Your finance broker for home loans, with a straight answer on what you can borrow.
- Indicative assessment within 2 business days, settlement typically 1 to 4 weeks
- Loans up to $2M for purchase, refinance, and construction
- First home buyers, upgraders, investors, and self-employed ABN holders
- One year of returns, BAS, or an accountant declaration accepted by some lenders
- Full-doc (tax returns), low-doc or alt-doc (BAS, bank statements or an accountant's letter instead) options across our 90+ lender panel
A home loan is the largest financial commitment most people make, and the difference between lenders on the same application is bigger than most borrowers expect. Two lenders can look at identical payslips and arrive at borrowing capacities tens of thousands of dollars apart, because each applies its own assessment rate, its own treatment of your existing debts, and its own view of income that is not a straightforward salary. Settled With Joe compares that across a panel of 90+ bank, non-bank, and specialist lenders, and Joseph Farhat and his team will tell you honestly and early what is achievable for your situation.
Who we can help access finance
- First home buyers working out what they can genuinely borrow, and which government schemes they qualify for.
- Self-employed borrowers, contractors, and ABN holders whose income is strong but does not present as two years of clean payslips.
- Upgraders who need to buy and sell in the right order without a gap between homes or two mortgages at once.
- Investors building a portfolio where borrowing capacity, not deposit, is usually the constraint.
- Borrowers refinancing off a rate that is now higher than what is available elsewhere, or coming off a fixed term onto a much higher repayment.
- People with a deposit under 20% weighing lenders mortgage insurance against waiting longer to save.
- Borrowers with a past default, a paid judgment, or a thin credit file who need a lender that looks at the full picture.
- Anyone whose situation has changed since their last loan: a new business, a separation, a growing family, or a career break.
How Home Loans Work
A home loan is secured by a mortgage over the property. The lender assesses two things: the property, through a valuation, and you, through a serviceability assessment. Serviceability is where most applications are won or lost. The lender takes your income, applies a buffer to the interest rate, subtracts your living expenses and existing commitments, and checks whether the repayment still fits. Every lender does that slightly differently, which is why borrowing capacity varies so much across the market. Where your deposit is under 20% of the property value, lenders mortgage insurance usually applies, which protects the lender and is paid by you. Lenders express this as the loan-to-value ratio (LVR), the loan as a share of the property's value. Joseph Farhat and his team review your income, your commitments, and your goals, match you to lenders whose assessment suits your situation, and manage the application through to settlement.
What Lenders Assess for Home Loans
Serviceability
income tested against a buffered interest rate, less living expenses and existing commitments. This, not the deposit, is what usually caps the loan.
How your income is treated
bonuses, commission, overtime, rental income, and self-employed profit are all shaded differently by different lenders, sometimes by 20% or more.
Deposit and its source
genuine savings held over time are viewed differently to a recent gift or a sudden lump sum, though gifted deposits are common and workable.
Existing debts
credit card limits count against you at the limit, not the balance, so an unused card can quietly reduce your borrowing capacity.
Living expenses
declared and cross-checked against your bank statements. Understating them slows the application rather than helping it.
Credit file
recent enquiries, arrears, and defaults. A string of applications in a short period reads poorly regardless of the outcome of each.
The property itself
type, size, and location. Small apartments, rural acreage, and single-industry towns can attract lower lending limits.
Employment stability
time in your job or in business, and whether you are on probation, casual, or contract.
The Home Loan Process: What to Expect
- Talk to Joseph Farhat and his team about your income, your deposit, and what you are trying to buy. You will get an honest read on your likely capacity before anything is submitted.
- Provide the basics: identification, income evidence appropriate to how you earn, recent bank statements, and details of your existing debts.
- We compare capacity and policy across the panel and explain why the shortlist looks the way it does. Because we owe you a best interests duty on consumer lending, that reasoning is something we set out rather than keep to ourselves.
- Pre-approval is obtained so you can bid or make an offer with confidence, then a valuation is ordered once you have a property under contract.
- Formal approval, loan documents, and settlement, coordinated with your conveyancer. We stay in contact afterwards, particularly before a fixed rate expires or your rate moves above what is available elsewhere.
Indicative Finance Options
| Lender Type | Pricing | Max LVR | Typical Loan Range | Loan Term | Speed to Settlement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank | Sharpest available pricing | Up to 95% with LMI | $100K to $2M | Up to 30 years | 1 to 4 weeks |
| Non-Bank Lenders | Priced for flexibility | Up to 90% | $100K to $2M | Up to 30 years | 3 to 10 business days |
| Private Finance | Not typically used for owner-occupied home loans. Available for unique scenarios only. | ||||
Indicative figures only. Actual terms depend on your circumstances, the property, and lender assessment at the time of application. We quote your rate and comparison rate for your specific loan amount and term before you apply. Terms are subject to change.
Why borrowers choose Settled With Joe for a home loan
We represent you, not the lender
Joseph Farhat and his team act in your interest from the first conversation through to settlement, and on consumer lending that is a legal duty, not a slogan.
Borrowing capacity is not a fixed number
the same application can vary by tens of thousands of dollars between lenders, so we show you a realistic range and what the repayment looks like at each point in it.
Self-employed income is our normal
we work daily with borrowers whose income is real but does not fit a payslip template, and we know which lenders assess it fairly.
One conversation, not five applications
every application is recorded on your credit file, and a run of them reads poorly to the lender who might have said yes.
90+ lenders on one panel
bank, non-bank, and specialist, so a clean file gets a sharp bank rate and a complex one still has real options.
We explain the shortlist
you will know why a lender is on the shortlist, what it costs, and what the trade-off is, before you apply anywhere.
We stay in touch after settlement
fixed terms expire and rates change, so a loan arranged well in year one can cost more than what is available by year four.
Private finance for unique scenarios
where bank and non-bank lenders are not the right fit, we can introduce you to private finance options.
Usually no direct cost to you
as a broker we are typically paid by the lender on settlement.
An honest answer early
if your capacity does not reach what you are hoping to buy, we will tell you that and what would change it.
Frequently asked questions
What is a home loan and how much can I borrow?
A home loan is finance secured by a mortgage over residential property, repaid over a term of up to 30 years. How much you can borrow is set by serviceability, not by your deposit: the lender takes your income, applies a buffer to the interest rate, subtracts your living expenses and existing commitments, and checks the repayment still fits. Because every lender buffers and assesses income differently, capacity for the same borrower commonly varies by tens of thousands of dollars across the market. Joseph Farhat and his team will give you a realistic range before anything is submitted.
Will applying for a home loan affect my credit score?
Every credit application is recorded on your file, and several applications in a short period read poorly to the next lender, even where each one was reasonable on its own. This is the main risk of applying directly to lender after lender to see who says yes. It is also the main reason to use a broker: we work out which lender suits your situation before an application is lodged, so your file carries one enquiry rather than several. Joseph Farhat and his team will tell you what is likely achievable before anything is submitted.
What is a comparison rate, and why are no rates shown on this page?
A comparison rate combines the interest rate with the standard fees into a single figure, so two loans can be compared honestly. An advertised rate on its own can look sharp and still cost more once establishment, annual, and monthly fees are counted. A comparison rate is only meaningful for a specific loan amount and term, so a headline number published on a page tells you very little about what your loan would actually cost. We would rather quote you the rate and the comparison rate for your real amount and term, alongside the total cost over the full loan, than advertise a figure most borrowers will not receive.
Do you act in my best interests?
Yes. When we provide credit assistance on consumer lending we owe you a best interests duty. In practice that means we make reasonable enquiries into your financial situation, your requirements, and your objectives, and we must not suggest or help you apply for a loan that is unsuitable for you. Where our interests and yours conflict, yours come first. Before we provide credit assistance you will receive our Credit Guide, which sets out our licence authorisation, how we are paid, and how to make a complaint.
Do you work with borrowers with bad credit?
Yes, we do. A default, an old arrears listing, or a thin credit file does not rule you out, and it is not something we will make you feel awkward about. Several lenders on our panel assess your current position rather than the credit file alone, and price for it rather than decline it. What helps most is telling us early, so we approach the right lender first instead of adding enquiries to your file. Joseph Farhat and his team will tell you honestly what is achievable before you apply anywhere.
Can I get a home loan if I am self-employed?
Yes, and it is one of the most common situations we handle. Full-doc lending generally needs two years of tax returns and financials. Where those are not available, or where the returns understate what the business actually earns, alt-doc and low-doc lending assesses you on BAS, business bank statements, or an accountant declaration instead. Some lenders will consider a single year of returns, and some will accept an ABN held for as little as twelve months. The trade-off is usually a higher rate or a lower LVR, and we will show you both paths with the numbers.
How much deposit do I need, and what is LMI?
A 20% deposit plus costs avoids lenders mortgage insurance. Below that, most lenders still lend, commonly to 90% and in some cases 95%, but LMI applies. LMI protects the lender if the loan goes into default, and you pay it, usually as a one-off premium that can be added to the loan. LMI is a real cost, and we will show it in dollars next to the cost of saving a larger deposit, so you can weigh the two. Some professions and some government schemes reduce or remove it entirely.
Can I use a guarantor or a gifted deposit?
Both are common and both are workable. A security guarantee, usually from a parent using equity in their own home, can remove the LMI requirement. It is a serious commitment for the guarantor and most lenders require them to obtain independent legal advice. A gifted deposit is simpler and widely accepted, though lenders will generally want a signed letter confirming the funds are a gift rather than a loan, and some still want to see a portion of genuine savings.
Should I fix my rate or stay variable?
That depends on what you are trying to protect against, and it is a decision that belongs with you. Fixing buys certainty of repayment for the fixed term, at the cost of flexibility: fixed loans usually limit extra repayments, often have no offset, and can carry a significant break cost if you sell or refinance early. Variable keeps the flexibility and the offset but moves with the market. Splitting between the two is common. We will set out what each option costs and restricts for your specific loan so you can decide with the numbers in front of you.
What first home buyer schemes might I qualify for?
Depending on your state, your income, and the property price, there may be stamp duty concessions, a first home owner grant on a new build, or a place in a federal guarantee scheme that reduces the deposit needed without LMI. Eligibility rules change and vary by state, so the authoritative source is your state revenue office and the scheme administrator. Joseph Farhat and his team will flag which schemes look relevant to your situation and point you to where to confirm eligibility.
Can I buy before I sell my current home?
Yes, though it needs planning. The two common routes are bridging finance, which funds the purchase while your existing property sells and is repaid at that sale, or a longer settlement negotiated on the purchase to line the two up. Bridging gives you certainty on the purchase but carries the cost of holding both properties, so the realism of your sale timeline matters. Talk to us before you make an offer, not after, because the right structure depends on the contract terms.
When should I refinance?
The common triggers are a fixed term ending, a rate that is now well above what is currently available, wanting to consolidate other debts into the mortgage, or needing to release equity. Refinancing is not automatically worthwhile: discharge fees, application fees, and a new valuation all cost something, and extending your loan term back to 30 years can cost more in total interest even at a lower rate. We will model the total cost, not just the rate, so the comparison is honest.
Why work with Settled With Joe to finance your home loan?
Because borrowing capacity is not a fixed number, and one conversation beats a round of applications. Most of the people we help are self-employed business owners, contractors, ABN holders, and families whose situation does not fit a standard template: income that is real but irregular, a deposit that is partly gifted, a past listing on the credit file, or a settlement date that has to be met. Those situations are not unusual to us and there is no judgement in the conversation. What matters is your genuine capacity and the property. On consumer lending we owe you a best interests duty, so we explain the shortlist and the trade-offs rather than simply presenting one answer. Our panel covers 90+ bank, non-bank, and specialist lenders. We are based in Sydney and work with borrowers Australia-wide. Joseph Farhat and his team will tell you honestly and early whether we can help and what is realistically achievable.
Do you give financial advice?
No. We do not guide you on your finances, nor give financial advice. We focus on outcomes and solutions of presenting your unique scenario to the right lender so you can access funding in a timely and compliant manner.
Do you help with home loans outside Sydney?
Yes. Settled With Joe is based in Sydney and arranges home loans Australia-wide, covering both metro and regional areas. We work with clients in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and Canberra, as well as regional areas including Newcastle, Wollongong, Geelong, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, and Toowoomba. Lending limits can vary by location, particularly for rural acreage and single-industry towns, and first home buyer schemes differ by state. Joseph Farhat and his team will identify which lenders on the panel are the best fit for your property and situation.
