One conversation across 90+ lenders, including the ones built for self-employed income.
Indicative assessment within 2 business days.
Loans up to $2M.
Access to over 90+ bank, non-bank, and private lenders
Your finance broker for fast, same-week settlements.
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 ending up homeless or holding two mortgages.
•Investors building a portfolio where borrowing capacity, not deposit, is usually the constraint.
•Borrowers refinancing off a rate that has quietly drifted, 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. 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
1.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.
2.Provide the basics: identification, income evidence appropriate to how you earn, recent bank statements, and details of your existing debts.
3.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.
4.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.
5.Formal approval, loan documents, and settlement, coordinated with your conveyancer. We stay in contact afterwards, particularly before a fixed rate expires or a rate quietly drifts.
Indicative Finance Options
Lender Type
Pricing
Max LVR
Typical Loan Range
Loan Term
Speed to Assessment
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, and knowing where you are assessed most generously is the difference between the house you want and the one you settle for.
•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 recommended, what it costs, and what the trade-off is, before you apply anywhere.
•We stay in touch after settlement: fixed terms expire and rates drift, and a loan arranged well in year one can quietly become expensive 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. Most people carrying a listing picked it up during a period they did not plan for, and it says very little about whether the repayment fits your budget today. 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.
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.
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. It is not wasted money if buying sooner is worth more to you than the premium, but it is a real cost and worth seeing in dollar terms. Some professions and some government schemes reduce or remove it entirely.
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 and let you buy sooner. 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.
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.
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.
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.
The common triggers are a fixed term ending, a rate that has drifted 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.
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.
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.
Yes. Settled With Joe is based in Sydney but 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.
Enquire today. We will get back to you within 3 business hours.
No credit check. No obligation.
Why Settled With Joe?
✓Specialist commercial and personal finance broker
✓90+ lender panel across bank, non-bank, and private
✓Loans from $20,000 to $10,000,000
✓Urgent finance within days
✓Financing complex and unique scenarios for both personal and business scenarios
Great experience working with Joseph during my home loan application. He was knowledgeable, responsive, and made the whole process clear and stress-free. I really appreciated his support and would happily recommend him to anyone needing help with property matters.
Getting a loan was difficult for me but not only did Joe get the loan done, he came from a place of understanding. Highly recommend and when I need to refinance at any stage I know who to see.
Joe was awesome to deal with. Super knowledgeable, easy to talk to, and made the whole process smooth and stress-free. He explained everything clearly and worked hard to get the best outcome for us. Highly recommend Settled with Joe if you're looking for reliability, transparency and quality.
Great experience dealing with Joe. His knowledge and expertise made everything seem so easy. Thanks for getting things done. Looking forward to getting another one done with you. Highly recommend.
Great mortgage broker. I have worked with Joe across multiple loans and never had any issues — efficient, professional and always gets you a great deal!
Highly recommend Settled with Joe if you're looking for a mortgage broker who actually makes the whole process easy. Joe was professional, knowledgeable, and always available to answer questions. He handled everything smoothly from start to finish and helped secure a great outcome without the usual stress that comes with finance.
Great experience from start to finish. Joe was professional, responsive and transparent throughout the entire process. He explained everything clearly and made it easy to move forward with confidence. Highly recommend for anyone looking for reliable and trustworthy financial services.
