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Freedom Financing 🏡 Freedom Financing | Mortgage Broker
100% Aussie Owned, helping Aussies secure smarter home & investment loans with less stress.

Buying, refinancing or investing – we compare 40+ lenders to find the right loan.

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A convincing settlement email can look exactly like the real thing.Scammers target Australian property transactions by s...
16/10/2026

A convincing settlement email can look exactly like the real thing.

Scammers target Australian property transactions by substituting fraudulent bank details into messages that appear legitimate. The ACCC has warned about this, as reported by ABC News in July 2024, and ASIC has issued its own warning about payment redirection scams.

The mistake is treating an emailed payment request as proof.

Before you send purchase or settlement funds, phone your conveyancer, solicitor or agent on a number you found independently, not one in the email. Then verify the account details with them.

If the instructions change at any point, treat that as a reason to verify again.

It's a calm, simple check, and it's worth doing every time.

Save this before settlement, and ask me who to call if you're unsure.

Your rent history may count as proof of savings.If you've recently built up a deposit, you might assume you have to wait...
15/10/2026

Your rent history may count as proof of savings.

If you've recently built up a deposit, you might assume you have to wait longer to show genuine savings. Some lenders accept a qualifying continuous rental history as evidence instead. Westpac's broker policy describes this (checked 16 October 2026).

It's an evidence pathway. It isn't money that replaces your deposit or the cash needed at settlement, and requirements differ between lenders.

Before assuming you need to wait, ask your broker whether the lender you have in mind accepts rental history. Then gather your lease, rental ledger and proof of payments. Separately, confirm the cash you'll need to complete the purchase.

If this sounds like your situation, it's worth a chat with a broker.

Paid off the loan? The title is a separate check.If you're a Victorian homeowner nearing your final repayment, here's so...
14/10/2026

Paid off the loan? The title is a separate check.

If you're a Victorian homeowner nearing your final repayment, here's something that surprises a lot of people. Repaying the loan and removing the mortgage from the title are two steps.

Per Land Use Victoria, a discharge of mortgage is lodged after the mortgage has been repaid, and registration removes the mortgage reference from the title.

Three questions worth asking your lender as you finish:

1. How will the discharge be arranged and registered?
2. Are there any fees that apply?
3. How will completion be confirmed?

A zero loan balance is great, but it's worth confirming with the lender and, where appropriate, a title search too.

If you'd like to chat about the end-of-loan steps, you're welcome to ask Freedom Financing.

A fixed-loan exit cost is a quote, not a fixed number.If you sell, refinance or repay a fixed-rate loan early, a break c...
13/10/2026

A fixed-loan exit cost is a quote, not a fixed number.

If you sell, refinance or repay a fixed-rate loan early, a break cost can apply. ASIC Moneysmart confirms that repaying early or switching can attract a break fee.

NAB explains that its calculation depends on changes in funding costs, the remaining fixed period and the amount repaid. Because funding costs change daily, the quote can change.

Before you authorise a payout or a loan change, get a current quote from your lender for the transaction you actually intend to make. Check how long it's valid, and include it in your comparison.

Jorden Harris

Parental leave can split a home-loan assessment into two income periods.ME Bank's supporting-document checklist (require...
12/10/2026

Parental leave can split a home-loan assessment into two income periods.

ME Bank's supporting-document checklist (requirements checked on 13 October 2026) asks for two kinds of evidence.

First, an employer letter confirming your proposed return date, employment status, hours and salary.

Second, separate evidence showing you can meet your commitments during partially paid or unpaid leave.

So neither your usual salary nor your temporary leave income tells the whole story on its own.

The practical step is to prepare the employer confirmation and a documented leave-period funding plan together. Then ask your broker which lenders can assess that evidence.

I'm Jorden Harris, and I'd rather you have the paperwork ready early than scramble mid-application.

Buyers often assume finance is the first hurdle.For some temporary residents, and for families buying with overseas citi...
11/10/2026

Buyers often assume finance is the first hurdle.

For some temporary residents, and for families buying with overseas citizens or foreign trusts, there's a step before that: checking whether you're allowed to buy.

As at 12 October 2026, the ATO says that from 1 April 2025 to 30 March 2027, foreign persons generally can't buy established dwellings in Australia. That includes homes meant as a principal place of residence. There are limited exceptions, and separate rules for other property types.

So if residency status could affect eligibility, confirm the foreign-investment position before you pay for loan applications, legal work or property due diligence. Don't assume an owner-occupier purchase is permitted.

This is general information only, not legal or tax advice. Have a look at the ATO page on applying to buy residential property as a foreign person, and talk to me early about where finance fits in.

Buying off the plan? Plan for the wait, not just the day you sign.Here's the timeline I like people to keep in mind:1. S...
10/10/2026

Buying off the plan? Plan for the wait, not just the day you sign.

Here's the timeline I like people to keep in mind:

1. Sign the contract.
2. Wait while the building is completed. Victorian off-the-plan contracts warn that substantial time can pass before ownership and that the property value may change.
3. Plan of subdivision registration. If it isn't registered by the contract date or the default 18-month period, the buyer has a right to end the contract and recover the deposit.
4. Settlement, when the lender reassesses the position.

Before signing, it's worth asking your broker or lender to model whether the intended loan still looks workable if valuation, income, savings or lending policy change before settlement. A conveyancer can also explain the registration and sunset provisions.

Asking these questions early is normal and sensible. It just means you're planning for the whole wait.

If you'd like a chat about planning ahead, I'm happy to talk it through with you at Freedom Financing.

- Jorden Harris

Building a home in Victoria? Here's the paper to ask for before any money moves.According to Consumer Affairs Victoria, ...
09/10/2026

Building a home in Victoria? Here's the paper to ask for before any money moves.

According to Consumer Affairs Victoria, for eligible major domestic building contracts signed from 1 July 2026, Home Warranty insurance applies to larger building work on homes of three storeys or less. The builder takes out the cover after signing, and the owner should receive a notice of cover.

The cover can respond to incomplete, faulty or non-compliant work, though it's not a guarantee of any outcome. Whether it applies depends on your contract and circumstances.

Before you pay a deposit or commit loan funds, ask for the notice of cover. Then check that the address and builder details on it match your contract and your project.

If you'd like to talk through how construction funding is staged, I'm always happy to have that conversation.

Renovating before you move in? Add a holding-cost check to your plan.A common timeline looks like this:1. Buy or inherit...
08/10/2026

Renovating before you move in? Add a holding-cost check to your plan.

A common timeline looks like this:

1. Buy or inherit the property.
2. Renovate it, or let it sit vacant for a while.
3. Check the Victorian holding costs.

According to the State Revenue Office Victoria, vacant residential land tax can apply where an existing home was vacant for more than six months in the previous calendar year. Separate rules exist for homes under construction, being renovated or uninhabitable for extended periods, and affected owners must notify by 15 February.

I can't tell you whether any exemption will apply to your situation. That's one to confirm with the SRO or a professional adviser.

What I can say is that it's worth including possible Victorian holding taxes in your project cash-flow plan, and checking early whether an exemption or notification applies.

Reference: SRO Victoria, as at 9 Oct 2026.

If you're planning a renovation, I'm happy to talk through timing your finance around it.

Here's something that surprises a lot of people: moving home doesn't always mean replacing your existing loan.Some lende...
07/10/2026

Here's something that surprises a lot of people: moving home doesn't always mean replacing your existing loan.

Some lenders offer loan portability, sometimes called substitution of security. For an eligible loan, the property securing it can be swapped for your next home.

It isn't automatic. Westpac says the new property generally needs to satisfy its security and lending criteria, may need a valuation, and some loan types or borrower circumstances are excluded.

Before listing or making an offer, ask your current lender whether your specific loan is portable, whether both settlements must align, and whether a loan increase would need separate approval.

Then compare that with a full refinance, rather than assuming either one is automatic.

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Beveridge, VIC
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