What to look for when working with a mortgage broker

Are you in the market for your first home and need a mortgage broker’s help in getting a home loan

When most people think of mortgages, they think of going directly to banks. But mortgage brokers can be a good, if not a better resource when looking for a home loan product. Having a qualified and expert finance broker on board who is knowledgeable about the mortgage industry is key to obtaining the right mortgage for you. So keep reading to know how to find the best mortgage broker to work with.

What is a mortgage broker? And what does they do?

A mortgage broker is a professional who helps borrowers find and secure home loans. They typically work with a variety of lenders, which gives them the ability to find you the best loan product for your needs — perhaps a better deal on your mortgage than you could on your own. A finance broker NSW is licensed to work with borrowers and lenders in the mortgage market. They’re also well-versed in the latest mortgage products and rates, so they can help you get the best deal possible.

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How does a mortgage broker get paid?

So who pays the mortgage broker?

Mortgage brokers, or finance brokers as they’re also called, are typically paid a commission by the lender when a loan is originated, not the borrower. The commission varies, but it’s generally a percentage of the loan amount. So, they get a little bit of money every time someone takes out a mortgage.

A finance broker works for the borrower to find the best loan deal from a variety of lenders. The borrower generally pays nothing extra for using a mortgage broker.

Why use a mortgage broker?

A finance broker specialist receives commissions from lenders for putting borrowers into loans, so they have an incentive to find the best product for you. They also have access to a wide range of products from different lenders, which gives them a lot of flexibility in finding you the right loan.

In addition, they operate under the Best Interest Duty statutory obligation, which means that they are legally bound to work in the best interest of consumers.

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How to find a good mortgage broker

When it comes to finding a mortgage broker Australia has lots of them around, so this homework is not going to be a walk in the park — but it is definitely worth the effort.

For tips on how to choose a mortgage broker, here are the things you can look for:

1. Experience and expertise

Your mortgage broker should be up-to-date on current lending rules and regulations. They can tap on their wealth of experience to understand the ebbs and flows in the property market, as well as explain the different types of mortgages available to you (i.e., finance solutions for first home buyers, investors, commercial borrowers, etc).

You also shouldn’t fret on knowing what to ask a mortgage broker as they should be available to answer any questions or concerns (no matter how trivial or ridiculous they seem to you) you may have throughout the process.

2. Credentials / qualifications

Check to see if they are licensed by the state in which you live. Note that each state has different requirements. You could look for the following credentials:

Certificate IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking as stipulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s Regulatory Guide 206 (ASIC RG 206)
Australian Credit Licence (ACL) – obtained through the ASIC
Associations with Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) or Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA)

3. Network

A good mortgage broker must have a vast network of lenders that they can connect borrowers with. He/She will first assess the borrower’s needs and then match them with a lender who can provide the best terms.

Stryve Finance offers a wide range of lending products across a panel of over 30 banks. We negotiate between various lenders on your behalf to obtain competitive rates, fees and terms.

Speak with the best finance broker for your circumstances

4. Good reviews

Ask around for recommendations. Friends, family, and colleagues are all good sources of information. Another option is to check online reviews.

A mortgage broker with good reviews will have a proven track record of providing excellent service and will be able to offer you peace of mind that you are in good hands. To illustrate, you can check out the belowscreenshot of our 100+ 5-star Google reviews from our past clients.

Check out our reviews

Stryve Finance: your first choice for mortgage broker in Australia

At Stryve Finance, we are your first choice for mortgage brokers in Australia. We work with our clients to find the best possible home loan products and rates available on the market. Our team of experts have years of experience in the industry and can help you find a loan that suits your needs.

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Dylan is fantastic to work with and sorted problems so fast. Great communication, highly recommend!

Kari Moffat June 3, 2023

Really happy with Dylan's service. Dylan is professional and he makes things happened quick. Can't go wrong with his service.

Justin Wang May 18, 2023

I cannot recommend Dylan enough!!! My husband and I have a mixture of perm income as well as self employed - due to this, a few brokers turned us away, but not Dylan! He was able to listen to our situation and find a bank to approve us. He was so professional and he was just as excited as us when it all came together! Thanks again!

Rachel Ireland May 1, 2023

We highly recommend Dylan and the Stryve team. They're professional, knowledgeable and great communicators who listened to our mortgage needs and provided products that suited us. Stryve has assisted us multiple times with products and are proactive in seeking lower interest rates.

Sharnae Filcich April 28, 2023

Refinanced my mortage with Dylan. He did a fantastic job and helped me with every aspect of it. I would highly recommend him to anyone.

patrizia tarantola April 19, 2023

Dylan is an absolute star and fantastic broker! From the moment we began the process to refinance an investment and make a new purchase with the equity, all the way through to settlement, Dylan was attentive, supportive and proactive. His dedication to the outcome and continual value checks to ensure we were getting the best possible rates were such a great service. Dylan made the seemingly daunting task of this whole process a pleasant and positive experience, always transparent and happy to take the time to explain all the moving parts and answer all our questions. Will definitely be engaging Dylan for our future financing needs and cannot recommend him enough! Thanks Dylan!

metcaelfe April 17, 2023

Dylan and the team at Stryve have been fantastic from day one, with a personable approach to business and a strong knowledge of the market. Dylan has helped us secure the best possible rates available and navigate the finance processes for our first home, and two cars. I highly recommend the team at Stryve and want to thank Dylan, Jake and all the team for their ongoing support and guidance up to settlement and beyond as we continue our journey.

Lucas Maidment April 12, 2023

Dylan Bertovic provided expert support and guidance from the very earliest stages of my property buying journey in Australia. Dylan delivered pragmatic advice, and was able to understand and deliver according to my specific property goals. Bonus points is that Dylan was patient enough to repeat himself when I kept forgetting minor details along the way!

Simon Moore March 9, 2023

On behalf of my husband and I, we would like to truly thank Dylan Bertovic for all his assistance in helping us with our new loan - approved in time before our settlement. Dylan worked above and beyond expected. He took the time to explain every step and process with us. Any questions we had, Dylan would go out of his way to ensure they were answered. He made the process stress free and ensured we got the best possible deal. Thank you for your professionalism, your hard work and your friendliness as well. We now live in our dream home and we have you to thank for that :) We highly recommend Dylan to all our family and friends.

Merna Yalda March 7, 2023

Dylan assisted my partner and I through the purchase of our home. From getting pre approval through the completing the application and purchase of our home it was seamless. We cannot thank Dylan enough for being accessible and communicating with us through the whole process. We will be recommending to all our family and friends!

Tamara February 8, 2023

I really can’t rate Jake Fuller highly enough. Jake came along to help me get a home loan refinance through the toughest time in my life through a messy marriage separation. This involved countless interactions with banks, finance companies, lawyers and various agencies. It was a very complicated matter added with the emotional stress of the situation. For all the people I had to work with through this, I can honestly say Jake went above and beyond on so many occasions and was by far the only one throughout the whole process who I could completely rely on. He was always extremely supportive, positive, showed a huge amount of compassion and care, and was able to find me a fantastic financial outcome which worked perfectly for me and relieved a huge amount of stress, uncertainty and pressure. Through all of this Jake was an absolute rock. I honestly don’t think I could’ve done it without him. His service went far above and beyond the financial side, he clearly cared and went out of his way to get onto every stumbling block that came our way, nothing was a problem for him and he acted so quickly and effectively handled every step with the utmost of professionalism. I honestly can’t thank him enough and can’t rate him highly enough. I’ve made it to the outside now with a fantastic outcome. Thanks so much Jake!

Luke Jackson January 25, 2023

Thank you very much Dylan, you made purchasing my first home possible under such short times and everything else. Your work ethic and client centric approach really speaks for itself. I can’t recommend you enough you are amazing thank you

Audrey Eshiloni January 25, 2023

Dylan made the process of buying our first house stress free and easy. He was approachable to start with and very responsive to all of our questions throughout the process. Can not recommend enough.

Blake Ridges January 25, 2023

Dylan helped me for 18+ months until I found the right property. Would 100% use his services again and recommend to friends and family.

Emilio Mattiuzzo January 10, 2023

I highly recommend Dylan. I bought my first home with Dylan’s help and couldn’t have done it without him. His organisational skills and responsiveness made the process way less stressful. He also has a great ability to think outside the box and got me the best deal possible. I look forward to using Dylan again when I remortgage or buy my next property.

Chad H December 19, 2022

Dylan worked fast and went above and beyond to help me refinance. He spoke honestly and clearly and was always pushing for my best interest while working with lenders. Highly recommend.

William Nguyen December 13, 2022

I wanted to give a huge thanks to Dylan, he is so informative and knowledgeable, he guided me through step by step to obtain the loan. It was easy and comfortable process working with him! I will definitely use him again.Thank you for you support!

Giuseppe Soriano November 21, 2022

Huge THANK YOU to Jake for helping us sort out our loans and refinancing them so my husband and I can start fresh and get our foot started with saving for a home. Jake was super professional and quick to respond with any questions we had. He explained the process to us perfectly and made the process so much easier for us. We cannot thank Jake enough for his time and effort getting our loan sorted. Looking forward to working with Jake in the near future. Highly recommended 10/10

Tessa Manumua October 26, 2022

Thank you Dylan! Dylan was so informative and knowledgeable. He made the process seamless and kept me updated every step of the way. I couldn’t recommend him enough. Refinancing through Dylan was the best decision I made . Thank you again Dylan!

Alex Talia October 26, 2022

Jake helped us re-finance our home during a very stressful time for our family. His compassion, efficiency and thorough understanding of mortgage made this experience painless and easy. I highly recommend Jake for your mortgage broking needs! 10/10!

Sarah Townend October 25, 2022

Dylan has been absolutely great along the process. He is professional, responsive, a great communicator and wonderful support throughout. Highly recommended.

Monica Velez Posada October 19, 2022

Was an easy and comfortable process working with Dylan! Dylan is super knowledgeable and will definitely use him again. Thank you for you support!

Angela Maiuolo October 17, 2022

Fantastic customer service. Dylan made our purchase a straightforward, smooth journey from start to finish. He kept us in the loop throughout all stages of pre-approval and purchase of our home and was always available for any questions/queries we had. Thanks Stryve!!

Joseph Caccamo October 17, 2022

Dylan was an absolute legend to work with. His communication is amazing and explains everything so you are never in the dark. I can't recommend Dylan and his team enough.

Andrew Marrone October 16, 2022

We came across Dylan Bertovic after spoken with several brokers. Our experiences with Dylan were great and we knew after spoken with him that he has the heart to help people fulfill their dreams. He was very professional, prompt to respond whenever we reach out to him. He was on top of his works, and we highly recommended him to anyone whose looking for a broker who is willing to help you all the way.

Liuvao Tamati October 13, 2022

Dylan is really professional and responsive, guided me through all the steps with buying my first home. I would highly recommend him to all my friends and family.

sandra petros October 1, 2022

Got recommended to Dylan by one of my mates and I couldn’t be more pleased with the out come, will definitely be going through dylan again!

Jhy Rowley August 19, 2022

Dylan was amazing to work with, he was punctual to the minute and always followed up with his client. He was knowledgeable in my peculiar case and was upfront about the whole process. He always found a way to answer my concerns and help me with my application process. I would 100000% recommend Dylan to family and friends, and hopefully work with him again soon. Cheers Dylan

Nashwan Istephan August 6, 2022

The team at Stryve really made the whole refinancing process easy. Their expertise in the home loan landscape made the process quick and mostly hands off, which being so busy myself was a lifesaver.

Alicia Valderrama August 2, 2022

Absolutely impressed with the professionalism displayed by Dylan from Stryve. Throughout the whole process, I was kept in the loop and well informed. There was ongoing communication via call, email and text. Achieving a loan could not have been simpler - Dylan was optimistic and extremely helpful.

Melissa Xerri July 26, 2022

As first home buyers, we can’t be more grateful for the help and support we received from Dylan and the rest of the team at Stryve. Throughout the whole process they were consistently professional and helpful and provided us answers to anything and everything we were curious about. There was never a time when we couldn’t reach them and on top of that we were even provided with regular check-ins. We felt at ease throughout the whole process of purchasing our first home and we are highly grateful to have found them. We could not imagine the process with anyone else and will continue to recommend them to all our friends and family. We will be definitely using them again in the future.

Maria Olivia July 22, 2022

Dylan and the team were fantastic in assisting us with the purchase of our first home. The whole process from enquiry through to settlement whilst daunting for a first home buyer, was made extremely smooth and easy through their expertise and prompt responses to our many questions. We will absolutely be engaging with Dylan, Jake and the team for future services and will highly recommend to anyone interested!

Hayden Watts July 13, 2022

After speaking with multiple brokers who were no help at all, my partner and I found Dylan. From the start he has been nothing but helpful and professional. He answered all of our questions and was available at odd hours, which may have been inconvenient for him just so he could accommodate for our shift work / rotating roster. He went above and beyond what we even expected by contacting the land developer in regards to our settlement when our conveyancer failed to do so. Dylan is very knowledgeable, and we have already recommended him to family and friends which he has been a great help for them also. We will definitely be using Stryve Finance again in the future.

Kadison Reid July 12, 2022

Massive thanks to Jake for helping us out with our mortgage. Extremely helpful and was with us every step of the way. He kept us updated and was able to answer any of our questions. We trusted his information and the process was seamless! Highly recommend!

Kaitlin King July 7, 2022

Dylan has helped us with our mortgage requirements for many years now and cannot recommend him highly enough. With the assistance of Dylan and Jake, our most recent enquiry was the fastest and easiest yet! If you’re after mortgage solutions tailored to your requirements, do not hesitate speaking with Dylan.

Chris Sullivan June 29, 2022

Dylan was recommended to me by a friend and I’m glad. He went above and beyond. Everything went smoothly and any questions I had, Dylan would be on the phone straight away explaining everything to me. He is very knowledgeable and has a great team by his side. Everything you need in a mortgage broker, prompt & reliable service! Thank you to Dylan and his team!

Samantha Mizzi June 16, 2022

My husband and I have used Dylan twice over the years. First to help us secure a loan for our first home when we were struggling to find anyone else to help us! Then second to refinance our property. Both interactions working with Dylan and his team were amazing. A very reliable team who make's it all too easy, all whilst maintaining an extremely friendly and caring environment for their clients. Highly recommend this team to help you secure your financial goals!

Elise Castersen June 15, 2022

Massive thank you to Dylan and the team. They made my entire experience from start to finsh an absolute breeze. Truly cannot recommend them enough, and hope to use them again in the future.

Ryan Shepherd June 14, 2022

Buying a first home can be really daunting and stressful .. but working with Dylan and the Stryve Team took all the worry and stress away. Dylan not only looked after the pre-approval and settlement of my loan, but most recently the refinance of my loan. Dylan is professional, knowledgeable, patient and kept me in the loop throughout the whole process. Answering all my questions without hesitation and always coming back to me in a timely manner. I would highly recommend Dylan and the Stryve Finance Team, and I look to working with them again in the future. Thank you for everything, Dylan :)

Carla Kokozian June 14, 2022

A huge thank you to Dylan for the second time in refinancing a loan to purchase our second investment property. From the start to the end of the process our experience in dealing with him was so easy and stress free. He would always respond to any questions we had instantly and will be using him again in the future. We highly recommend Dylan to anyone who needs his services.

Nardia Gioiosa May 10, 2022

At the start of the year I decided I wanted to try buy my first property in Sydney. My Mum gave me Dylan’s contact number and within the first phone call he had the ball rolling and from there the process was so easy. As this was my first time entering the property market I had no idea about anything however Dylan talked me through it all and kept me in the loop with everything. And just last week settled on my first unit. I can’t thank him enough for all he’s help and support. I will be recommending him to all my family and friends when they decided to start buying and will in the future continue to work with him. Thank you Dylan for everything

nicole lucas April 27, 2022

Thank you Dylan for your fantastic support and knowledge in helping us to own our first house. You just went beyond customer service and made us feel so comfortable. We asked so many questions and you answered them all with so much patience. We highly recommend Dylan's services to anyone out there. Thank you again Dylan!

amanda jonker April 6, 2022

Dylan went above and beyond and nothing was too much trouble. We spent over 12 months looking for a house and he answered every single question I had without any hesitation. With the 101 questions we finally secured a house and he turned everything around so quickly to ensure everything was sorted for settlement. I have had the best experience with Dylan and will be coming back when needed again. Thanks again!

Emily Brown March 31, 2022

My experience with Dylan & Stryve Finance has been nothing but positive & enjoyable. If you’re ever contemplating finance i highly recommend reaching out

Daniel Beardall March 17, 2022

Dylan helped me achieve my dream of owning my own home. His dedication, commitment and professionalism is outstanding. I will definitely be recommending Dylan to my family and friends! Thank you Dylan!!!

Emily Kitch January 28, 2022

The greatest broker of all time. Dylan provided nothing short of a world-class service. When it came to documentation and applying for a loan, Dylan made everything a breeze. Never would I have ever thought that I would find a broker who was going to make this such a quick, fun and enjoyable process. I have come across many brokers and Dylan is by far the man you would rather have in your corner. Dylan, you are second to none. Thank you Dylan for your help, I look forward using your services in the future as well as referring you many clients to come!

Jack Cailotto January 6, 2022

We had the pleasure of having Dylan help us with buying our forever home, his support, patience, knowledge and willingness to help at all times has been nothing but outstanding. Purchasing a property can come with a lot of stressful scenarios Dylan has been amazing and created a stress free experience! Thank you Dylan! Rest assured if anyone is in need of your service you will be highly recommended!

karolina luburic January 5, 2022

Absolutely brilliant, from start to finish, Dylan goes far and beyond all expectations, from 600km away home loan approved and settled within weeks, even blew our solicitor out of the water with his prompt services, would recommend Dylan 110%

Dale Sutcliffe January 4, 2022

Dylan assisted me throughout the process of getting my loan from start to finish. He is extremely knowledgeable, helpful and prompt. Due to my lack of understanding in the beginning, he gave great recommendations and guided me the whole time with his unmatched expertise in the industry which in the end lead to me finalising a brilliant loan. Wouldnt go to anyone else - thanks mate!

Libz December 10, 2021

Dylan's service was absolutely outstanding, I cannot recommend him highly enough!! From the first phone call to the follow up after settlement he went way beyond my expectations as a first time buyer. Within 6 weeks I was settled in my first home and couldn't be happier. No question was a silly one and always answered in a thorough way with clear communication. If reading these testimonials - you'd be silly not to engage Dylan as your broker! I look forward to future dealings with Dylan.

Jess Mirtschin December 10, 2021