Standard Home Loan

Borrowing capacity depends on your income, expenses, existing debts, deposit, and credit profile. As a guide: a single PAYG borrower on $90,000/year with no other debts could borrow around $480,000-$540,000 at current rates. Couples, dual-income households, and self-employed borrowers vary widely. Use our calculator or talk to a broker for a precise number based on your real lender panel options.

Fixed rates lock your repayment for a set term (typically 1-5 years) — predictable cash flow, but limited features and break costs apply if you exit early. Variable rates move with the lender's standard rate — more flexibility (offset accounts, redraw, extra repayments) but exposed to rate changes. Many borrowers split their loan: part fixed for certainty, part variable for flexibility.

Standard minimum is 5%. Most lenders accept 5%-10% deposits with Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI). 20% deposit avoids LMI entirely. Some professional groups (doctors, lawyers, accountants) qualify for 90%-95% LVR with no LMI. We'll show you the deposit options across multiple lenders so you can pick the trade-off that suits you.

An offset is a transaction account linked to your loan. Money sitting in the offset reduces the loan balance interest is calculated on — so $50,000 in offset on a $500,000 loan means you only pay interest on $450,000. Worth it if you keep meaningful savings or your salary in there. Costs $0-$15/month depending on the lender. We'll model whether the offset benefit beats the fee for your situation.

Pre-approval: typically 3-7 business days once we have your payslips, ID, and a credit check. Pre-approval lasts 90 days. Application to formal approval: another 1-2 weeks. Application to settlement: 4-6 weeks for a refinance, 6-8 weeks for a purchase (depending on cooling-off period and the contract settlement date). Fast-track refinances can settle in 2-3 weeks with the right lender.