Contemporary coastal home
Specialist Brokers Since 2004

The rules changed.
We didn't.
We've got you.

Experience matters more now the rules have changed. First home buyers through to commercial, in the same small team since 2004, with an average client who stays fifteen years.

Book a Broker Call See what changed
ACL 387460
MFAA & AFCA member
2004
Broking since
50+
Lenders on panel
5
Specialist brokers
15yr
Avg client tenure
What actually changed

The market moved. So did what people ask us for.

These are not predictions. They are the three conversations we now have most weeks.

01

They cannot rent anywhere

Buying stopped being an investment decision and became a housing one. The motivation is not a dream. It is that there is nowhere to live. That changes what the finance has to do, and how fast.

02

The numbers on investment homes stopped working

There is still established stock to buy. What changed is whether it works as an investment. The rules now treat new builds differently from established investment property, so people are looking at a new build, or at substantially improving what they already own. Where that leaves you is a question for your accountant.

03

Cashflow is where people are going

Equity and years of growth mean the next step is often premises, a medical centre or a childcare centre. Anything with good cashflow. The deposit is usually already sitting inside the family home.

The change everyone is asking about

Negative gearing and capital gains tax, the short version

This is the law, not a forecast. It is why the conversation about investment property changed, and why new builds are suddenly the thing people ask us about.

Negative gearing
1 Jul 2027

From this date, negative gearing is limited to new builds.

  • Buy a new build and losses can still be deducted against other income.
  • Buy established residential after Budget night and losses can only be deducted against residential property income.
  • Unused losses can be carried forward, but not claimed against wages.

Source: Australian Government, Budget 2026–27. Read the measure →

If you already own it
Unchanged

Existing arrangements remain unchanged for all properties held before Budget night.

  • Held before Budget night, you are grandfathered.
  • The change applies to what you buy from here, not what you already have.

Source: Australian Government, Budget 2026–27.

Capital gains tax
30%

A minimum 30 per cent tax on gains, with the 50 per cent discount replaced by one based on inflation.

  • Applies only to gains arising after 1 July 2027.
  • You are taxed on the real gain, after inflation.
  • New build investors may choose the 50 per cent discount or the new arrangements.

Source: Australian Government, Budget 2026–27.

What it means for us is simple. A new build, a knockdown rebuild or a substantial improvement is now a different proposition to buying an established investment property, and it has to be funded differently. That part is ours.

Talk to us about a build See investment lending

Legislated in the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No.1) Bill 2026, passed by the Senate on 25 June 2026. Current as at 18 August 2026. This is general information only, it is not tax advice, and it does not take account of any person's objectives, financial situation or needs. What it means for your position is a question for your accountant or registered tax agent.

If you already own

Grandfathered is worth something. It is worth knowing what.

If you held the property before Budget night, your existing arrangements are unchanged. Nothing about what you already own has to move.

What has changed is every decision that comes after it. These are the questions clients are bringing us now, and none of them have a general answer.

The tax half belongs to your accountant. The funding half is ours, and it is usually the half that decides whether the plan is possible at all.

Work through your position
Should the next one be a new build? New builds keep the deduction against other income. Established ones bought from here do not.
Can the deposit come out of what I already hold? Usually the equity for the next purchase is already sitting in the portfolio.
What happens if I refinance? Worth checking before you move anything, not after.
Does improving what I own work better than buying again? A substantial improvement is a different funding structure to a purchase.
Is commercial the better next step? Different rules, different lenders, different security. We do both sides.
First home buyers

The main reason people are buying is that they cannot rent.

It is worth knowing that the barrier moved in your favour while everyone was busy being told it was hopeless. Here is what is actually on the table.

Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme
5%

Deposit. No Lenders Mortgage Insurance. The Australian Government guarantees the rest to your lender.

  • No income caps.
  • No waitlist and no limited places.
  • 2% deposit for single parents and legal guardians.
  • Property price caps apply by location.
  • You must live in it as an owner-occupier.

Source: firsthomebuyers.gov.au. Changes apply from 1 October 2025. Eligibility criteria apply. Check the price cap for your area →

NSW transfer duty
$800,000

Buy at or under this and a first home buyer pays no transfer duty at all, new or existing.

  • A concession applies above $800,000 and under $1,000,000.
  • Vacant land is exempt at or under $350,000, with a concession under $450,000.
  • At least one buyer must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
  • Move in within 12 months and live there 12 continuous months.

Source: Revenue NSW, First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme. Applies to contracts exchanged on or after 1 July 2023.

NSW new homes
$10,000

First Home Owner Grant, for buying or building your first new home.

  • Newly built home: purchase price must not exceed $600,000.
  • Land plus a building contract: combined cost must not exceed $750,000.
  • Each applicant at least 18, one a citizen or permanent resident.
  • No prior home ownership before 1 July 2000.

Source: Revenue NSW, First Home Owner (New Homes) Grant.

It is worth checking where you actually stand. The rules moved recently, and most people have not had their position tested against the current ones. Deposit, price cap, property type, contract timing and lender policy all have to line up, and that is the part we do.

Have us test your position More on first home buying

Figures are general information only, current as at 18 August 2026, and are not personal advice. Eligibility, caps and lender criteria apply and change. Tax questions are for your accountant.

Construction

Why so many people are suddenly building

It is the tax. From 1 July 2027 negative gearing is limited to new builds, so a new build and an established investment property stopped being the same proposition. That is why people who were never going to build are asking about it now.

Some are building, some are buying a new build, and some are substantially improving what they already own. Where that leaves you is a question for your accountant.

What we do is the funding. Whether the land, the builder, the contract type and the end valuation stack up. What happens to your existing debt while the build is funded. Whether it is a construction loan, an equity release or a staged facility. And whether your builder's progress schedule fits the lender's policy, because that is where builds come unstuck.

Construction finance →
Land and build. Is the land, the contract and the end valuation acceptable to the lender?
Knockdown rebuild. What happens to the existing debt while the new build is funded?
Major renovation. Construction loan, equity release, or a staged facility?
The builder. Does the contract type and progress schedule fit lender policy?
Imported finishes. Kitchens, stone, windows and fittings from overseas create timing and cashflow gaps.
Where we have done the most work

Find yourself here

Some of it is the asset. Some of it is who you are. Both change which lender will say yes.

First home buyers

Deposit, the current schemes, and whether the pathway is genuinely open to you.

See what's involved →

Construction

Land and build, knockdown rebuild, staged drawdowns and the end valuation.

See what's involved →

Self-employed and complex income

Company, trust and entity income, read very differently by different lenders.

See what's involved →

Releasing equity

Where the deposit for the next thing already sits, and what it costs to reach it.

See what's involved →

Professionals

Accountants, medical, dental and other professionals. Your own home and investments as well as the practice.

See what's involved →

Medical centres

A long-standing area for us. Practice cashflow, property security, fitout and leases.

See what's involved →

Childcare centres

Operator strength, occupancy, approvals and purpose-built valuations.

See what's involved →

Commercial property

Business premises, lease income, entity and guarantor structures, and the exit.

See what's involved →
Why us

Experience in exactly what people need now, and small enough to pick up the phone

We have already done this

Broking since 2004, through every rate cycle and policy change since. First homes, builds, larger loans, equity release and commercial, including medical and childcare centres.

We take our own meetings

You are not handed to a processing team. The people who take the first call are the people who see the file through to settlement, and they are the ones who answer when you ring back.

Australian Credit Licence 387460

Finance on the Coast is a subdivision of Model Mortgages Pty Ltd, which holds Australian Credit Licence 387460. A panel of more than 50 lenders. MFAA and AFCA member.

Your brokers

The same brokers, from a first home to a commercial purchase

Every broker here works with first home buyers. That is deliberate, not a junior job. Phil also runs the commercial side, which is why a client who starts with a first home and ends up buying premises, a medical centre or a childcare centre never has to start again somewhere else.

Phil Riches — CEO & Lead Mortgage Broker

Phil Riches

CEO & Lead Mortgage Broker

Commercial and residential. Business premises, medical and childcare centres, alongside complex and self-employed home lending. Over 20 years building long-term client relationships across Australia and with expats overseas.

 0418 204 304
Jason Wilkinson — Senior Mortgage Broker

Jason Wilkinson

Senior Mortgage Broker

Methodical, calm, and known for getting the details right. First home buyers through to complex purchases and structured investment decisions.

 0413 434 693
Julianne Zammit — Senior Mortgage Broker

Julianne Zammit

Senior Mortgage Broker

Known for precision with first home buyers and complex lending scenarios. Clients value her thoroughness and her ability to explain lending decisions clearly.

 0431 922 899
Ian Hughes — Senior Mortgage Broker

Ian Hughes

Senior Mortgage Broker

Technical lending expert who works with first home buyers and professionals alike. Known for working through lending challenges that others consider difficult.

 0403 522 961

Direct contact numbers are for existing clients and referred introductions. New enquiries — please use Book a Broker Call or Start an Enquiry.

"I'm in finance, so I thought, 'I know this, I can do this.' … We always planned to renovate, and the structure Phil put together gave me the confidence to go to builders and give them confidence too. We bought [the house] back in 2015, so there's been a lot of restructuring since — Covid came in, rates changed — right up to the major renovation we're going through now, all while holding onto the investment property."
Steve Hair Global Finance Professional & Long-Term Client (15+ years) — Sydney Futures Exchange · London · Singapore

Hear Steve's full story on the podcast →

Property & Mortgage Insights Australia

The experience above, on the record. Our podcast breaks down how lending decisions are actually made — from income recognition to policy interpretation and timing — with Virginia and guests like Steve Hair working through the real scenarios that change outcomes. Hosted by Virginia Graham Riches, former ANZ interest rate dealer and mortgage broker since 2004.

Listen Now →
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Find out what is realistic before you commit to anything

Bring us the situation, whatever stage it is at. We will tell you what looks possible, what information is needed, and what to sort out first.

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