- Office
- Castle Hill24/10 Gladstone Road, Castle Hill NSW 2154
- Call or text
- 0477 738 025Joshua James
- Cost for most home loans
- No feePaid by the lender on settlement
Most Australians now use a broker for their home loan: brokers facilitated a record 81.6% of new home loans in the June 2026 quarter, according to the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia. In Sydney, where prices make every percentage point and every lender policy difference count, that choice matters even more.
Who Joshua helps in Sydney
- First home buyers, including using the 5% Deposit Scheme (no lenders mortgage insurance, price cap $1.5 million in Sydney) and NSW's stamp duty exemption up to $800,000. See first home buyers in NSW.
- Upgraders working out whether to buy before they sell, and what bridging would cost.
- Refinancers whose rate has drifted above what new customers are offered. Try the rate check.
- Investors, including dual key and dual occupancy purchases. See how lenders see dual key homes.
- Self employed borrowers and anyone whose income doesn't fit a standard payslip.
- Building or buying house and land in Sydney's growth areas. See house and land packages.
Joshua works across Greater Sydney, from the Hills District and Northern Beaches to the Inner West, Western Sydney, the North Shore, the Eastern Suburbs and the Sutherland Shire, and with clients anywhere in Australia by phone and video.
How it works with Borrowable
- Start with the check. Borrowable asks the questions a broker would, works out what you could borrow the way lenders assess it, and gives you a written report. It takes a few minutes and nothing is checked against your credit file.
- Send it, call or text. Your report goes to Joshua, so the first conversation starts from your actual numbers, not a blank form.
- Joshua compares lenders for you. Once he understands your situation and goals, he looks across the lenders available to him and recommends options that fit, in writing, with the reasons.
- Application to settlement. He prepares the application, deals with the lender and valuer, and keeps you updated until the loan settles, and afterwards when it's worth reviewing your rate.
What it costs
For most home loans there is no fee: the lender pays Joshua a commission when the loan settles, and a smaller ongoing commission while it runs. If a fee would ever apply to your loan, you're told in writing before anything proceeds. The commission doesn't change your rate, and the law requires brokers to act in your best interests.
Sydney numbers worth knowing
- NSW first home buyers pay no transfer duty up to $800,000 and reduced duty up to $1 million. Everyone else pays the full rate: use the NSW stamp duty calculator.
- The 5% Deposit Scheme price cap in Sydney is $1,500,000, the highest in the country.
- Lenders test your repayments at their rate plus 3 percentage points, so borrowing power falls with every rate rise. See estimates by salary.
Common questions
Is a mortgage broker better than going to my bank?
A bank can only offer its own loans. A broker can compare loans from a panel of lenders and must, by law, act in your best interests and put your interests first if there is a conflict (ASIC's best interests duty). That said, your own bank may still be the right choice for you; a broker's job is to show you whether it is.
How do mortgage brokers get paid?
Usually by the lender, as an upfront commission when the loan settles and a smaller trail commission over the life of the loan. You should be told how the broker is paid, and about any fee, before you proceed.
Do I have to live near the office?
No. Most of the process happens by phone, video and email, and documents are signed electronically. Joshua works with clients across Australia.
Sources
- MFAA (Cotality data): brokers facilitated a record 81.6% of new home loans in the June 2026 quarter, checked 21 October 2026
- ASIC RG 273: Mortgage brokers' best interests duty, checked 21 October 2026
- Ace Lending Solutions, checked 21 October 2026
General information only, not credit advice. It doesn’t take your objectives, financial situation or needs into account. Rules and figures change; check them, or talk to Joshua, before you rely on them.