St Ives mortgage broker
St Ives mortgage broker
A mortgage broker
who knows St Ives.
Large blocks under tree cover, families who arrived for the schools, and more people moving within the suburb than out of it. We compare 35+ lenders and it costs you nothing.
35+
Lenders
10+
Years experience
1,000+
Clients helped
$0
Cost to you
About St Ives
What the 2075 market actually looks like
History of St Ives
Orchards and market gardens until the middle of last century, then subdivided as a garden suburb with generous blocks and the tree cover left largely intact. That decision still shapes everything, because Ku-ring-gai protects its canopy closely and the bushland reserves push right up against the streets on the northern and eastern edges.
St Ives property market
Family homes on large blocks, with a smaller band of townhouses and apartments near the shopping village. There is no railway station, so buyers here are choosing land, schools and quiet over a walk to the train. A significant number of residents are older and have held the same home for decades, which makes downsizing a much bigger part of this market than of most.
St Ives property prices
Houses sit well into the millions and the range is wide, because a townhouse near the village and a large home backing onto the reserve are both St Ives. Apartments sit far lower. Be careful with published medians, since several comparison sites quote New South Wales state averages rather than local figures here. Treat any single number as a guide rather than a price.
Borrowing in St Ives
Loan size first, because St Ives purchases usually sit past the point where lenders apply their own internal limits. Then the property, since bushfire mapping on the bushland edges affects insurance, and tree protection shapes what you can build. And for a good share of clients here the question is not buying at all, it is what a downsize actually leaves them with.
St Ives is one of 32 suburbs we cover across the North Shore, and the one where downsizing comes up more often than upgrading.
Thinking about
downsizing?
The order you buy and sell in decides what it costs. Worth working out before you list anything.
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.
Extending rather
than moving?
A construction loan values the property on what it will be worth finished, which is often where the equity turns out to be.
Client stories
How we helped
Three real situations, and what actually happened in each one.
The extension unlocked it.
A client wanted $150,000 for an extension and was sure they had no equity to draw on. What they had not been told is that a construction loan is not valued on the house as it stands. It is valued on what the property will be worth once the work is done. That opened up the funds without mortgage insurance, and because construction loans only charge interest on what has been drawn, the cost climbed as the build did.
They settled before selling.
They found the home they wanted before their own had sold. Rather than list under a deadline, we released the equity in the existing property so it funded the purchase, and they settled on the new home first. The old house went on the market afterwards, presented empty and sold on their own timetable. Most of the proceeds went straight back against the loan once it settled, so the higher borrowing lasted only a few months.
They kept both properties.
A growing family wanted a bigger home and assumed the current one had to go to pay for it. Once we went through the numbers, it did not. We restructured the lending, used the equity they already had as the deposit, and put a loan in place that let them keep the first home and rent it out. Because holding a former home has tax consequences, they worked that side through with their accountant.
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 St Ives 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 St Ives plan
First home
Learn more
Next home
Learn more
Investment property
Learn more
Refinancing
Learn more
Construction loans
Learn more
Bridging loans
Learn more
Guarantor loans
Learn more
No LMI and waived LMI
Learn more
Self employed home loans
Learn more
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 St Ives loan sizes 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
Learn more
Home loans for
Dentists
Learn more
Home loans for
Accountants
Learn more
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
St Ives questions, answered
Why use a mortgage broker in St Ives?
Because purchases here sit past the point where lenders apply their own internal limits, and those limits differ enormously between them. The property adds a second layer, since bushfire mapping and tree protection both show up on a valuer's report. And a good share of St Ives clients are not buying at all, they are working out what a downsize leaves them with. Brokers also have a legal duty called the Best Interests Duty, which means we have to put you first.
I am downsizing. What should I sort out first?
The order, because it decides what the move costs. Selling first gives certainty about your number but can leave you renting while the right place comes up, and suitable smaller homes here are not plentiful. Buying first means the finance carries both for a period, usually through bridging. If you are over a certain age, downsizing proceeds can also be contributed to super under specific rules, which is a conversation for your accountant or financial adviser rather than for us.
Can I get a loan if I am retired or close to it?
It is harder rather than impossible, and it comes down to exit strategy. Lenders have to be satisfied you can repay the loan without hardship, and where the term runs past retirement they want to know how. Downsizing, superannuation, other assets or ongoing income can all form part of that, and lenders differ on what they accept and how much evidence they want. It is worth having the conversation early rather than assuming the answer is no.
Can I borrow against a retirement village unit?
Usually not in the way people expect, and it catches families out. Most retirement village arrangements are a licence to occupy or a loan and lease rather than a title you own outright, so there is nothing a lender can take a standard mortgage over. That means the purchase generally has to come from the sale proceeds of the family home rather than from borrowing. Getting the timing right between the sale and the entry payment is where the planning matters.
Does bushfire mapping affect my loan?
Rarely the approval, often the insurance. The streets backing onto the reserves carry a bushfire attack level, and a lender wants the property insured before settlement. Cover on a highly rated site can be expensive or slow to place, so get a quote early rather than in the final week. If you are building or extending, the rating also sets construction standards, which lifts the contract price behind a construction loan.
Do tree protection rules affect a renovation?
They affect what council will approve, which in turn affects the finance. Ku-ring-gai protects its canopy closely, and significant trees can shape where a building envelope sits, whether a pool is possible, and how long approval takes. A construction loan is written against approved plans and a fixed price contract, so delays on the council side hold up the drawdown rather than the other way round. Get the arborist and the approval underway before the loan amount is locked in.
Should renovation money come out of the home loan?
For cosmetic work, usually yes, because home loan rates sit well below personal loan rates and a top up on the existing loan is simple. Once you are changing the structure, most lenders want a construction loan instead, which releases funds in stages and values the property on what it will be worth finished rather than as it stands. On a large St Ives block that finished value is often where the equity turns out to be.
Are large loans assessed differently?
Not harder, but they are looked at more closely. Past certain loan sizes some lenders add extra checks, want more documentation, cap how much of the value they will lend, or apply internal limits. Others barely change their process. At St Ives prices most buyers are well inside that territory, so knowing which lenders are comfortable at what size saves weeks and sometimes saves the 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. In St Ives that number surprises people, because a family home held for twenty or thirty years has had a very long time to move while the loan came down. Plenty of owners here have never had it valued since the day they bought.
Can I help my children into a property?
There are three common routes and they are very different. A limited guarantee puts part of your equity behind their loan without any cash changing hands, and can be released once their borrowing sits under 80% of value. Co-borrowing puts you on the title and the whole debt, which shows on your credit file. Or you release equity and gift or lend it, which affects your own position. Each has consequences worth understanding before you choose.
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. For a St Ives parent who may still want to release equity for their own plans, that difference decides whether they can.
Can I buy my first home in St Ives with a 5% deposit?
If you are an eligible first home buyer it is possible, though in St Ives it means a townhouse or apartment near the village rather than a house, and the price still has to sit under the scheme's property cap. The Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme lets you buy with a 5% deposit and pay no lenders mortgage insurance, with Housing Australia guaranteeing the gap between your deposit and 20%. It is a guarantee, not a grant.
How much deposit do I need in St Ives?
A 20% deposit avoids lenders mortgage insurance, and at local house prices that is a very large number. Townhouses near the 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, which is worth checking before you assume you need the full amount, because at these loan sizes the saving is significant.
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 St Ives loan sizes the effect is significant, because the saving scales with the loan, so an offset usually earns its keep even where the loan carries a package fee. If your account runs close to empty each month, that fee can cost more than the offset saves.
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 downsize might turn the family home into a rental for a period, offset is the cleaner structure. Your accountant can explain why.
Should I fix my rate or stay variable?
Fixed gives certainty for a set period, usually one to five years. Variable gives flexibility, an offset account and unlimited extra repayments. Most fixed loans do not come with a usable offset, which matters more at these loan sizes than almost anywhere, because the offset is working against a very large balance. Breaking a fixed loan early can be expensive, which is worth weighing if a downsize might happen inside that period.
Can I split the loan between fixed and variable?
Yes, and at St Ives 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, so the offset is doing full work rather than partial. Neither decision then has to be all or nothing.
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 it is a genuine question and depends on your wider position. The catch is that lenders assess an interest only loan on the repayment it reverts to, not what you pay now, so it eats into what you can borrow next. Worth discussing with your accountant as well as us.
When I refinance, does my loan term reset?
Only if you let it, and at St Ives balances letting it is expensive. Most refinances default to a fresh thirty year term, which makes the monthly repayment look better while quietly adding years of interest on a very large loan. Ask for the remaining term instead, so a loan with fifteen years left stays a fifteen year loan. That matters even more where the plan is to be debt free before retirement.
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 St Ives sized balance those can be substantial, so they get checked before anything else is considered.
I live in St Ives 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. Plenty of St Ives owners use equity in a long held family home to buy an investment or to help a child into their first place.
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. Here that matters twice, because one lender's internal limit at your loan size and one lender's view on lending into retirement both have to go your way. 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.
Your St Ives mortgage broker
Your home loan.
Made simple.
Free check. No pressure. 35+ lenders compared at $0 cost to you.
St Ives sits east of the railway line, so the suburbs along it are the ones people compare against. Pymble, Gordon and Turramurra are closest, with Killara, Lindfield and Roseville further down and Wahroonga and Hornsby north. South the line runs into Chatswood and Artarmon, and east across the bushland sit Willoughby and Castlecrag. We cover all of them, so if your search shifts a suburb or two, you are not starting from scratch.