Guides
Longer pieces on the things that actually decide whether a loan works — written by Kagan, and reviewed rather than left to go stale.
- Reviewed 3 October 2026
House and land: what to check in both contracts before you sign
A house and land package is sold as one price but signed as two contracts — one for the land, one for the build — each with its own deposit, its own cooling-off rules and its own ways to go wrong. Most of what decides whether the finance holds together is settled before you sign either.
- Reviewed 7 September 2026
Declined by one lender. What that actually means
The instinct after a decline is to try the next lender that afternoon. It is the single most expensive thing you can do, and it is worth understanding why before you do it.
- Reviewed 30 July 2026
Buying your first home in Melbourne’s north
Melbourne’s northern growth corridor is one of the most affordable ways into a first home in Victoria, and one of the most procedurally different. Here is the order things should happen in.
- Reviewed 30 July 2026
Your land settles in two years. What happens to your finance?
This is the single most common way a purchase falls over in Melbourne's northern growth corridor, and almost nobody is warned about it at the point of signing.
- Reviewed 30 July 2026
Should you refinance? The break-even maths
Refinancing is worth doing when the numbers say so and a waste of effort when they do not. Here is how to tell which one you are looking at — including the honest cases where the answer is no.
- Reviewed 30 July 2026
The deposit myth: why 20% is not the rule
Almost everyone believes they need a 20% deposit. It is not a rule, it is a threshold — and there are at least five legitimate ways to buy without reaching it. Some of them are better decisions than waiting.
- Reviewed 30 July 2026
Victorian stamp duty for first home buyers
Stamp duty is usually the largest single cost of buying after the deposit — and for Victorian first home buyers it is often the largest single saving. Worth understanding properly before you set a budget.
- Reviewed 30 July 2026
What lenders actually look at when they assess you
Two lenders looking at exactly the same income and expenses can differ by well over a hundred thousand dollars in what they will lend. Understanding why is the most useful thing you can know before applying anywhere.
Have a question about your situation?
A first conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing. Even if the answer is "wait six months", you will know why — and what to do in the meantime.