Mortgage broker in Forest Hill

Buying or refinancing in Forest Hill

Forest Hill is a quiet, family-oriented suburb of 1960s and 70s brick veneers on good-sized blocks, with Forest Hill Chase, Mahoneys Reserve and strong public and Catholic schools. It has fewer apartments than Box Hill and more owner-occupiers.

Most Forest Hill clients are families buying their second or third home, often with a bridging or equity question, and parents helping adult children into a first home with a family guarantee. Family guarantees, where parents use equity in a Forest Hill home to help a child buy without a deposit or LMI, come up constantly here. We structure them so the guarantee is limited and can be released early.

Transport and access: Bus routes to Blackburn, Nunawading and Glen Waverley stations, with Forest Hill Chase at the centre.

How we work with Forest Hill clients

Forest Hill is 3 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 Forest Hill clients have been with us through two or three loans.

What Forest Hill 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.