Is 12 months too early to talk to a mortgage broker?

No. Twelve months, two years, even five years out is a good time. It gives you time to clear debt, build savings and sort your income before you apply.

What can a broker do if I'm not ready to buy yet?

Work out where you sit now, what's holding your borrowing back, and a plan to fix it. That might mean clearing a debt, building savings or running scenarios on future income.

Does it cost anything to talk to a broker early?

Not with me. The bank pays me when a loan settles, so the early conversations cost you nothing.

Can a broker plan around a future job or pay rise?

Yes. We can run scenarios on what your income might look like in one, two or three years, so you know what you could buy once it lands.

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When should I talk to a broker? Is 12 months too early?

Bayley Clarke · Mortgage broker on the road · Last checked 11 November 2026 · 2 min read

The short answer

The sooner the better. Whether you're 12 months away, 24 months away or three, four, five years out, talking to a broker early helps set you up for success down the track.

If you want a bit of an idea of where you sit now and where you want to be, we can start filling in the blanks on how to get you there, and put a plan together to make it happen. There's never a point where it's too early.

The 60 second version, filmed from the driver's seat. The rest of this page is the detail underneath it.

What we actually do when you're a year or more out

Say you've got some debt in the background, a car loan, a credit card, a personal loan, and it's affecting what you want to do in the future. Good, now we know. We can work out how to get that debt gone before you apply, rather than finding out at application time that it's costing you borrowing power.

Same with income. Say you're casually employed, about to finish uni and moving into a full-time role on a set salary. We can run scenarios on what your income might look like in one, two or three years, and what that means for what you could buy and when.

Why early beats right before you buy

Most of what moves the numbers takes time. Paying down debt, building savings, getting a few months of payslips in a new job, letting a credit file clean up: none of that happens in the week before you make an offer.

If you talk to someone twelve months out, those things become a plan with dates on it. If you talk to someone the week you find a place, they're just problems. These are the scenarios that tickle my brain when I'm helping clients into a home that's theirs.

The honest bit: don't put it off

It costs you nothing to have the conversation early, and it can save you months of guessing. Whenever you have the thought, and you've got someone you trust to give you some guidance on the numbers, do it.

Then we check in as things change, and when you're ready to go, the groundwork is already done.

Thinking about buying in the next few years?

A 30 minute call. We go through where you sit now, what's in the way, and a plan with dates for getting you ready to buy.

Book a 30 minute call Call 0437 189 939

No cost to you. The bank pays me when a loan settles. · How I get paid

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