For Borrowers

If you are buying a home or refinancing one, the finance side can feel like a black box. These pages open it up: what a broker actually does, how they get paid and by whom, what documents you will be asked for, what happens between application and settlement, and how to think about fixing, splitting or leaving your rate variable. None of it is advice about your particular situation — it is the background that makes a conversation with a broker genuinely useful rather than one-sided.

In this section

• What Does a Mortgage Broker Actually Do? — the broker's role between you and the lender.
• How to Choose a Mortgage Broker: Eight Questions Worth Asking — what to ask before you commit to anyone.
• How Mortgage Brokers Get Paid — and What It Costs You — commission, trail and who actually pays it.
• The Home Loan Process: What Actually Happens, Step by Step — application through to settlement.
• What Documents You'll Need for a Home Loan Application — the paperwork checklist, worth preparing early.
• Fixed, Variable or Split: How to Think About Loan Structure — the trade-offs in each rate structure.
• Buying Your First Home: How the Finance Side Works — deposits, lenders and first-home specifics.

When you are ready to speak to someone, Find a Broker in your state, or call 1300 667 694.