Most investors stop at two. Not because the market stopped them, but because the first two loans were set up for the first two purchases and nothing after. Capacity was spent, equity was locked behind cross-securing and the next lender said no. The structure decided the ceiling.
We arrange investment lending for people building a portfolio, and we do it in an order. Which lender first, which second, how the splits are set, where the equity sits and what each purchase does to the one after it. Brisbane based, working with investors across Australia.
Who this is for
- Investors stuck at two properties
- First investment purchases
- Owners with equity they cannot use
- Interstate investors buying in Brisbane
Who it is not for
- Anyone not ready to make a move
- Anyone unwilling to pay for advice
- Anyone whose ATO tax portals are not clear across every individual and entity
What lenders look at
An investment lender is assessing the same five things on every application. The difference between a portfolio that grows and one that stalls is the order in which you let lenders see them.
- Serviceability. Income against all debts, at every lender's own buffer rate
- Usable equity. Not the equity on paper. The amount a lender will actually release
- Buffer rates. The rate above the actual rate that every loan is assessed at
- Cross-securing. Whether one lender holds more than one of your titles
- Lender sequencing. Which lenders you have used already, and which ones are still open to you
- Clear ATO tax portals for every individual and entity
Loan size and timing
Investment lending runs up to 80% LVR without LMI and up to 90% with it. The right position for any one purchase depends on what the next purchase needs, which is why we set it as part of the sequence rather than deal by deal.
Once your documents are back, the strategy lands within 7 business days. Implementation follows: the restructure, the pre-approval or the purchase, in the order the plan sets. Kris, our finance strategist, runs the first conversation, and Ferry leads client experience from the fit call through to settlement.
Before anything else: Clear ATO tax portals across every individual and entity involved. Lenders check this early, so we check it first.
The mistake we see most
Cross-securing. One lender holding two or more of your properties as security for each other. It is convenient at the time and it quietly removes your options: the equity in one property cannot be used without that lender's say-so, and leaving means refinancing everything. Buying in the wrong order is the second most common, and it usually follows from the first. Cross-securing, the silent capacity killer explains it in full.
A real example
A client with owner-occupied debt and a plan to keep buying came to us with capacity that, on paper, had run out. By restructuring the home loan through debt recycling, the strategy created an $895,000 investment war chest. The sequence mattered: a rooming house was purchased first, with trust structures and cash flow deployed deliberately so each move left the next one open. The full case, with the client's sign-off, is episode 97.
This quarter, 15 clients went through a restructure with us. All 15 created new lending capacity they did not have before.
Prefer to start with the framework? Download the free Portfolio Blueprint →
How we work
Kris, our finance strategist, runs the first conversation. Ferry, our client experience lead, looks after you from there to settlement.
- 15-minute fit callWith Kris and the team. We learn what you own, what you owe, where the equity sits and what you want to build, and whether this is a fit. If it is, we book you a Discovery Call with Dion.
- Discovery Call with DionA free 30-minute conversation about where you are, where you want to get to and what has to be true first. If we can help, we say how. If we cannot, we say that too.
- Finance StrategyThe written plan, within 7 business days of your documents coming back: the lender sequence for the next three purchases, how each facility is split, where the equity is released from and what each move does to your capacity for the one after.
- ImplementationThe restructure first, if one is needed. Then the pre-approval and the purchase, with the lender the plan chose. Then the plan for the next one starts.
Access to a wide panel of major banks, non-banks and specialist lenders through Connective, plus off-panel lenders where the deal needs it.
What it costs
The fit call and the Discovery Call cost nothing. The Finance Strategy is a one-off fee for the work of designing the structure: the entity, the lender sequence, the splits and the order of moves. We quote it on the Discovery Call, once we know the scope. If the strategy does not leave you knowing exactly where you stand and exactly what to do next, the fee is refunded in full.
Common questions
Why did my bank say I cannot borrow any more?
Because at that bank, at its buffer rate, with your properties cross-secured, you cannot. That is one lender's view of one structure. Different lenders assess the same income and debts differently, and uncrossing securities changes what equity is available. The ceiling is usually the structure, not the income.
How much equity can I actually use?
Less than the figure on paper. A lender will release equity up to its LVR limit, after its valuation, subject to serviceability at its buffer rate. Our free equity calculator shows the gap between equity on paper and usable equity across up to five properties.
Should I use LMI to buy sooner?
Sometimes. Lending up to 90% with LMI can bring a purchase forward by years, and in a rising market that can be worth far more than the premium. It depends on what it does to your capacity for the purchase after, which is a sequence question rather than a yes or no.
I live interstate. Can you help me buy in Brisbane?
Yes. We are Brisbane based and work with investors everywhere in Australia by call and screen. Interstate investors buying here get the same lender sequence and structure work, with the Brisbane market knowledge built in.
Do I need a property first, or the finance first?
Finance first. The structure decides what you can buy, which lender funds it and what it does to the purchase after. Buying first and arranging finance second is how investors end up cross-secured at two.