Questions people ask before they call

I provide credit assistance. I help you understand your borrowing position, compare suitable lending options, prepare the application, deal with the lender, and support the process through to approval and settlement.

I do not provide tax advice, legal advice, financial product advice, superannuation strategy or investment advice. Where your file involves tax, asset protection, superannuation, business structure or legal considerations, I will work with your accountant, solicitor or financial adviser and structure the lending around their advice.

A bank assesses your application against its own policy and offers its own products. My role is to compare suitable options across more than one lender, and to explain which were considered, which were ruled out, and why.

You also receive that reasoning in writing before anything is submitted, so the recommendation can be checked rather than taken on trust. If you would rather hand it to your accountant or adviser to review, the documents are yours to keep either way.

Yes. I am based in Sydney and support clients across Australia.

Most of the process can be completed by phone, video meeting and secure document collection, making it easier to manage around work, family and business commitments while keeping the advice process clear and well-documented.

We start with a 30-minute obligation-free consultation to understand your financial position, goals, objectives and lending needs. There is no credit enquiry and no application lodged at this stage.

I will ask about your income, assets, liabilities, living expenses, property plans and any future changes that may affect your borrowing position. I will also explain what lenders are likely to focus on, what documents may be required, and whether your scenario is likely to be suitable for finance.

Commercial and specialist files may attract a fee, and you will know the amount before any work starts.

Your consultation is obligation-free. For most residential lending, I am paid a commission by the lender that funds your loan, and this is disclosed to you before you authorise the application to proceed.

Some commercial, specialist or complex lending matters may involve a separate brokerage fee. Where this applies, it will be discussed and agreed with you before any work begins.

It is a fair question to ask any broker, including me, because I am paid a commission by the lender that funds your loan.

Before you authorise anything, you receive a written comparison of the lender and product options considered for your circumstances: which lenders may be suitable, which have been ruled out, and the key policy, servicing, pricing or approval factors behind that assessment. You also receive the commission payable, and whether it differs between the options considered.

That means the reasoning and the payment are both in front of you while the decision is still open, so you can check one against the other rather than take my word for it.

For most residential lending you are not charged by me — I am paid a commission by the lender that funds the loan, and that amount is disclosed to you before you proceed.

What a loan costs you depends on the loan itself: the interest rate, the fees, the loan term and the structure. That is why you receive the lender costs, loan fees and commission in writing, with the differences between the options explained, before you authorise the application.

Online calculators can be a helpful starting point, but they often do not reflect how lenders actually assess an application. Your borrowing position can be affected by your income type, HECS debt, credit card limits, car loans, living expenses, deposit source, employment history and future changes to your circumstances.

Once I have your documents, I assess your borrowing capacity based on lender policy and give you a written borrowing assessment showing the income figure used, the period relied on, relevant add-backs, existing commitments, living expenses and the key servicing assumptions — so you can see how the figure was reached.

I compare suitable lender and product options based on your circumstances, objectives and priorities, assessing lender policy, borrowing capacity, interest rates, fees, product features, approval likelihood, turnaround times and any risks or limitations.

Rather than a general list, what you receive is the comparison for your own file: which lenders were considered, which were ruled out, and the reason behind each. Lender policy changes frequently, and the lenders that suit a self-employed file, a commercial purchase and a first home purchase are rarely the same ones.

Lenders set their own interest rates. Those decisions are influenced by the Reserve Bank cash rate, funding costs and competition, but a lender is not obliged to move in line with the cash rate, and different lenders respond differently.

I do not control pricing. What I can do is explain how a lender’s rate, comparison rate, fees and features apply to your loan, and review the position with you after settlement.

That depends on your circumstances, objectives and how much certainty you want over your repayments, so it is something we work through rather than something with one right answer.

I will explain how each option would apply to your loan, including the repayment impact, the features you would keep or lose, what happens when a fixed period ends, and the costs that can apply if a fixed loan is broken early. The decision is yours, and the reasoning is documented before anything is submitted.

Your first consultation is obligation-free, with no credit enquiry or application lodged. No application is submitted to a lender until you understand the recommendation and authorise me to proceed.

This matters because a declined application may appear on your credit file and can affect how the next lender views the file. I would rather give you a clear answer early than submit an application that is not ready.

Not always. Some clients have a strong business, consistent trading income and a genuine borrowing need, but their accountant has not finalised the numbers, or the most recent tax return does not fully reflect the current business position.

Depending on your circumstances, security position and exit strategy, there may be full-doc, mid-doc, low-doc or short-term private lending options. These can come with different interest rates, fees, LVR limits, document requirements and conditions, and I will explain those differences clearly so you can weigh them against simply waiting.

My service does not stop at settlement. I continue to support clients with post-settlement questions, loan reviews, rate checks, future purchases, refinancing opportunities and ongoing finance needs throughout the life of the loan.

Many of my clients are referred by people they trust — past clients, accountants, real estate agents, business partners or friends.

The first step is a 30-minute obligation-free consultation to understand your financial position, goals and objectives, and to identify how I may be able to help with your finance needs. If you would like to read first, the “who I work with” pages set out what a lender looks at in each kind of file.