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Mortgage Broker Lane Cove

Links Property Finance · Home loans in Lane Cove and across Sydney: Mortgage Broker in Lane Cove

Lane Cove became the Lower North Shore’s first home suburb: a village centre and new mid-rise apartments.

Reviewed by Charles Touma Updated 18 October 2026

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Charles Touma, mortgage broker at Links Property Finance

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Is a Lane Cove apartment inside the 5% scheme and the lender’s rules?

Often inside the scheme: many Lane Cove apartments sit under the $1.5 million Sydney cap for the 5% Deposit Scheme. The lender’s rules are the harder part.

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Young buildings have short strata histories, off-the-plan purchases face a valuation at completion, and some lenders cap their loans per building.

A white apartment block in the sun
Of Lane Cove's homes, 30.3% are houses, 7.0% terraces and semis and 62.4% apartments (ABS Census 2021).

Lane Cove by its homes

Lane Cove is an apartment suburb first: 62.4% of its homes are units. Here the building is assessed almost as closely as the borrower, from the strata report to the size of the complex.

  • Postcode2066
  • CouncilLane Cove Council
  • From the Sydney CBD9 km north west
62.4%

apartments NSW 21.7%

30.3%

separate houses NSW 65.6%

7.0%

terraces and semis NSW 11.7%

37.3%

rented NSW 32.6%

32.9%

with a mortgage NSW 32.5%

5,546

private dwellings

Source: ABS Census 2021, Suburbs and Localities (SAL12275).

A strip of local shops with apartments above

A 5% deposit in Lane Cove: what it reaches

What could a 5% deposit get you?

$800,000
$40,000 A 20% deposit would be $160,000

No LMI: an estimated $22,800 premium avoided (a broad guide; real premiums vary by lender and loan).

Stamp duty: $0 for eligible NSW first home buyers (saves $30,187).

Indicative only. The deposit excludes stamp duty, legal and inspection costs, and a participating lender, not this calculator, confirms 5% Deposit Scheme eligibility.

Confirm your numbers.

Charles Touma, mortgage broker at Links Property Finance

Real outcomes for real borrowers.

★★★★★
Charles and the team recently assisted us with a refinance of our investment property. Recommend Charles and the team to all
Tony Google review
★★★★★
Highly recommend Charles! Professional, knowledgeable and very easy to work with. He helped us navigate the home loan process and found a great solution that suited our needs. Excellent service from start to finish.
Daniel Google review
★★★★★
Charles went above and beyond to help us secure our home loan. He worked hard to find the best option for us and kept us updated throughout the whole process. His knowledge of the lending market was impressive and he made everything straightforward.
Anthony Google review

New buildings, young strata

A family together in their backyard
  • A building finished three years ago has a strata record three years long, enough to show how it is settling in, not enough to prove much.Valuers and lenders read what exists: builder reputation, defect history if any, levy adequacy, and the balance of owner-occupiers to renters.
  • Buying off-the-plan in the next tranche adds the standard timing questions, approval currency, settlement valuation, covered properly in our off-the-plan guide. Neither route is wrong; they are priced and financed differently, and the comparison deserves numbers.

Buses, roads and the nearest stations to Lane Cove

Lane Cove has no railway station of its own. The missing station changes the comparisons more than the lending rules. The same bus-and-car reality belongs in any investor’s rental appraisal.

The nearest stations are at Chatswood and Artarmon, and residents rely on buses that link the village with Chatswood station and the city, or on the Lane Cove Tunnel and Gore Hill Freeway by car.

A valuer weighs a Lane Cove apartment mainly against recent sales in Lane Cove itself, not against units beside the platforms at Chatswood, and whether a unit has a car space is part of that comparison.

  • Lane Cove’s homes are mostly apartments, running from older walk-up buildings to the newer mid-rise ones where industrial blocks used to sit, with houses making up a smaller share.
  • Because the lenders Links works with include ANZ, Westpac, Macquarie, ING and Resimac, a Lane Cove unit can be put to one whose policy fits that building’s age, size and strata history.
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Lane Cove’s homes are mostly apartments, running from older walk-up buildings to the newer mid-rise ones where industrial blocks used to sit, with houses making up a smaller share.

Newer buildings mean short strata records and, for off-the-plan buyers, a valuation at completion. Older blocks mean a longer record to read and, sometimes, a thinner sinking fund. The houses are conventional security.

Because the lenders Links works with include ANZ, Westpac, Macquarie, ING and Resimac, a Lane Cove unit can be put to one whose policy fits that building’s age, size and strata history.

Example scenario (illustrative, not a real client): a first home buyer who works in Chatswood compares a recently completed Lane Cove unit with an older walk-up a few streets away.

The newer building has only a short strata record, and the older unit turns out to be smaller inside than its advertisement suggested. Comparing lender policies on building age, strata history and minimum size shows which lenders would consider each unit under the 5% Deposit Scheme, before either offer goes in.

A terrace with an iron-lace balcony

Refinancing and releasing equity in Lane Cove

Lane Cove owners who bought an apartment a few years ago often want to know whether they have enough equity to move to a house on the north side. A fresh valuation answers that, and lenders then look at what the equity is for.

Asking your current lender to reprice costs nothing and sometimes closes most of the gap. Start with a loan health check.

An aerial view of a Sydney suburb

How does investment lending work in Lane Cove?

With no station of its own, Lane Cove rents are appraised against local units, and a car space often matters to tenants who commute by bus or car.

Lenders count only part of the rent. Newer mid-rise buildings on former industrial sites can meet building exposure limits at some lenders. Investment lending.

Valuations in Lane Cove: what moves the number

A valuer weighs a Lane Cove unit against recent sales in Lane Cove itself, not the towers beside Chatswood station, and whether it has a car space is part of the comparison.

Newer buildings have short strata records, so defect history and the sinking fund deserve a close read. What to do about a low valuation.

Self-employed and professional borrowers in Lane Cove

Many Lane Cove buyers work in professional roles on the north side, and some professions qualify for mortgage insurance concessions.

Business owners are assessed on their financials, with add-backs that vary between lenders. Self-employed lending.

Three ways into Lane Cove

New, nearly-new or old walk-up, same suburb, three different files.

Terrace houses along a tree-lined street

First home buyers in Lane Cove

Lane Cove is the Lower North Shore suburb where the first home buyer supports do their fullest work.

  • The 5% Deposit SchemeThe $1.5 million Sydney cap covers essentially the whole Lane Cove unit market, including new stock. Five per cent down, no lender's insurance. Check eligibility.
  • Stamp duty reliefExemption to $800,000 and a concession to $1 million, bands that hold a large share of Lane Cove apartments. Your figure.
  • Help to BuyThe shared-equity scheme is live, lower deposit and income thresholds apply, another door for buyers who fit its caps. Ask, and we check current settings.
  • Scheme timing off the planScheme places and long settlements need sequencing, place, approval and completion aligned. That is broker work, done before you sign.

Common questions about buying in Lane Cove

Is Lane Cove first-home-buyer territory for the north side?

Yes, deliberately so. The apartment supply of the last decade created price points the rest of the Lower North Shore stopped offering, and the government supports, the 5% scheme's $1.5 million cap especially, cover essentially the whole unit market. It is where north-side first-timers get approved.

Does Lane Cove having no train station affect my home loan?

Not the lender’s policy. Lenders assess the property and your finances, not the distance to a platform. What it can affect is the evidence: a valuer compares your purchase with recent sales in and around Lane Cove, where buyers already weigh bus links to Chatswood and the city and whether a home has parking.

If you are buying to rent out, the rental appraisal should reflect the same. Your deposit, income and the building itself still decide the loan.

New apartment or older walk-up, which is the better loan?

The lending treats both conventionally; the arithmetic differs. New stock carries newer levies and sometimes incentive-inflected pricing; walk-ups trade cheaper with longer records and older maintenance profiles. Run both through the full-cost calculator and let the numbers argue.

What should I check in a building finished a few years ago?

The young strata record: levy adequacy, any defect history and how it was handled, and the owner-occupier balance. Buildings that started well keep going well more often than not, but three years of paper is thin, so what exists gets read carefully.

Can I use the 5% scheme on an off-the-plan Lane Cove purchase?

Commonly yes, new property qualifies under the cap, with the timing managed: the scheme place attaches to the lender application, and a long build needs the place, approval and completion aligned. That sequencing is precisely what we manage, starting before you exchange.

What about buying here as an investment?

Lane Cove rents to the whole north-side workforce and vacancy stays thin, which keeps investors active in both the new and old stock. Investment lending differs in rates, deposit and structure; the investment guide covers the fundamentals, and the structure question deserves a conversation.

Talk to a broker about your Lane Cove home loan

One free call covers what you could borrow in Lane Cove, the lenders that suit the property you want and the order to do things in.

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

A family in front of the sold sign at the home they bought together
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. Lender policies and government scheme criteria differ and change over time. All lending is subject to individual assessment and approval.