026 tax changes.
How to Save a House Deposit While Renting in Sydney
How to save a house deposit faster in Sydney: set the real target, use the 5% scheme and super saver scheme, and protect your borrowing power.
Comparison Rate Explained: What It Means on a Home Loan
A comparison rate combines a home loan rate with most of its fees in one figure. How it is calculated, what it leaves out and how…
Mortgage Hardship: What to Do If You Can’t Pay Your Mortgage
Struggling with mortgage repayments? How to ask your lender for hardship help, the 21-day rule, the options, AFCA and free financial counselling.
Top-Up Loan vs Refinance: Two Ways to Borrow More Against Your Home
A top-up borrows more from your current lender; a refinance moves the loan. How each works, the costs, the 80% line and which suits you.
Loan Portability: Taking Your Home Loan to a New Property
Home loan portability lets you keep your loan when you sell and buy. How it works, when it saves money, lender conditions and when to refinance.
Buying a House With Friends or Family: How Co-Ownership Works
Buying a house with a friend or sibling: joint loans, tenants in common, the 5% Deposit Scheme, NSW duty rules and why you need an exit…
Home Loans for Retirees and Pensioners: What Lenders Need to See
Can you get a home loan in retirement? How lenders assess pension, super and investment income, the exit strategy question and loan terms.
Home Loan Eligibility and Requirements in Australia: What Lenders Check
Who qualifies for a home loan in Australia, the deposit, income, credit and expense requirements lenders apply, the documents to have ready and the schemes that…
How Long Does Home Loan Approval Take in Sydney?
Pre-approval in one to five business days, formal approval in three to ten, settlement six weeks on. What slows a Sydney home loan down and how…
How Much Deposit Do You Really Need to Buy Your First Home in Sydney?
The 20% rule scares off buyers who could purchase years earlier. Here is what each deposit size actually means in Sydney. 5%, 10% and 20%, and…
The 5% Deposit Scheme in 2026: A Sydney First Home Buyer’s Guide
No income caps, no place limits, a $1.5m Sydney cap. How the 5% Deposit Scheme works, what it costs, and how it stacks with other help.
Stamp Duty in NSW: What First Home Buyers Actually Pay
No duty up to $800,000, a concession to $1 million, and the residence rules with teeth. How NSW first home buyer duty relief really works.
Refinancing in 2026: When Switching Beats Staying
The loyalty tax is real, but so are switching costs. When refinancing wins, when staying wins, and how to compare beyond the headline rate.
How Much Can I Borrow as a First Home Buyer?
What actually drives borrowing power, why online calculators disagree with lenders, and the levers that genuinely lift your number.
Buying Your First Apartment in Sydney
Strata reports, levies, lender rules on units and the questions to ask before you offer. The apartment buyer's real due diligence list.
Home Loans While on Probation: What Sydney Buyers Should Know
Probation is a policy question, not a verdict. Which lender attitudes exist, what strengthens your file, and when waiting actually pays.
Casual Employment Home Loans: Yes, It Can Be Done
Casual income is assessable income. How lenders average it, why your loading counts, and what makes a casual application strong.
The First Home Super Saver Scheme, Explained
Save your deposit through super and let the tax system help. The FHSS mechanics, the strict timing rules, and how couples double it.
Help to Buy in NSW: The Shared Equity Scheme
The government contributes up to 40% of the price and you repay nothing monthly on it. How Help to Buy works and who it genuinely suits.
The Real Costs of Buying Your First Home in Sydney
Every cost around the purchase price, in the order the money leaves: inspections, conveyancing, duty or not, LMI or not, and the buffer.
The First Home Buyer Checklist
The first home purchase as phases, not panic: what to do six months out, three months out, during the search, and through to settlement.
Should I Get Pre-Approval Before an Auction?
Auction wins are unconditional. What pre-approval protects, the valuation gap it doesn't, and the auction-day logistics that matter.
How Much Income Do I Need to Buy an $800,000 Property?
The honest arithmetic at NSW's most consequential price: the deposit, the buffered repayment, and the income range with every caveat visible.
5% Deposit vs 20% Deposit: The Real Trade-Offs
Buy years sooner with 5%, or wait for 20% and a smaller loan? The comparison people skip, and the middle paths worth remembering.
No articles on this topic yet.
Plain answers for buyers, owners and investors
Deposits, schemes, borrowing power and the buying process, written for Sydney by the broker who handles the files. No jargon, no guarantees, every figure qualified.