Blog
Notes with a date on them
Rate decisions, market takes, and town stories. If it answers a question you'd ask on a call, it doesn't live here, it lives in Straight Answers.
What Income Counts for a Home Loan?
Your payslip number and the number the bank uses are two different numbers, and for anyone with bonus, overtime, casual or family-business income they can be a long way apart. One map of how lenders shade, average and test each income type, and why the lender you pick changes the answer.
Guide August 2026 · 7 min read
Why Is My Borrowing Power So Low?
The bank's version of your life costs more than your version, and that gap is why your borrowing power comes back low. Five hidden expenses explain it: HECS, car loans, card limits, Afterpay and the rent you never pay.
Guide August 2026 · 7 min read
The First Home Guarantee, Explained
Buy with a 5% deposit and no LMI. What the guarantee actually does, what changed in October 2025, who can use it now, and the three things it does not do.
Guide August 2026 · 7 min read
Mortgage Broker in Glen Innes, The Town Where I Became a Broker
My broking career grew up in Glen Innes. Why nobody fights for the small-town loans, what country properties teach you about banks, and why I still take those loans personally.
Towns July 2026 · 5 min read
Mortgage Broker in Inverell, From Someone Who Actually Lived There
I lived in Inverell, and over 25 local households have done their loans with me since, almost all through word of mouth. The story, and how regional lending really works.
Towns July 2026 · 5 min read
Why did the bank say no to my home loan?
A no from one bank is a no from one calculator. Find the gate your file tripped, income, debts, credit file, deposit or the property, and what changes the answer.
The bank said no Updated August 2026 · 5 min read
RBA Rates March 2026: What Just Happened and What It Means for You
The full rate cycle breakdown as it stood in March 2026: what happened, what was expected next, and what it meant for buying and refinancing at the time.
Rates March 2026 · 5 min read
How to Buy Your First Home: Every Pathway Explained
Every pathway to a first home (saving, guarantors, grants, rentvesting) explained in plain English. This guide is being split into the answer library, question by question.
Guide March 2026 · 5 min read