Nicole Brophy - Canberra Mortgage Broker

Nicole Brophy - Canberra Mortgage Broker I love providing my clients with the right advice, loan structure, and support to help them achieve their goals.

08/09/2026

You bought the house. Got the keys. Survived settlement.

Now for the adulting part. šŸ˜‚

There are three things new homeowners to think about:

1. Your will
You now own a significant asset. Make sure you've thought about what happens to it if the unthinkable happens.

2. Your personal insurance
Life, trauma and other appropriate cover can form part of protecting your family and reducing the risk of being forced to sell if something goes seriously wrong.

3. Your cash
Get your offset structure working properly so the savings you're building can help reduce the interest you're paying.

Buying the property is one thing.

Protecting it, and making the finances around it work properly, is the next job.

06/09/2026

Hit your personal borrowing limit but still want to invest in property?

Your super could potentially open another path.

With a correctly structured SMSF investment, the aim is for the rent from the property plus ongoing super contributions to help cover the costs of holding it.

And with residential SMSF borrowing now off the table, weā€™re increasingly looking at commercial property for investors considering this strategy.

The structure matters. The deposit matters. The LVR matters. And you absolutely want your accountant and financial adviser involved before making the move.

But reaching your personal borrowing ceiling doesnā€™t necessarily mean youā€™ve reached the end of your property investment options.

03/09/2026

Found the home you want to upgrade toā€¦ but havenā€™t sold the one youā€™re living in?

Thatā€™s exactly where bridging finance can come into the conversation.

It can allow you to purchase and move into your next home before your current property sells, rather than trying to perfectly time two transactions.

But thereā€™s a catch.

Your bridging debt can come with a significantly higher interest rate, and it stays in place until your existing property sells. In some cases, the interest can be capitalised rather than paid month-to-month during that period.

So bridging can solve a very real problem, but you need to understand the numbers and have a clear sale strategy before jumping in.

I explain bridging finance, equity, whether to keep or sell your current home, and the rest of the upgrade strategy in the full video:

ā–¶ļø How to upgrade your home without breaking the bank

Watch the full video:
https://youtu.be/wM0GrdG4sfA

01/09/2026

A prenup isn't exactly the most romantic conversation to have with a new partner. šŸ˜‚

But if either of you is entering the relationship with property, investments or other significant assets, it can be a conversation worth having.

In Australia, what we commonly call a ā€œprenupā€ is generally a Binding Financial Agreement, and it can set out how certain financial matters will be dealt with if the relationship later ends.

The point isn't planning for the relationship to fail.

It's having the difficult conversation while you both like each other, rather than trying to sort everything out when you potentially don't. šŸ˜¬

If you've already built significant assets before entering a relationship, speak to a family lawyer about whether a BFA is appropriate for your circumstances.

30/08/2026

A good valuation today doesn't guarantee you'll get the same valuation in two months.

One of my clients learnt this the hard way.

He was renovating and had enough equity available to take out more than he thought he'd need.

I suggested taking the extra buffer while we had the valuation and approval in front of us.

He took $50k.

Two months later, he needed another $50k.

New valuation. Lower result. That extra equity was no longer available.

Except by then, the renovations were underway and trades needed to be paid.

The solution ended up being a personal loan, with the hope that once the renovations are complete, we can get a stronger valuation and refinance that debt back into the home loan.

If you're already releasing equity for a project, think carefully about your contingency.

It's much nicer having money available that you don't need than needing money you can no longer access.

27/08/2026

Want to upgrade the family home, but wondering where the next deposit is supposed to come from?

You might already have it.

If your current home has increased in value, the equity you've built could potentially be used towards the deposit and costs on your next property.

In this example, an $800k home with $300k owing could provide around $340k in available equity, potentially enough for the deposit and stamp duty on a home around $1.2m.

But accessing equity is only one piece of the upgrade puzzle.

Do you sell your current home or keep it? Can your cash flow support both? How much should you actually spend on the upgrade?

I cover the whole strategy in my latest YouTube video:

ā–¶ļø How to upgrade your home without breaking the bank

Watch the full video:
https://youtu.be/wM0GrdG4sfA

25/08/2026

We're all looking for ways to save money right now.

But please don't make your conveyancer one of them.

I still have people tell me they're considering doing the conveyancing themselves to save a couple of thousand dollars.

On one of the biggest financial transactions you'll probably ever make.

šŸ˜¬

A good conveyancer knows what they're looking for, what can go wrong and what needs to be sorted before you become legally committed to something very expensive.

You're potentially spending hundreds of thousands, or millions, on the property.

Spend the extra $2,000 and get the legal side done properly.

There are plenty of places to save money when buying a home.

This isn't one of them.

23/08/2026

Some loans stay with you.

A few years ago, I helped a family whose lives had changed overnight after their daughter suffered a traumatic brain injury.

Before she could leave hospital, they needed a home that could accommodate her 24/7 care.

They'd been with the same bank for more than 20 years, so they went to them for a bridging loan.

The answer was no.

All they wanted was to find a way to bring their daughter home for Christmas.

We looked at the situation differently, found another solution and were able to get the bridging finance in place so they could move into a suitable home and bring her home.

People sometimes joke that mortgage broking must be a pretty boring job.

Sometimes it is paperwork and interest rates.

And sometimes it's helping a family when they really, really need someone in their corner.

This is one I'll never forget.

20/08/2026

Having equity today doesn't mean you'll have access to the same amount in 12 months.

A $1 million property dropping 10% in value can mean $80,000 less accessible equity at an 80% LVR.

And here's the part people often miss.

Releasing equity doesn't necessarily mean you need to spend it immediately.

Depending on the loan structure, those funds can potentially sit in an offset against the new loan until you're ready to use them, meaning you're not paying interest on money sitting fully offset.

Then when the right investment opportunity comes along, the funds are already there.

If you've got equity available and you're thinking about investing in the next 6-12 months, now might be the time to find out what you can access.

18/08/2026

A great rate and $3,000 cashback sounds pretty hard to beat.

Until you look at what you're actually getting.

If it's a basic loan with no offset and you're someone who keeps a decent amount of savings sitting in cash, that cheaper rate might not save you as much as you think.

And what about additional repayments, loan flexibility and the features you'll actually use?

Cashback is nice.

A sharp rate is important.

But neither tells you whether the loan is actually better for you.

Before refinancing, compare the whole package, not just the number they put in the ad.

Address

Equinox Building 1, Level 1, 70 Kent Street, Deakin
Canberra, ACT
2600

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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