Brooke McGougan - Mortgage Advisor

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Brooke McGougan - Mortgage Advisor

Brooke is a Mortgage Advisor who will advise you on everything you need to know about taking out a mortgage and the homebuying journey.

Based in Hamilton, Brooke offers a free service and is accessible to work with clients throughout New Zealand.

07/09/2026

My toxic trait might be being always contactable, but when it comes to buying a home, the perfect house doesn't wait.

This is exactly the kind of review that makes the 9pm phone calls worth it. 🥹🏡

If you want someone in your corner who actually picks up, you know where to find me 📞

05/09/2026

Happy Father’s Day to the Dads who help make a house a home. 🤍

A house might be the walls, the roof and the mortgage, but a home is all the little things that happen inside (and around) it.

It’s the sound of Dad coming through the door and the kids running to meet him. The rough-and-tumble games that somehow always get a little too rough. The slightly-too-high pushes on the swing, the adventures that probably come with a “don’t tell Mum”, and being allowed to do things Mum definitely would have said no to. 😂

It’s teaching them how to ride a bike, kick a ball, use a tool, light a fire or drive something they’re probably still far too young to be driving. It’s fixing what’s broken, building things, mowing lawns, shifting things that are too heavy and somehow being expected to know how to fix absolutely everything.

It’s working hard behind the scenes to provide for your family. Being the one they look up to, follow around and want to “help” even when their help makes the job take twice as long.
It’s making them laugh when everyone is getting a little too serious, creating adventures out of ordinary days and being someone they know will always be there when they need you.

Because one day, they probably won't remember whether the house was perfectly tidy, what colour the walls were or what interest rate we were paying.

They'll remember the fires you lit, the things you taught them, the games you played, the adventures you took them on, the laughter, the feeling of being safe and all those ordinary little moments that eventually became their childhood.

That's what makes a house a home.

And a special Happy Father’s Day to my hubby - thank you for working so hard for our family, for being the Dad our kids absolutely adore and for creating a home and a childhood full of memories with them.

And a special Happy Fathers day to my Dad - thank you for teaching me to be handy and good with figuring things out! I really do appreciate everything you do.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads and father figures helping turn the houses we buy into the homes our kids will remember.

03/09/2026

The timeline that doesn’t usually happen in this order.. (but it should!)

Sometimes it starts with having a nosey on TradeMe.
Sometimes it starts with talking to the bank.

But if you make Step 1 talking to a mortgage advisor, even before you’re “ready”, you’ll be in a better position for what happens next.

You don't need a deposit sitting in your account before you talk to me. You don't need to have found a house. You just need to be thinking about it.

That first chat is free, no obligation, and it tells you exactly where you stand and what your next move should be.

Save this one and share it with anyone you know who's thinking about buying their first home. 🏡

01/09/2026

Spring traditionally brings more properties to market which means more choice for buyers, but potentially more competition too.

And if there’s one thing I don’t love seeing, it’s someone finding the house… only to realise they haven’t sorted their finance yet.

So if buying a home is even remotely on your radar this spring, now is the time to get yourself organised.

Here’s what I’d be doing:

1. Find out what you can actually borrow.

Not what an online calculator says. Not what your friend bought for. Let’s look at your income, expenses, deposit and debts and work out what the banks are likely to lend you.

2. Get your pre-approval sorted.

Having finance lined up means you can start looking with a realistic budget and you’re in a much better position when the right property pops up.

3. Get your deposit ducks in a row. 🦆

KiwiSaver? Savings? Gifted deposit? Equity in another property? Work out exactly what you have available and what evidence the bank will need.

4. Give your accounts a little spring clean.

You don’t need to stop living your life because you want a mortgage, but now is probably not the ideal time to take out a new car loan or rack up the credit card.

5. Talk to a Mortgage Advisor BEFORE you start seriously house hunting.

This is the big one.

Please don’t wait until you’ve fallen in love with a house to ask, “Sooo… can we actually buy this?” 😂

Even if you think you’re still 6–12 months away, have the conversation now.

You might have some work to do first.

Or as I’ve seen plenty of times you might be able to buy sooner than you think.

Spring might be when you find the house.

Now is when we get you ready to buy it. 🏡

01/09/2026

I spent around 10 years as a Chartered Accountant… so why did I walk away from it to become a Mortgage Adviser?

I actually enjoyed the numbers and problem-solving side of accounting, but I always felt like something was missing.

A lot of the time I was working for big corporates, where it felt like I was just another cog in a very big wheel. I wanted to work directly with people, give them positive news, help them achieve something they were genuinely excited about AND actually see the difference my work was making.

Looking back, mortgages had been sitting in the background for a long time.

My mum was a Mortgage Adviser herself and, when I was 23, she pushed me to look into buying my first home using my KiwiSaver and equity from my parents’ property.

Until then, I’d assumed buying a house was something that happened much further down the track.

Turns out… it was actually achievable.

That experience completely changed how I looked at home ownership.

I started sending friends to Mum and telling them, “Just go and talk to a Mortgage Adviser. You might be able to buy sooner than you think.”

And I got a little addicted to it. 😂

I saw first-hand how valuable having a Mortgage Adviser in your corner could be… someone who understood the banks, knew what questions to ask and could help you figure out what was actually possible. And for most standard residential lending, the adviser is paid by the bank rather than the client.

Eventually I realised… this was what I wanted to be doing myself.

Now, instead of preparing accounts, I spend my days figuring out how to get people into their first homes, structure lending better, build property portfolios, or simply make their mortgage work harder for them.

And the best part?

I get to be the person giving someone the call to say “Your loan has been approved.”

I get to help people achieve something they might not have thought was possible yet.

So I didn’t exactly walk away from being a Chartered Accountant.

I took the skills it gave me like understanding numbers, analysing the detail and solving problems and found a way to use them that feels a whole lot more like me.

18/08/2026

Buying your first home doesn't have to be an overwhelming experience, and you don't have to figure it all out on your own.

Got loads of questions? That's okay, I'm more than happy to answer them!

16/08/2026

Just checking..

15/08/2026

Do you know about top-up loans?

These are loans that can be used for work and upgrades to your home. Essentially, you're borrowing against the equity you've already built in your home. If your property has gone up in value or you've paid down a good chunk of your mortgage, there's a good chance you have equity available to use.

The bank will look at the same things they did for your original loan, your income, your expenses, and your ability to service the extra borrowing, plus how much equity you actually have. Most lenders want you to retain at least 20% equity after the top up, so the amount available depends on your situation.

This can be a great option for renovations, repairs, or improvements like insulation and heating, since you're often increasing the value of your home at the same time as improving it. It's worth getting advice early so the lending is structured in a way that works for your overall mortgage, not just bolted on as an afterthought.

If you haven’t already, check out my other post about green loans. These are loans that are specific to any work or additions that improve your home's energy efficiency or environmental impact. They’re often low interest and sometimes even 0%.

11/08/2026

Thinking about buying a second property? Here's what changes.

A lot of people assume the process is pretty similar to buying their first home, but there are a few key differences worth knowing about before you start making plans.

The biggest one is that the deposit requirements are stricter, and the equity sitting in your existing home is often what makes it possible. Getting your current mortgage structure right before you start looking is really important, because it directly affects what you can access and what the numbers look like across both properties.

If a second property is on your radar, even if it's still a year or two away, it's worth having a conversation sooner rather than later so you know exactly where you stand.

11/08/2026

This is your Monday reminder: A decline from one bank isn't the end of the road.

Banks assess applications differently. Their appetite for certain types of income, deposit sources, or property types varies more than most people realise. A "no" from a main bank doesn't mean no from every lender.

It's also worth understanding why you got declined, as sometimes it's fixable within a matter of months (paying down a debt, cleaning up spending patterns, building your deposit further).

Non-bank lenders are also a legitimate option in NZ for people whose situation doesn't fit the main bank criteria, often as a stepping stone while you work toward a main bank application.

If you're feeling ready to give up, let's have a chat, take a look at the full picture and see what the path forward looks like. It might be a bit longer than you hoped, but if could be closer than you expect.

Address

Hamilton

Telephone

+64274699459

Website

https://www.brookemcgmortgages.co.nz/

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