Usually around $800-1000 - mostly government title fees and a discharge fee from your old lender. A lot of the time a lender cashback covers that and ideally we want those fees to be covered within months of your new loan being open to make it financial viable, so you're square within months and ahead every month after. I'll show you the real number before you decide a thing.

Because the person you ring can only sell you their bank. If there's nothing sharper there, that's all they'll ever say. I'm not owned by anyone - I run your loan across 26 lenders and tell you straight, even if straight is "you're already on a good rate, leave it."

Usually months, not years. On a $500k loan, dropping from 6.26% to 5.5% is about $3,750 a year. Against roughly $800 to switch, it pays back fast. I'll put your actual numbers in front of you so it's not a guess.

You can, and sometimes you should as the retention team has the ability to reduce your rate. But your bank only moves as far as it has to to keep you, and it's marking its own homework. I check their "best offer" against 26 other lenders so you actually know if it's the best. Sometimes the reprice wins and I'll tell you to stay put.

Usually, yes - once you ask to discharge, a retention team suddenly finds a rate they could've given you years ago. That's the loyalty tax admitting itself and most of my clients tell them to shove it. By then you'll know exactly what everyone else is offering, so you can take their better number or walk. Either way you win.

I have a look with a soft enquiry initially which does not leave an enquiry on your credit score and leaves your score unaffected. Home loan enquiries are seen as very low risk and with clients I see no noticeable change in credit score from a refinance application

Then timing matters more often than not, breaking early can carry a cost, so sometimes the move is to line it all up and switch the day it expires. Tell me when your fixed term ends and I'll tell you straight whether to wait or move now, before your bank quietly rolls you onto their revert rate.

Nothing for my help. I'm paid by the lender, the same rate whether you go direct or through me - except I check all of them and you check one. If you're better off where you are, I'll tell you that too.

Less than you think, and I prep most of it. Typically ID, a couple of payslips or returns, and your current loan statements. I'll send you a short list, you send it back, I handle the rest. Keep it Simple Stupid is my methodology.

Just your current rate, lender and roughly what's owing - that's enough for me to tell you on the first call whether it's worth going further. The full document list only comes once we know there's a saving worth chasing.

Depends on what you value - certainty or flexibility - not on what's popular. I'll walk you through what each means for your repayments and we'll pick what fits your life, not the bank's margin.

The best time is whenever your current rate isn't competitive — that's true in any market. Waiting for the "perfect" moment usually just means more months of loyalty tax. Ten minutes tells you whether it's worth it today.

Often, yes. Folding a high-interest personal loan or card into your mortgage can free up real cash each month. One client rolled a $28k personal loan at nearly 20% into their home loan and breathed again. I'll show you whether it stacks up or just stretches the debt out longer.

If you've owned a while, you may be sitting on more than you think. A refinance can unlock that equity for a reno, an investment, or a deposit on the next place. I'll tell you what's actually there and what's worth using.

Not always the goal. Sometimes we keep the repayment the same and shorten the loan so you own it sooner, or free up cash flow instead. I'll show you both so you choose, rather than assuming lower repayment is automatically the win.

No. A bank says no to a box you don't fit. I've got 26 lenders, and "no" at one is a "yes" at another all the time. The bank's calculator isn't the final word - that's the whole reason I do this.