Guides & straight answers
Plain-English lending guides from the MakeMyLoan team.
Inside a lender's serviceability assessment: net income, income shading, HECS, credit card limits, expense verification and the buffer rate explained.
How stamp duty (transfer duty) works in Australia: state-based rates, when it's payable, first home buyer concessions, and how to estimate your bill.
Your borrowing power result is an estimate, not an approval. What moves the number up or down, and the steps from calculator to real lender assessment.
How construction loans work in Australia: progress payments, fixed-price building contracts, valuations, interest-only repayments and owner-builder hurdles.
What LVR means, how the 80% threshold triggers LMI, why valuations can differ from purchase price, and how equity changes your loan-to-value ratio.
What a mortgage broker does, how Best Interests Duty differs from bank staff obligations, how brokers are paid, and when a broker adds the most value.
Offset accounts and redraw both reduce home loan interest, but they differ on access, fees and tax if you ever rent the property out. Here is how to choose.
Fixed, variable or split? Honest trade-offs for Australian borrowers, including break costs, revert rates and how to decide what actually fits your plans.
What home loan pre-approval really means, how long it lasts, the difference between system and fully assessed approvals, and when lenders can withdraw it.
What actually decides your home loan borrowing power in Australia: income, expenses, debts and buffer rates — and why bank calculators often disagree.