Mortgage broker in Carlton

Buying or refinancing in Carlton

Carlton is Lygon Street, the university and the Carlton Gardens: Victorian terraces on Drummond and Rathdowne Streets, student apartments near Melbourne University and RMIT, and the Carlton housing estate. It is the city's oldest Italian quarter and its busiest student suburb.

Investors in apartments near the university, parents buying a unit for a child, and professional couples buying a terrace are the Carlton mix. Student-area apartments get a cautious view from some lenders on size and building, so an investment loan here starts with the lender's policy on the building.

Transport and access: the route 1, 6, 16 and 72 trams, Melbourne Central and Parliament stations a short walk, the Tullamarine Freeway via Royal Parade.

How we work with Carlton clients

Carlton is about 16 km from the office, so the first chat can be at Maple Street, at your home, or on video, whichever suits. Thirty minutes is enough. You leave with a borrowing figure, the schemes you qualify for and a written plan. Documents go through a secure portal, we lodge with the lender you choose, and the team chases every step to settlement. Many Carlton clients have been with us through two or three loans.

What Carlton clients come to us for

• First home buyer loans
• Home loans and upgrades
• Refinancing and rate reviews
• Investment loans
• Construction and renovation loans
• SMSF loans

What Victorian buyers should know in 2026

First home buyers in Victoria pay no stamp duty on a home valued at $600,000 or less, and a reduced amount on a sliding scale up to $750,000. The $10,000 First Home Owner Grant applies to a new home valued at $750,000 or less. The federal First Home Guarantee lets eligible buyers purchase with a 5% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance, with a price cap of $950,000 in Melbourne and Geelong and $650,000 in the rest of the state.

Everyone else pays the general rate: $2,870 plus 6% of the price above $130,000 up to $960,000, then a flat 5.5% to $2 million. On a $900,000 home that is $49,070, paid at settlement and not funded by the lender. Our stamp duty calculator runs the current bands and concessions.

None of this is personal credit advice. Your situation is assessed before any recommendation, the lender is chosen on the written comparison, and the commission we are paid by the lender is disclosed in your Credit Guide before you decide anything.