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Explore insights, updates, and expert tips on property finance, business loans, and smart borrowing strategies—carefully curated by the team at APW Finance.
Refinancing Cost Checklist Refinancing Cost Checklist: Every Fee Involved in Switching Lenders Refinancing is worth doing when the saving beats the cost quickly enough. The difficulty is that the costs are scattered across three parties and none of them appear
NSW Stamp Duty Rates Table NSW Stamp Duty Rates Table: Current Brackets, First Home Buyer Thresholds and Premium Duty Transfer duty, still widely called stamp duty, is usually the largest single cost after the deposit. It is payable to Revenue
Mortgage Glossary for Australian Borrowers Mortgage Glossary for Australian Borrowers: The Terms Lenders Use and What They Mean Lending has its own vocabulary, and most of it is never explained to borrowers. The terms below are the ones that actually
Home Loan Documents Checklist Sydney Home Loan Documents Checklist Sydney: Everything to Assemble Before You Apply An application that arrives complete is assessed faster and questioned less. One that arrives in pieces goes to the back of the queue every
Home Loan Application Timeline Home Loan Application Timeline: What Happens Between Enquiry and Settlement Most delays in a home loan are predictable. They happen at the same four points every time, and all four can be shortened by preparation rather
First Home Buyer Scheme Comparison NSW First Home Buyer Scheme Comparison NSW: What Each Programme Does and How They Stack Four separate programmes help first home buyers in New South Wales. They are run by three different bodies and they
Borrowing Capacity Factors Explained Borrowing Capacity Factors Explained: What Lenders Count, Shade and Ignore Borrowing capacity is not a percentage of your income. It is what remains after a lender has adjusted your income down, your expenses up, and tested
Guide to Using Equity in Your Sydney Home Guide to Using Equity in Your Sydney Home: What You Can Access and How to Structure It Table of Contents Equity and Usable Equity Are Not the Same Why Two Tests Must
Business Finance Guide for Sydney Owners Business Finance Guide for Sydney Owners: Which Facility, How Much, and What Lenders Check Table of Contents Matching the Facility to the Problem How Unsecured Limits Are Calculated Why ATO Debt Is Not Automatically
Family Guarantee Guide for Sydney Parents Family Guarantee Guide for Sydney Parents: What You Are Risking and How It Ends Table of Contents What a Family Guarantee Actually Is What Parents Are and Are Not Liable For Why the Cap
Guide to LMI Waivers by Profession Guide to LMI Waivers by Profession: Who Qualifies and What to Confirm Before You Apply Table of Contents Why Insurers Waive the Premium at All The Three Tiers, and What Separates Them What Actually
Sydney Property Investment Finance Guide Sydney Property Investment Finance Guide: Structure, Tax Changes and Buying the Second One Table of Contents How Lenders Assess an Investment Application What the 2026 Tax Changes Did Why Cross-Collateralisation Costs You Later Structuring the
SMSF Property Lending Guide for Sydney Trustees SMSF Property Lending Guide for Sydney Trustees: What Changed on 10 August 2026 Table of Contents What Changed on 10 August 2026 What Business Real Property Actually Means What Is Grandfathered and What
Guide to Refinancing a Home Loan in NSW Guide to Refinancing a Home Loan in NSW: Working Out Whether It Is Worth It Table of Contents What Refinancing Actually Costs Why Your Current Lender Charges You More Than a New
Guide to Building a Home in Sydney Guide to Building a Home in Sydney: Contracts, Draw Stages and Where Builds Stall Table of Contents How a Construction Loan Differs From a Home Loan Why the Contract Type Decides Your Lender
Complete Guide to Buying Your First Home in Sydney Complete Guide to Buying Your First Home in Sydney: Costs, Schemes and the Order to Do Things In Table of Contents What Buying Your First Home in Sydney Actually Costs Why
Commercial Property Finance Guide for Sydney Buyers Commercial Property Finance Guide for Sydney Buyers: Deposits, Terms and What Lenders Price On Table of Contents How Commercial Lending Differs From Residential What Lenders Actually Price On Loan-to-Value Ratios by Asset Type
Self Employed Home Loan Documentation Guide Self Employed Home Loan Documentation Guide: What to Prepare and Which Route to Take Table of Contents Why Good Accounting Reduces Your Borrowing Capacity The Four Documentation Routes Add-Backs: The Part Most Applications Miss
What is lenders mortgage insurance in one sentence? A premium charged to borrowers with less than a twenty percent deposit, which indemnifies the lender against loss on default. It does not protect you, it does not reduce your debt, and it is not the same as mortgage protection insurance.
Construction loan progress payments follow the building contract. The builder claims at each completed stage, the lender inspects or values, and funds are released directly to the builder. Interest accrues only on drawn amounts, and the loan converts to principal and interest at completion.
The construction loan vs home loan difference is that a construction facility releases funds progressively against completed building stages, charges interest only on the drawn balance, and requires a fixed price contract. On practical completion it converts to a standard principal and interest home loan.
The knockdown rebuild cost Sydney owners should budget for combines demolition, approvals, site works and construction. Construction dominates at roughly $2,270 to $4,880 per square metre. Because you already own the land, you avoid stamp duty and agent fees that a move would trigger.
To obtain a self employed home loan without payslips, lenders substitute tax returns, notices of assessment, business financials and BAS lodgements. Full doc applications use two years of returns. Alt doc applications use accountant declarations or bank statements where returns are not yet available.
Can SMSF borrow to buy property? Yes, using a limited recourse borrowing arrangement where a separate bare trust holds the title until the loan is repaid. The fund needs sufficient balance, a compliant deed, a genuine liquidity buffer and a property that satisfies the sole purpose test.
A limited recourse borrowing arrangement explained for trustees works like this. The SMSF borrows and pays the deposit. A bare trust holds legal title to the property. The fund receives all rent and makes all repayments. On repayment, title transfers to the fund.
The smsf loan deposit requirement is usually twenty to thirty per cent, reflecting loan to value caps of seventy to eighty per cent on residential and sixty five to seventy five per cent on commercial. Your fund also needs duty, costs and a retained liquidity buffer, all paid from fund cash.
Commercial property loan interest rate calculation begins with the lender’s cost of funds, then adds margins for loan to value ratio, property type, lease quality, borrower strength and loan size. The result is quoted per deal rather than published, which is why comparison requires several submissions.
The unsecured vs secured business loan choice comes down to term. Unsecured lending is fast, requires no property, and prices materially higher. Secured lending takes weeks, requires property or business assets, and prices far lower. Short need means unsecured. Long need means secured.
What is a chattel mortgage in practice? A finance arrangement where your business takes ownership of a vehicle or equipment immediately while the lender holds security over it. You claim GST, interest and depreciation, unlike a lease where the financier owns the asset
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