Guides Home loan guides
Plain answers to the questions people ask me, each with the numbers, the sources and the catch. Written by a Chartered Accountant who works out the real number first.
First home
Deposits, schemes and stamp duty for first home buyers.
The 5% Deposit Scheme explained Who is eligible, the price caps by state, the 10-year rule and the catch, checked against the government guides. How much deposit do I need to buy in NSW in 2026? The deposit, stamp duty and costs at four prices, and what it really costs to buy an $850,000 home. 5% deposit vs saving 20%: the numbers Cash on the day, the bigger loan, the years of saving and rent, side by side.
Starting again
Owned before, separated, selling or moving on.
Buying a home after a separation When the property settlement needs to be final, buying out a former partner, and the help that may still apply. Haven’t owned in 10 years? The 5% scheme may still apply How the 10-year rule works, what counts as owning, a former partner’s property, and the stamp duty that still changes. Bridging loan vs selling first The cost, the risk and the stress of each, with a worked example, and who each one suits.
Self-employed and business owners
How lenders read business income, and tax debt.
Home loans for sole traders and tradies What lenders ask for at each stage of an ABN, from the first months to two years and beyond. Home loans on company director income Salary, dividends, company profit, retained profits and trust distributions, the way lenders read them. Home loan with one year of tax returns Who a one-year application suits, what else lenders ask for, and when waiting is the better answer. Can I get a home loan with ATO debt? Payment plans, paying it out at settlement and refinancing to clear it, with the true cost of each. How lenders assess self-employed income Add-backs, two-year averaging versus the latest year, and why one tax return gets different answers.
Refinance and debt
Consolidating debt and the true cost of each option.
Professionals
Profession policies and what they cover.
How brokers work
What a broker does, and how they’re paid.
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