Independent mortgage broker serving Melbourne's northern suburbs since 2018

According to the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA), 76% of Australian borrowers now choose a mortgage broker over going directly to a bank — and that number is growing every year. The main reason is choice. A bank can only offer its own products, assessed against its own credit policy. If your situation doesn’t fit, you’re declined with no alternative. A mortgage broker works across multiple lenders — Blutin Finance has access to 45+ lenders across major banks, non-bank lenders, and specialist lenders — so if one lender declines, another may approve. Since 1 January 2021, Australian mortgage brokers have also been legally bound by the Best Interests Duty, which requires us to recommend the loan that genuinely suits your situation, not the one that earns the highest commission. Banks operate under no such obligation to their customers.

For standard residential home loans, most Australians pay nothing directly to their mortgage broker including all Blutin Finance clients. The lender pays the broker an upfront commission when your loan settles, typically between 0.35% and 0.70% of the loan amount, plus a smaller ongoing trail commission. This payment is built into the lender’s overall cost structure and is the same whether you use a broker or walk into a branch, meaning you don’t save money by going direct to a bank. Commission rates are broadly similar across lenders, and under the Best Interests Duty, brokers are legally prohibited from recommending a lender based on commission rather than what suits your situation. All commission amounts are fully disclosed in your credit guide before you commit to anything.

A Melbourne mortgage broker helps first home buyers and property investors in three practical ways; assessment, access, and navigation of Victoria-specific schemes. For first home buyers, we assess your borrowing capacity based on your real income and expenses, explain the First Home Guarantee scheme (2% or 5% deposit with no LMI for eligible buyers), check eligibility for the Victorian First Home Owner Grant and stamp duty concessions, and match you to a lender whose credit policy fits your deposit and income. For property investors, we structure loans for tax efficiency, assess serviceability across multiple properties, and access lenders who specialise in portfolio lending, many of which aren’t available through bank branches. At Blutin Finance, Nojan Rahimi personally handles both first home buyers and investors from first consultation through to settlement and beyond.

A boutique mortgage broker is independently owned, not operating under a franchise brand like Aussie Home Loans or Mortgage Choice, and not employed by any bank. Three practical differences matter for borrowers: First, you deal with the same broker from first call through to settlement and for the life of your loan. At a bank or large franchise, staff turnover often means starting over with someone new who doesn’t know your situation. Second, boutique brokers have no franchise volume quotas, which means they’re typically more willing to take on complex cases like self-employed borrowers, applications previously declined, or unusual income structures, rather than cherry-picking clean applications. Third, independence from a single aggregator or brand means the recommendation is based purely on your situation. Blutin Finance is an independent boutique brokerage based in Melbourne, where founder Nojan Rahimi personally handles every client with 20 years of finance experience.

A good Australian mortgage broker should have access to at least 30 lenders, with 40 or more considered strong. A panel smaller than 20 significantly limits your options, particularly for self-employed borrowers, applicants previously declined, or anyone needing specialist lending. What matters more than the raw number is the breadth of the panel. A strong broker panel should include the Big Four (CBA, Westpac, ANZ, NAB), mid-tier banks (Macquarie, ING, Bendigo, Suncorp, BOQ), and specialist non-bank lenders (Bluestone, Pepper Money, La Trobe Financial, Resimac, RedZed) who often approve applications that major banks decline. Blutin Finance works with 45+ lenders covering all three categories; major banks, non-bank lenders, and specialist lenders as well as commercial and asset finance providers for business and SMSF lending.