In short: GNT Finance is a Melbourne-based mortgage broker licensed to arrange home loans in every Australian state and territory. Our lender panel is national, and the whole process runs by phone, video and e-signature, so you can buy in Brisbane, refinance in Perth or invest in Hobart without visiting an office. Service is in English, Nepali and Hindi, and there is no cost to you for our home-loan service in most cases.
Our office is at 23 Astbury Crescent, Mickleham, in Melbourne's northern growth corridor, and Victoria remains our home turf. But lending is a national business: our panel lenders write loans in every postcode, the credit rules are federal and the paperwork is electronic. What changes from state to state is the grants, the stamp duty and the price caps, and that is the part we keep track of for you.
How a national mortgage broker works from one office
Gorakh Timilsina, our founder and Senior Mortgage Consultant, spent years as a Senior Credit Officer assessing loan applications before founding GNT Finance. That background is why we can work confidently on properties we will never drive past: the assessment is about your income, your deposit, the security and the lender's policy, not about local knowledge of the street.
The process for an interstate client is the same one we run for a Craigieburn first home buyer, just without the handshake:
- Discovery call by phone or video.
- Document collection through a secure portal, guided by our documents checklist.
- Lender comparison across the national panel, weighted to your property type and postcode.
- Pre-approval so you can bid or make offers with confidence.
- Formal approval, e-signed loan documents and settlement, coordinated with your conveyancer in the relevant state.
Read how it works for the full timeline, and how mortgage brokers get paid if you want to understand why the service costs you nothing in most cases.
First home buyer schemes by state at a glance
The federal First Home Guarantee lets eligible first home buyers purchase with a 5% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance. Since October 2025 there are no income caps and places are unlimited, but the property price cap depends on where you buy. State grants and duty concessions sit on top of that and differ far more widely. The table below reflects the rules as we understand them at the time of writing; confirm the current figures with the relevant state revenue office and at housingaustralia.gov.au before you rely on them.
| State or territory | First Home Guarantee cap (capital / rest of state) | First home buyer duty relief | First Home Owner Grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | $950,000 Melbourne and Geelong / $650,000 | Exempt to $600,000, concession to $750,000 | $10,000, new home to $750,000 |
| New South Wales | $1,500,000 Sydney, Newcastle, Illawarra / $800,000 | Exempt to $800,000, concession to $1,000,000 | $10,000, new home to $600,000 (or $750,000 house-and-land) |
| Queensland | $1,000,000 Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast / $700,000 | New home or vacant land: no duty at any price; established exempt to $700,000, concession to $800,000 | Check the current amount (it has been $30,000 for new homes) |
| Western Australia | $850,000 Perth / $600,000 | No duty to $600,000, concession to $800,000, statewide (from 7 May 2026) | $10,000, new homes to $800,000 south of the 26th parallel |
| South Australia | $900,000 Adelaide / $500,000 | No duty for first home buyers of new homes or vacant land | $15,000, new homes, no price cap |
| Tasmania | $700,000 Hobart / $550,000 | Established homes to $750,000 pay no duty | $10,000, new builds |
| ACT | $1,000,000 | Home Buyer Concession Scheme (income-tested) can reduce duty to nil | No separate grant |
| Northern Territory | $750,000 Darwin / $600,000 rest of the Territory | Check current NT rules | HomeGrown Territory (up to $50,000 new build) and FreshStart ($10,000 established), at the time of writing |
Queensland and South Australia have gone furthest on removing duty for new homes, New South Wales has the highest guarantee cap, and Tasmania is unusual in giving its duty relief to established homes. Our stamp duty calculator covers every state, and the First Home Guarantee eligibility calculator checks the federal rules that apply everywhere.
Who we help outside Victoria
Interstate investors
Melbourne investors have been looking north and west for yield and for a break from Victorian land tax, which starts at a $50,000 land-value threshold. We compare the numbers in the investment property cashflow calculator, structure the purchase using equity in your existing home, and walk through each state's land tax and foreign purchaser rules before you commit.
Relocations and transfers
Moving interstate usually means buying before the new job starts or selling before the new place settles. We arrange loans on employment contracts, coordinate bridging finance and time pre-approval around the move.
Defence, FIFO and mobile workers
Defence members and fly-in fly-out workers earn well but present income that some lenders discount. We know which lenders count allowances, roster income and posting benefits properly, and which treat a mining-town security as higher risk.
The Nepali-speaking community nationally
Gorakh speaks Nepali, and a large part of our client base is the Nepali and South Asian community in Melbourne's north. Sydney's Rockdale, Auburn, Hurstville, Strathfield, Ashfield, Blacktown and Kogarah have large Nepali communities, as do parts of Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Darwin. We run the whole conversation in Nepali if you prefer, including for visa holders. See our Nepali mortgage broker page.
Why lender policy makes a national broker worthwhile
Every lender publishes postcode-based rules: LVR caps on inner-city apartments in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, minimum floor areas, tighter deposits in mining and single-industry towns, acreage limits on rural blocks. None of this is visible on a comparison website, and it is one of the most common reasons an application that "should have been fine" gets declined. We know the rules before you apply, so your application goes to a lender that wants your property. Our lenders page describes the panel, and our broker vs bank guide explains what a broker's Best Interests Duty means for you.
Where we work
Choose your state or city for local grants, duty rules and lender notes:
- Victoria: Mortgage broker Melbourne, Mortgage broker Victoria, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, Mildura, Warrnambool, Traralgon, Wodonga, Frankston
- New South Wales: Mortgage broker Sydney, New South Wales, Newcastle, Wollongong, Central Coast
- Queensland: Queensland, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast
- Western Australia: Western Australia, Perth
- South Australia: South Australia, Adelaide
- Tasmania: Tasmania, Hobart
- ACT: ACT, Canberra
- Northern Territory: Northern Territory, Darwin
Frequently asked questions
Can a Melbourne mortgage broker really arrange a loan in another state?
Yes. Mortgage broking is regulated federally under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act, and our licence covers the whole country. Our panel lenders lend in every state and territory. What is state-specific is the property law, handled by your local conveyancer, and the grants and duty rules, which we factor into your budget before you apply.
Do I ever need to meet you in person?
No. Identity verification is done electronically or by video call, documents go through a secure portal, and loan contracts are e-signed with most lenders. The only physical step is settlement itself, which your conveyancer manages. Melbourne clients are welcome at our Mickleham office, but interstate clients get exactly the same service by phone and video.
Which state's First Home Guarantee cap applies to me?
The cap follows the property, not where you currently live. If you live in Melbourne and buy your first home in Brisbane, the Brisbane cap of $1,000,000 applies at the time of writing. The other eligibility rules are the same everywhere: you must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident aged 18 or over, buy as an owner-occupier, and not have owned property in Australia in the last 10 years.
Does the First Home Owner Grant work the same in every state?
No. The grant is state-funded, so the amount and price cap vary. Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and Tasmania offer $10,000 on new homes with different caps, South Australia offers $15,000, Queensland's grant has been higher, and the ACT has no separate grant. Check the state revenue office for the current amount before counting on it.
How do you handle stamp duty differences between states?
Our stamp duty calculator covers every state and territory, including first home buyer concessions and foreign purchaser surcharges. Before pre-approval we run your target price through it so your deposit and cash-to-complete figures are realistic, and where a state has recently changed its rules we point you to the revenue office to confirm.
Do you help with the Nepali community outside Melbourne?
Yes. Gorakh speaks Nepali and we regularly help Nepali-speaking clients in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Darwin. Language matters most when explaining loan structure, guarantor obligations and the difference between pre-approval and formal approval, and we do that in whichever language you prefer.
Talk to GNT Finance
Wherever in Australia you are buying, refinancing or investing, the first step is a free conversation about your goal and your numbers. We will tell you which lenders suit your property and postcode, what grants and duty rules apply, and what you could borrow. Book a free consultation or call 0426 403 703.
Written by Gorakh Timilsina
Founder, CEO & Senior Mortgage Consultant at GNT Finance. Gorakh started as a broker assistant, spent years as a senior credit officer assessing loan applications, and now helps Melbourne families get the right loan approved. English, Nepali and Hindi spoken.