Hunters Hill mortgage broker
Hunters Hill mortgage broker
A mortgage broker
who knows Hunters Hill.
Seven heritage conservation areas, sandstone that cannot be altered lightly, and rental yields near 1.5% against house prices in the millions. We compare 35+ lenders and it costs you nothing.
35+
Lenders
10+
Years experience
1,000+
Clients helped
$0
Cost to you
About Hunters Hill
What the 2110 market actually looks like
History of Hunters Hill
Often described as Australia's oldest garden suburb, laid out from the 1840s by French and Italian stonemasons who quarried the local sandstone and built with it. Workers cottages, villas and grand riverside homes all came from the same rock. The council area now holds seven heritage conservation areas and eight places on the State Heritage Register.
Hunters Hill property market
Houses, overwhelmingly, on a peninsula between the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers. Sandstone cottages, Victorian and Federation homes and waterfront estates, with a modest apartment band near Gladesville village. Roughly a hundred house sales in a typical year against around forty seven unit sales. Households are mostly couples with children, and the median age sits in the mid forties.
Hunters Hill property prices
Among the highest in New South Wales. Median house prices have been reported in the four and a half million range, with units closer to the mid one millions. Rental yields on houses sit around 1.5%, which is exceptionally low even by lower North Shore standards. Houses spend around a month on market and units closer to fifty days.
Borrowing in Hunters Hill
Three things. Loan size, since purchases here sit well past where lenders apply internal limits and the field narrows sharply. Heritage, because seven conservation areas and individual listings shape what council will approve and therefore what a construction loan can fund. And yield, because at 1.5% the rent contributes almost nothing to an investment assessment.
Hunters Hill is one of 32 suburbs we cover across the North Shore, and the one where heritage controls reach furthest into what you can build.
Renovating a
heritage listed home?
Council approval sets the timetable and the finance follows it, not the other way round. Worth sequencing properly.
Your broker
Meet Ali Hasani
Ali Hasani is the founder of Buyvest. He has worked in home loans for more than ten years, a lot of it at Commonwealth Bank. We meet clients face to face, or by phone, Zoom and Teams, at night and on weekends as well as work hours. We take your loan to 35+ lenders, compare the numbers, and show you the options. Ali is an MFAA accredited broker with a Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking Management and a Post Graduate in Accounting.
Borrowing well past
the usual range?
At this end of the market a single lender's internal limit decides the purchase, and it is rarely about your income.
Client stories
How we helped
Three real situations, and what actually happened in each one.
Approval had to come first.
They wanted structural work on a period home, which meant a construction loan rather than a simple top up, because funds release in stages against approved plans and a fixed price contract. With a heritage listing the council process ran longer than they expected. We set the drawdown schedule around the approval rather than the other way round, and built in a buffer above the contract price for what turns up mid build.
Each loan stood on its own.
One lender held both of their properties as security for the same borrowing, so every request went through a review of the whole bundle and every answer came back conservative. We refinanced and separated the securities so each property carries its own loan. That returned the flexibility to refinance or sell either one independently, and repayments came down by $650 a month at the same time.
The size narrowed the field.
The purchase sat past the point where several lenders apply their own internal limits, and their bank came back with a cap well under what was needed. Nothing about their income or deposit was the problem. We worked out which lenders were comfortable writing at that size, what extra documentation each wanted, and how much of the value they would advance. One suited it and the purchase settled.
These are past client stories, with details changed for privacy. Your own result depends on your situation and what the lender decides.
Free guides
What to know before you buy
Three free guides covering how a Hunters Hill purchase actually runs, from pre-approval to settlement.
Home loan pre-approval
What it covers, and how long it lasts.
Read the guide
Choosing a home loan
Fixed, variable, offset and redraw.
Read the guide
Settlement day
What has to be ready before then.
Read the guide
Read the free guides in the Loan Vault to know how the home buying process works in NSW.
What we do
Home loans for every Hunters Hill plan
First home
Learn more
Next home
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Investment property
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Refinancing
Learn more
Construction loans
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Bridging loans
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Guarantor loans
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No LMI and waived LMI
Learn more
Self employed home loans
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Not sure where to start? See what a mortgage broker actually does.
When did you last
check your rate?
We compare your current home loan against 35+ lenders. If a refinance saves you money we will show you the numbers, and if it does not we will tell you that too.
Your job matters
Home loans by profession
Some lenders drop lenders mortgage insurance for certain jobs, and at Hunters Hill prices that is a very large sum. The lists and the limits differ from one lender to the next, so it is worth checking where yours sits.
Home loans for
Doctors
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Home loans for
Dentists
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Home loans for
Accountants
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Home loans for
Lawyers
Learn more
Not sure if your job is on a list? See No LMI and waived LMI home loans, or ask us and we will check every lender on our panel.
Plan ahead
Run the numbers
Free tools that show you where you stand right now.
How it works
Three steps to your loan
1
Financial health check
2
Get pre-approved
3
Settle, then stay in touch
Client reviews
5.0 ★★★★★ on Google
Reviews from clients across Sydney.
★★★★★
"Cannot recommend Ali highly enough. He made a complicated and daunting process incredibly easy, and continually went above and beyond. Would absolutely recommend him to everyone."
★★★★★
"Ali is super knowledgeable, reasonable and personable! He will be realistic with what is possible but always find you the best deal whilst making you feel looked after."
★★★★★
"Ali is a maestro with a wealth of experience in home lending business, mixed with excellent people skills. His professional and supportive approach is a safe pair of hands to work with to get the required funds for your goal in the property market."
FAQ
Hunters Hill questions, answered
Why use a mortgage broker in Hunters Hill?
Because purchases here sit well past where lenders apply their own internal limits, and the field narrows a long way before your income is even the question. Heritage adds a second layer, since seven conservation areas and individual listings shape what council will approve and therefore what a construction loan can fund. Brokers also have a legal duty called the Best Interests Duty, which means we have to put you first.
Are large loans assessed differently?
Not harder, but they are looked at far more closely and the field narrows sharply. Past certain loan sizes lenders add extra checks, want more documentation, cap how much of the value they will advance, or apply internal limits that have nothing to do with you. At Hunters Hill prices most buyers are well past that point, so which lenders are comfortable at what size is often the whole exercise rather than a detail in it.
What is the difference between a heritage item and a conservation area?
A heritage item is an individually listed property, protected in its own right. A conservation area protects the character of a whole precinct, so controls apply to how your work sits within the streetscape rather than to your building alone. The council area here has seven conservation areas plus individually listed items, and some places sit on the State Heritage Register, which involves a different approval path again. Which category applies changes the process considerably.
Does a heritage listing reduce what my property is worth?
Generally not here, and often the opposite. In a suburb built on its sandstone character, a valuer treats period features as part of what buyers are paying for rather than a deduction. Where it does bite is redevelopment potential, since a listing limits what can be done with a site, so a buyer looking to build something modern will pay less than one who wants the house as it is. The valuation reflects the market for the property as it stands.
Can I renovate a heritage listed home?
Usually yes, with approval, and the process runs longer than a standard application. Council will look at how the work affects the significance of the building and the streetscape, and on a State Heritage Register item there is a separate approval path. For finance that matters because a construction loan is written against approved plans and a fixed price contract, so the drawdown cannot start until council is satisfied. Sequence the approval first and the loan around it.
What about sandstone, stone walls and mature trees?
All of them can be protected, and it catches buyers who assume the listing only covers the house. Sandstone walls, outbuildings, fences and significant trees are frequently part of what a conservation area or a listing protects, so removing or altering them needs approval too. For a builder that changes access and staging, which changes the contract price behind a construction loan. Worth establishing with council before the budget is set.
How does a construction loan work on a period home?
Funds release in stages as work is completed rather than in one advance, and you pay interest only on what has been drawn. The lender values the property on what it will be worth finished. On a heritage property two things differ. The approval timeline is longer, and the contract price is usually higher because specialist trades and matching materials cost more. Building a buffer above the contract price is sensible, since surprises are more likely in an old building.
What does water frontage change?
The valuation more than the loan. A valuer looks at frontage, water access, the state of any seawall, and whether a jetty, boatshed or slipway sits on public waterway land under licence rather than on your title. A structure held under licence is not the same as owning it, and that affects value and sometimes saleability. On this peninsula those structures are common, so it is worth establishing before you exchange.
The rental yield here is very low. Does that affect my loan?
If you are buying to invest, considerably. Yields on Hunters Hill houses sit around one and a half per cent, among the lowest in Sydney, and lenders count only a portion of expected rent as income. That means your own income carries almost the entire assessment, and two lenders can land a long way apart on the same purchase. It does not make it a poor buy. It means the loan has to be built around your income rather than the rent.
Does a low yield matter if I am buying to live in?
Not for this loan, since lenders assess your income rather than what the house would rent for. Where it matters is later. If you keep this property and buy again, the rent it produces has to help carry it in the next assessment, and at these yields it does very little of that. Anyone planning to hold a Hunters Hill home as an investment while buying elsewhere should work that through before committing to the second purchase.
How much equity can I use?
Usable equity is roughly 80% of what your place is worth today, less what you still owe. Go past 80% and lenders mortgage insurance usually comes back into it. At Hunters Hill values that figure is large, and for a family who bought here decades ago it can be very large indeed. Since it follows the valuation, and heritage and waterfront properties value less uniformly than standard stock, it is worth establishing properly rather than estimating.
Are my properties linked, and can I separate them?
If one lender holds them as security for the same borrowing, they are linked rather than standing alone, and every request goes through a review of the whole bundle. Separating them is done through a refinance, placing each property on its own loan with its own security, either with one lender or across several. The test is whether each property standing alone supports the borrowing attached to it. Where it works you get the flexibility back and often better pricing.
Should I sell first or buy first?
Houses here move reasonably quickly, around a month on market, which makes selling first less risky than in slower suburbs. The difficulty is the other side, since suitable replacements come up rarely. Buying first means bridging finance funds the purchase before your sale settles, which costs more while both loans run. Your equity and whether your income holds both loans decide which is genuinely open to you.
How much deposit do I need in Hunters Hill?
A 20% deposit avoids lenders mortgage insurance, and at local house prices that is an extremely large number. The apartments near Gladesville village are far more reachable. If you already own, the equity in that property usually does the job instead of cash. Some professions can skip the insurance entirely, and at these loan sizes the saving where it applies runs into a great deal of money.
Can I buy my first home in Hunters Hill with a 5% deposit?
Only at the apartment end, if at all, since the scheme has a property price cap that Hunters Hill houses sit far above. The Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme lets an eligible first home buyer purchase with a 5% deposit and pay no lenders mortgage insurance, with Housing Australia guaranteeing the gap to 20%. It is a guarantee, not a grant. A professional waiver has no price cap attached, which makes it the more realistic route here.
How does a guarantor loan work?
A family member, usually a parent, offers part of the equity in their property as extra security for your loan. They do not make your repayments and no cash changes hands. Most are set up as a limited guarantee, so only a defined portion of their home is at risk. Around Hunters Hill the parent is often sitting on a property held for decades, which means the portion needed is a small share of what they have.
What is the difference between a guarantor and a co-borrower?
A guarantor supports the loan with their property but is not on the title or the debt. A co-borrower is on both, so the whole loan shows on their credit file and counts against whatever they want to borrow next. Co-borrowing lifts what the buyer can afford because both incomes count. At these loan sizes that is an enormous figure to carry, so a parent who may want to release equity themselves should think carefully.
What is an offset account and is it worth having?
An offset is a transaction account linked to your loan. Every dollar in it reduces the balance interest is charged on, without being locked away. At Hunters Hill loan sizes the effect is very large, because the saving scales with the balance, so an offset earns its keep comfortably even where the loan carries a package fee. If you are staging work on a period home, money waiting for the next trade is working while it sits.
Offset or redraw. What is the difference?
Redraw means paying extra off the loan and taking it back later. Offset means the money sits beside the loan in its own account. The interest effect is similar. What differs is access and treatment, because redraw can be restricted by the lender and money you redraw counts as new borrowing rather than your own savings returning. If a Hunters Hill home might later be let while you move on, offset is the cleaner structure. Your accountant can explain why.
Should I fix my rate or stay variable?
If you are building or restoring, the question usually waits, because most lenders keep a construction loan variable while funds draw down. On a completed home, fixed gives certainty for one to five years and variable gives flexibility, an offset and unlimited extra repayments. Most fixed loans have no usable offset, which matters a great deal at these balances. Breaking one early is expensive, so the term matters more than the opening rate.
Can I split the loan between fixed and variable?
Yes, and at Hunters Hill balances it is often the sensible answer. You fix a portion for repayment certainty and leave the rest variable so the offset still works against it. A good rule is to leave at least as much variable as the balance you typically hold in offset, including anything set aside for restoration work. Neither decision then has to be all or nothing while plans are still forming.
Interest only or principal and interest?
On a home you live in, principal and interest is almost always the answer, because interest only means you owe the same at the end of the period as at the start. On an investment here it is a genuine question given how little the rent covers. The catch is that lenders assess an interest only loan on the repayment it reverts to, not what you pay now, so at these balances it cuts a very long way into your next application. Worth working through with your accountant.
When I refinance, does my loan term reset?
Only if you let it, and at these balances letting it is very expensive. Most refinances default to a fresh thirty year term, which makes the monthly repayment look better while quietly adding years of interest on an enormous loan. Ask for the remaining term instead, so a loan with fifteen years left stays a fifteen year loan. Nobody offers this, so it has to be asked for every time.
How much does it cost to refinance a home loan?
Usually a few hundred dollars to around a thousand. Your current lender charges a discharge fee, there are government fees to move the mortgage, and the new lender may charge a settlement or valuation fee, though plenty waive them. If you are on a fixed rate there can be break costs, and on a Hunters Hill balance those can be very substantial, so they get checked before anything else. Expect a full valuation rather than a desktop one.
I live in Hunters Hill but want to buy elsewhere. Does that matter?
Far less than people expect. A lender assesses you, then it assesses the property you are buying. Where you currently live barely features. What does matter is the postcode and property type you are buying into, because lender restrictions attach to the security rather than to your address. Given the yields here, plenty of local owners use equity to buy an investment somewhere with a stronger return rather than adding a second property nearby.
Should I use my bank or a mortgage broker?
A bank can only offer its own loans, its own valuation panel and its own rules. At this end of the market a single lender's internal limit can end the purchase before anything else is considered, and on a heritage or waterfront property the panel's read matters too. You usually find out after you have applied and paid for a valuation. A broker checks it against many lenders first. Buyvest compares 35+ lenders at $0 cost to you.
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Hunters Hill sits on a peninsula between two rivers, so the run off it covers the neighbours. Woolwich is at the tip and Gladesville at the landward end, with Ryde beyond. Lane Cove sits across the water to the north, and Abbotsford and Five Dock to the south. East along the harbour are Rozelle, Balmain and Lilyfield, with Wollstonecraft, St Leonards and Artarmon further north. We cover all of them, so if your search shifts a suburb or two, you are not starting from scratch.