--- title: Mortgage Broker Sydney | Home Loans & Refinancing | GNT Finance description: Independent mortgage broker for Sydney buyers, refinancers and investors. Phone, video and e-sign service, a national lender panel, English, Nepali and Hindi spoken. url: https://gntfinance.com.au/mortgage-broker-sydney/ section: locations updated: 2026-09-01 author: Gorakh Timilsina, GNT Finance --- # Mortgage Broker Sydney **In short:** GNT Finance is an independent mortgage broker serving Sydney by phone, video and electronic signing, with a national panel of banks and non-bank lenders. We arrange first home buyer loans under the $1,500,000 Sydney First Home Guarantee cap, refinances, investment and self-employed loans, and loans for visa holders, in English, Nepali or Hindi. Our home-loan service is at no cost to you in most cases. Sydney is the most expensive housing market in Australia, which makes every lending decision bigger: the deposit, the lender's policy on your suburb and property type, how your income is assessed, and which schemes you can stack. Here is how we handle that from our Melbourne office, what the NSW rules look like at the time of writing, and what the numbers mean in Blacktown, Parramatta and Rockdale. ## Why Sydney borrowers use an independent broker Sydney lending has more moving parts than most cities, and the differences between lenders are wide: - **Loan size.** A typical Sydney purchase pushes borrowers close to their maximum capacity, and lenders calculate that capacity differently on rental income, bonuses, overtime and second jobs. The same household can be approved by one lender and declined by another. - **Property type.** High-density apartments, small studios, company-title units, dual-occupancy homes and house-and-land in the growth areas each attract their own policy, and some lenders cap the loan-to-value ratio on certain postcodes or apartment sizes. - **Deposit.** With 5% of a Sydney price, the choice between the First Home Guarantee, lenders mortgage insurance and a guarantor loan can be worth tens of thousands of dollars. - **Speed.** Sydney auctions and short exchange periods reward a fast, accurate pre-approval from a lender that will hold to it. We compare the panel, structure the application so a credit assessor sees a clean file, and lodge with the lender most likely to approve it at the best overall cost. Brokers also owe you a [Best Interests Duty](/legal/best-interests-duty-mortgage-brokers/), which a bank branch does not. See [broker vs bank](/guides/mortgage-broker-vs-bank/) and [how mortgage brokers get paid](/guides/how-mortgage-brokers-get-paid/). ## How GNT Finance serves Sydney from Melbourne Our office is at 23 Astbury Crescent, Mickleham, in Melbourne's northern growth corridor. Every lender on our panel lends in New South Wales on the same terms it lends in Victoria, and the entire process is now designed to happen remotely: 1. **Discovery call** by phone or video, including evenings, to understand your goals, income, deposit and timeline. 2. **Secure document upload** for payslips, bank statements, identification and visa or citizenship details. See the [documents checklist](/guides/home-loan-documents-checklist/). 3. **Lender comparison and recommendation**, with comparison rates and total cost in writing. 4. **Electronic signing** of the application and, at most lenders, the loan contract. Identity verification is digital, or through a nearby agent where a lender requires it. 5. **Settlement coordination** with your NSW conveyancer or solicitor, then a rate review after settlement. Gorakh Timilsina, our founder, was a senior credit officer assessing loan applications before he became a broker. That matters most on complex Sydney files: two incomes plus a granny flat, a self-employed applicant with a trust, or a permanent resident buying with a partner on a temporary visa. Read [how it works](/how-it-works/) for the full process. ## Sydney prices and the $1.5 million First Home Guarantee cap We do not publish price estimates here, because they date quickly and vary sharply between suburbs. What matters for your finance is where a price sits against the scheme thresholds. In Sydney, a detached house in the middle and outer rings often sits above the $800,000 duty exemption but below $1,500,000, while apartments in many suburbs sit below $800,000. | Support (NSW, at the time of writing) | What you get | Threshold | |---|---|---| | First Home Guarantee | 5% deposit, no LMI, no income cap, unlimited places | Property up to $1,500,000 in Sydney, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, and the Illawarra; $800,000 rest of NSW | | First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme | Transfer duty exemption or concession | Exempt to $800,000; concession $800,001 to $1,000,000; vacant land exempt to $350,000, concession to $450,000 | | First Home Owner Grant | $10,000 | New home up to $600,000, or up to $750,000 for a house-and-land build | | Help to Buy | Government equity of up to 40% (new) or 30% (existing); 2% deposit | Income caps $100,000 single, $160,000 couple; check the current NSW price cap | | Foreign purchaser surcharge | Extra duty of 9% on top of standard duty | Applies to foreign persons, including many temporary visa holders | The First Home Guarantee is the scheme that changed Sydney. Since October 2025 there is no income cap and no limit on places, and the $1,500,000 cap is the highest in the country, so a qualifying couple can buy a house in Blacktown, Penrith or Campbelltown with a 5% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance. You must be an owner-occupier, an Australian citizen or permanent resident, at least 18, and not have owned property in Australia in the last 10 years. Check your position with the [First Home Guarantee eligibility calculator](/calculators/first-home-guarantee-eligibility/) and confirm the current caps at [housingaustralia.gov.au](https://www.housingaustralia.gov.au/). Duty is the other big number. NSW's First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme removes transfer duty entirely up to $800,000 and phases it in between $800,001 and $1,000,000; above that a first home buyer pays standard duty. The [stamp duty calculator](/calculators/stamp-duty/) supports NSW; confirm the current rules with Revenue NSW before you exchange. ## Worked examples All repayment figures are for illustration only, at 6.00% p.a. over 30 years with principal and interest repayments. ### $900,000 house in Blacktown A couple, both citizens, buying their first home. - First Home Guarantee: 5% deposit of $45,000, no LMI. Loan $855,000, about $5,126 a month. - Duty: the price sits inside the concession band, so they pay roughly half the standard duty rather than the full amount. The calculator gives the exact figure. - FHOG: not available, because the home is established. - Serviceability: the lender assesses the loan at the actual rate plus 3 percentage points, so the household needs income that supports repayments at 9.00% p.a. Check yours in the [borrowing power calculator](/calculators/borrowing-power/). ### $1,200,000 townhouse in Parramatta A couple upgrading from an apartment, with about $240,000 available from their sale and savings. - Deposit 20%, loan $960,000, about $5,756 a month, no LMI. - Duty: standard rates apply; no first home buyer concession above $1,000,000, and none anyway because they have owned before. - If they were first home buyers instead, the townhouse is under the $1,500,000 cap: 5% deposit of $60,000, loan $1,140,000, about $6,835 a month, with substantial income needed at the buffered rate. ### $750,000 apartment in Rockdale A single permanent resident buying her first home near the station. - Duty: nil, because the price is under $800,000. - First Home Guarantee: 5% deposit of $37,500, no LMI. Loan $712,500, about $4,272 a month. - FHOG: not available, because the apartment is established and above $600,000 in any case. - Lender policy: some lenders restrict apartments in higher-density postcodes or below a minimum floor area, so we place the loan with a lender that accepts the building. If the same buyer were on a temporary visa, the picture changes: no First Home Guarantee, FIRB approval, and the 9% foreign purchaser surcharge, which on $750,000 is an extra $67,500 in duty. That is why we sort out visa status first. ## Help for every kind of Sydney borrower ### First home buyers We map your deposit against the schemes above, choose between the First Home Guarantee, LMI and a [guarantor loan](/services/guarantor-home-loans/), and organise pre-approval before you bid. See [first home buyer loans](/services/first-home-buyer-loans/) and the [First Home Guarantee guide](/guides/first-home-guarantee-5-percent-deposit/). ### Refinancers Sydney loans are large, so a small rate difference is a large dollar difference. We review your loan against the panel, weigh switching costs and cashback offers, and consider whether an [offset](/calculators/offset/) or split suits you. Start with the [refinance calculator](/calculators/refinance/) and our [refinancing](/services/refinancing/) page. ### Investors Sydney owners who bought years ago often hold significant equity. We arrange [investment property loans](/services/investment-property-loans/) that release it for a second property, in Sydney or interstate, structured so interest is clearly attributable for tax. See [how to use equity to buy an investment property](/guides/how-to-use-equity-to-buy-investment-property/). ### Self-employed Tradespeople, consultants and small business owners are often under-served by bank branches. We use full-doc, alt-doc and low-doc options across the panel, and Gorakh's credit background helps present business income properly. Read the [self-employed home loan guide](/guides/self-employed-home-loan-guide/) and our [self-employed loans](/services/self-employed-loans/) page. ### Visa holders and new migrants Sydney is home to many skilled-visa workers, students and new permanent residents, and lender policy on visa subclasses varies widely. Our [home loans for visa holders](/services/home-loans-for-visa-holders/) service, the [new migrants guide](/guides/home-loans-for-new-migrants/) and the [FIRB approval](/legal/firb-approval-for-property/) page explain what is possible. ## Nepali-speaking mortgage broker for Sydney Sydney has some of the largest Nepali communities in Australia, centred on Rockdale, Kogarah, Hurstville, Auburn, Strathfield, Ashfield and Blacktown. Gorakh is Nepali-Australian and takes appointments in Nepali, Hindi or English, which makes a real difference when explaining serviceability, visa requirements or the difference between a guarantee and a guarantor. See our [Nepali mortgage broker](/nepali-mortgage-broker-melbourne/) page. ## Sydney areas we serve We arrange loans across Greater Sydney and have local pages for [Sydney CBD](/mortgage-broker/sydney-cbd/), [Parramatta](/mortgage-broker/parramatta/), [Blacktown](/mortgage-broker/blacktown/), [Liverpool](/mortgage-broker/liverpool/), [Penrith](/mortgage-broker/penrith/), [Campbelltown](/mortgage-broker/campbelltown/), [Castle Hill](/mortgage-broker/castle-hill/), [Rouse Hill](/mortgage-broker/rouse-hill/), [Marsden Park](/mortgage-broker/marsden-park/), [Auburn](/mortgage-broker/auburn/), [Strathfield](/mortgage-broker/strathfield/), [Bankstown](/mortgage-broker/bankstown/), [Rockdale](/mortgage-broker/rockdale/), [Hurstville](/mortgage-broker/hurstville/), [Chatswood](/mortgage-broker/chatswood/) and [Hornsby](/mortgage-broker/hornsby/). Beyond Sydney, see [Newcastle](/mortgage-broker/newcastle/), [Wollongong](/mortgage-broker/wollongong/), the [Central Coast](/mortgage-broker/central-coast/) and our [New South Wales](/mortgage-broker/new-south-wales/) page. We also serve [Melbourne](/mortgage-broker-melbourne/) and the rest of [Australia](/mortgage-broker-australia/). ## Frequently asked questions ### Can a Melbourne mortgage broker arrange a home loan in Sydney? Yes. Mortgage brokers are licensed nationally under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act, and the lenders on our panel lend in every state. The application, identity verification, signing and settlement can all be completed remotely, with your NSW conveyancer handling the property side. Sydney clients deal with us by phone, video and secure upload at times that suit them. ### What is the First Home Guarantee price cap in Sydney? At the time of writing it is $1,500,000 for Sydney, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and the Illawarra, and $800,000 for the rest of NSW. There is no income cap and no limit on places. You must be an owner-occupier, a citizen or permanent resident, and not have owned property in Australia in the last 10 years. Confirm the current caps at housingaustralia.gov.au. ### Do first home buyers pay stamp duty in Sydney? Under the NSW First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme, no transfer duty is payable on a home up to $800,000, and a concession applies between $800,001 and $1,000,000. Above $1,000,000 standard duty applies. Vacant land is exempt to $350,000 with a concession to $450,000. Use our NSW-enabled stamp duty calculator and confirm with Revenue NSW. ### Is the $10,000 First Home Owner Grant available in Sydney? Yes, but only for a new home that has not been lived in before, valued up to $600,000, or up to $750,000 for a house-and-land build. In practice that means apartments, townhouses and new builds in growth areas such as Marsden Park, Austral and Menangle Park. Established homes do not qualify. ### Can I buy in Sydney on a temporary visa? Often yes, with the right lender, though you will generally need FIRB approval, a larger deposit and a budget for the 9% foreign purchaser surcharge on top of standard duty. The First Home Guarantee is not available to temporary residents. If your partner is a citizen or permanent resident, buying together can change the outcome. ### How long does pre-approval take for a Sydney purchase? With complete documents, many lenders issue pre-approval within a few business days, though turnaround varies with workload. We tell you which lenders are fast that week and lodge with the one that fits your file. A pre-approval is not a guarantee, so keep a [subject to finance clause](/legal/subject-to-finance-clause/) in a private treaty contract where you can. ## Talk to GNT Finance Tell us the suburb, the price range and your deposit, and we will show you which schemes apply and which lenders will say yes. Appointments are by phone or video, including evenings, in English, Nepali or Hindi. [Book a free consultation](/contact/) or call 0426 403 703.