What are you trying to solve?
Different borrowers need different lender policies and structures. Start with the situation that looks most like yours.
Mortgage broker since 2015 · Brisbane-based, working with clients Australia-wide
Find your starting point
- Self-employed & business owners →Company, trust and director income, and how each lender reads it.
- Property investors →Structure, equity and cash across the portfolio, not just the next purchase.
- Property developers →Site purchase and construction funding when the plan is bigger than a home.
- Home buyers →Buying with the deposit, the concessions and the next property in view.
- Refinance & restructure →Rate, security and flexibility weighed together before you switch.
- SMSF / commercial →Super funds, business property and asset finance, checked against the rules first.
POLICY NOTE
The complications that change which lender fits
Same borrower. Same property. Different lender policy can produce very different outcomes. These six are where I see it most.
Company and trust income.
Lenders differ on whether they assess your personal income, the entity's financials or both, so the same borrower can be assessed differently.
Self-employed & business owners →Multiple securities.
How your properties secure your loans shapes how easily you can sell, refinance or borrow again, and lenders differ in how they treat that structure.
Property investors →Retained cash.
Profit a company keeps rather than pays out may count in full, in part or not at all, depending on the lender.
Self-employed & business owners →Interest-only.
A low repayment now is only half the picture, because lenders commonly look at what repayments become once the interest-only period ends.
Property investors →Development potential.
A lender may or may not give weight to what a site could become, and its valuation sets the loan-to-value ratio.
Property developers →Servicing constraints.
Each lender calculates what you can afford under its own policy, so the same income and commitments can support different loan amounts.
See how I work →
HOW I WORK
How I compare lenders
Rate is one input. These are the six I compare, in this order.
Policy.
Lenders read income, entities and existing commitments differently. I check how each one treats the specifics of your scenario, not its headline criteria.
Valuation approach.
The loan-to-value ratio is worked out on the lower of your contract price and the lender's valuation, and lenders don't always land on the same figure. I look at how each is likely to value the property before you rely on a number.
Security structure.
Which properties secure which loans shapes what you can do later. I compare stand-alone and shared-security structures for how they affect selling, refinancing and borrowing again.
Servicing.
Each lender tests affordability its own way, including how it treats rental income, business income and existing debts. That is where capacity can differ between lenders.
Pricing.
I weigh the rate, the fees and the features together. A comparison rate is a standard-example measure, so it won't match your loan exactly.
Future flexibility.
I ask what the structure lets you do next: sell, restructure, borrow again or keep cash accessible. The right structure today can create more flexibility for the next move.
Understand the options before you choose the lender.
WORKED EXAMPLE
Worked examples, by situation
These are illustrative scenarios that show how I think about each situation. They are not client results. Client Case Files sit separately and appear only where the client has consented and the facts have been checked.
Investors
Worked example: an illustrative scenario, not a client result.
Planning the next purchase with the whole portfolio in view
A hypothetical investor explores why equity, cash flow and loan structure need to be considered together.
Read Christine's view →Developers
Worked example: an illustrative scenario, not a client result.
Testing the finance pathway before committing to a project
A hypothetical small development project starts with evidence, funding requirements and an exit plan.
Read Christine's view →Home buyers · Refinance & restructure
Worked example: an illustrative scenario, not a client result.
Understanding an offset before chasing a repayment shortcut
A hypothetical homeowner compares extra repayments with retaining cash in an offset, instead of relying on a social-media shortcut.
Read Christine's view →
Where to begin
Not sure which one is yours?
You do not need to know which loan product you need. Tell me the objective, the property and anything that makes the situation unusual. I'll let you know the most useful next step.
I'm Brisbane-based and work with clients Australia-wide, in English, Indonesian, Mandarin and Korean.
General information only. It does not take your objectives, financial situation or needs into account. Lending is subject to lender assessment and criteria. This is not a quote or an offer of credit.