Client case studies: real scenarios, real outcomes
Every case study below is based on real broking work. Names, suburbs and identifying details have been changed and figures rounded, but the structure, the obstacles and the outcomes are exactly as they happened.
Case study: an SMSF property purchase settled in seven weeks
How a self-managed super fund purchased a $520,000 investment property using a limited recourse borrowing arrangement. Anonymised client case study.
- Purchase price
- $520,000
- Fund contribution
- 30% + costs
Case study: paying out $11,300 of HECS lifted borrowing power by $96,000
How clearing a small HECS balance before applying increased a borrower's approved loan amount by $96,000. Anonymised client case study with the full numbers.
- HECS balance
- $11,300
- Compulsory repayment
- $6,900/yr
Case study: a casual nurse approved using annualised year-to-date income
How a casual healthcare worker was declined on base pay then approved for $520,000 once her YTD income was annualised correctly. Anonymised client case study.
- Declined at
- $395,000
- Approved at
- $520,000
Case study: buying an investment property with no new cash deposit
How an owner-occupier released $154,000 of equity to fund the deposit and costs on a $610,000 investment property without touching savings. Anonymised case study.
- Home value
- $1,120,000
- Equity released
- $154,000
Case study: a guarantor loan that avoided $21,400 in LMI
How a parental security guarantee let a first home buyer purchase with an 8% deposit, avoid LMI entirely and release the guarantee within three years. Anonymised case study.
- Purchase price
- $740,000
- Buyer's own deposit
- 8%
Case study: approved with two defaults after two bank declines
How a borrower with two paid defaults and a low credit score was approved by a non-bank lender assessing conduct rather than score. Anonymised client case study.
- Defaults on file
- 2 (both paid)
- Bank outcomes
- 2 declines
Case study: buying a first home with a 5% deposit and no LMI
How first home buyers purchased a $685,000 house with a 5% deposit under the First Home Guarantee and avoided roughly $24,000 in LMI. Anonymised client case study.
- Purchase price
- $685,000
- Deposit used
- 5% ($34,250)
Case study: self-employed tradesman approved for $780,000
How add-backs lifted a self-employed builder's assessable income from $96,000 to $148,000 and secured a $780,000 approval at standard bank rates. Anonymised case study.
- Taxable income shown
- $96,200
- Assessable after add-backs
- $148,400
Case study: releasing $140,000 in equity to fund a renovation
How a family funded a kitchen, bathroom and landscaping renovation by releasing equity at 78% LVR instead of taking a personal loan. Anonymised client case study.
- Property value
- $1,050,000
- Existing loan
- $679,000
Case study: rolling off a 1.99% fixed rate without repayment shock
How a Melbourne couple coming off a 1.99% fixed rate refinanced before the revert rate hit and cut $9,400 off their interest over three years. Anonymised client case study.
- Loan amount
- $612,000
- Revert rate avoided
- 7.34%
Case study: consolidating $61,000 of consumer debt into a refinance
How a couple freed up $1,180 a month by rolling a car loan, two credit cards and a personal loan into their mortgage — with a plan to avoid repeating it. Anonymised case study.
- Consumer debt cleared
- $61,400
- Monthly outgoings freed
- $1,180
Go deeper on a topic
Case studies are illustrative. Names, locations and identifying details have been changed and figures rounded. Past outcomes are not a guarantee of future results — lending criteria, rates and policy change constantly.
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