How Much Can I Borrow? Salary-Based Home Loan Guide
What different income levels can realistically borrow, how lenders calculate it, and what you can do to increase your borrowing capacity.
Read Guide →In-depth, evergreen guides on every aspect of Australian home loans — from borrowing basics to investment strategy. Updated as rules change.
What different income levels can realistically borrow, how lenders calculate it, and what you can do to increase your borrowing capacity.
Read Guide →The real numbers behind 5%, 10%, and 20% deposits — including LMI costs, stamp duty, and what first home buyer schemes change.
Read Guide →What actually moves your credit score, what doesn't, and the specific steps to take in the 3–6 months before you apply.
Read Guide →The most common errors borrowers make before and during pre-approval — and exactly how to avoid them.
Read Guide →How brokers and banks differ, what each costs you, and when each option makes more sense.
Read Guide →How LMI is calculated, who pays it, whether it's worth paying to enter the market sooner, and the exceptions that let you skip it.
Read Guide →How each rate type works, what you pay in each scenario, and the key questions to ask before you decide.
Read Guide →How IO loans work, who genuinely benefits, what they cost over the long run, and the risks of staying interest-only too long.
Read Guide →How offset accounts reduce your interest, what they actually save over a 30-year loan, and when a redraw is a better fit.
Read Guide →How progressive drawdowns work, fixed-price contract requirements, house-and-land packages, knockdown rebuilds, and what can go wrong.
Read Guide →What the 3% buffer is, why it exists, how it's calculated, and its real impact on your borrowing power.
Read Guide →How the Household Expenditure Measure (HEM) works, why your declared spending often doesn't matter, and what actually changes your borrowing power.
Read Guide →Documents required, how lenders calculate self-employed income, full doc vs alt doc, the tax minimisation trap, and tips to maximise your approval chances.
Read Guide →The full refinancing process from start to finish — when it makes sense, what it costs, how to compare lenders, and what to watch out for.
Read Guide →Rolling credit cards, personal loans, and other debts into your mortgage — how to calculate if the numbers stack up and the risks to understand first.
Read Guide →How guarantor loans work, what the guarantor is actually liable for, when the guarantee is released, and the conversations to have before you proceed.
Read Guide →The rentvesting strategy explained — who it suits, the tax implications, the risks, and how to structure it correctly from the start.
Read Guide →Capital growth, rental yields, depreciation, maintenance costs, and lending differences — a side-by-side comparison for investors.
Read Guide →Every deduction available to Australian property investors — interest, depreciation, repairs, management fees, and more.
Read Guide →The land tax thresholds, rates, and exemptions in every Australian state — and what this means for your investment strategy.
Read Guide →How to buy property inside a self-managed super fund — the rules, borrowing structure (LRBA), what can go wrong, and who it genuinely suits.
Read Guide →Our guides cover the theory — we can help with your specific situation. Free, no-obligation consultation.
Get in Touch