Guiding you to financial heights.
Home loans, refinances, investment, commercial and asset finance — arranged by Adriana Fernandez, with 8+ years inside the banks behind every recommendation. One relationship, every step of the way.
- Integrity
- Honesty
- Determination
Lender panel — 100+ through our aggregator
Big four · Non-bank · Specialist · SMSF
Find Your Starting Point
Four questions, about thirty seconds. No email, no credit check — it just works out what you need so the first conversation can start somewhere useful.
Question 1 of 4
What are you financing?
You’ll be talking to me, not a call centre.
Whatever the matcher says, the next step is a conversation with the person who’ll actually handle your file.
What I can
help with
Home lending, SMSF, commercial property and everything you need to run a business — arranged by one broker who already knows your file, with licensed specialists introduced for the rest.
Help For First Home Buyers
There is more government support for a first purchase than most buyers realise, and the rules changed materially in late 2025 — no income test on the main scheme, and no queue for a place. Here's what exists, in plain English.
The 5% Deposit Scheme
5% deposit · no LMI
Formerly the First Home Guarantee. The government guarantees part of your loan, so you can buy with a 5% deposit and pay no Lenders Mortgage Insurance — a premium that can run to tens of thousands on a typical purchase. Since October 2025 there are no income caps and no limit on places. The property does still have to sit under a price cap for your area.
Help to Buy
Shared equity · from a 2% deposit
A shared equity scheme: the government takes an ownership share in the property, so you borrow less and can start with a smaller deposit. You buy that share back over time, or it's settled when you sell. It's open to buyers who have owned before, not just first-timers — worth knowing if you're coming back into the market.
Victorian First Home Support
No duty under $600,000 · $10k grant
Victoria runs its own relief on top of the federal schemes. A first home under $600,000 pays no stamp duty at all, and between $600,001 and $750,000 the duty slides down with the price. A new build up to $750,000 can also draw the $10,000 First Home Owner Grant. You do have to live in it — twelve months, starting within a year of settlement.
Victoria in detail — thresholds, eligibility and the residency rules
Victoria offers stamp duty relief for first home buyers purchasing property up to $750,000. Homes valued up to $600,000 attract no duty, while those between $600,001 and $750,000 receive a reduced rate. Buyers must be natural persons aged 18 or over, Australian citizens or permanent residents, purchasing at market value as their principal residence, and must not have previously owned residential property in Australia. One buyer must live in the home for 12 continuous months within 12 months of settlement, with extended timelines for vacant land. Active defence force members are exempt from that requirement. New homes up to $750,000 may also receive the $10,000 First Home Owner Grant.
- New or established homeUp to $600,000
- No stamp duty
- New or established home$600,001 – $750,000
- Reduced duty, sliding with the price
- New homeUp to $750,000
- $10,000 First Home Owner Grant
- Vacant landUp to $750,000
- Relief applies, assessed on the land value only
How the saving is worked out
- Duty is charged on the dutiable value — the price you pay or the property's market value, whichever is higher.
- Up to $600,000 you pay no duty at all.
- Between $600,001 and $750,000 the duty is reduced on a sliding scale, so the closer the price sits to $750,000 the smaller the discount.
- It covers new homes, established homes, and vacant land you intend to build your first home on.
Who qualifies
- Every purchaser has to be a natural person aged 18 or over — companies and trusts are excluded.
- All purchasers must be Australian citizens or permanent residents, and enrolled to vote in Victoria.
- You have to be buying at market value, as your principal place of residence.
- Neither you nor your spouse or partner can have owned residential property in Australia before.
- Where the first home buyer has a legal disability, their guardian or the trustee of a special disability trust can purchase for them.
- Buying with a partner who isn't a citizen or permanent resident can trigger foreign purchaser additional duty — check this one early, because it moves the number a long way.
Off-the-plan and vacant land
- Off-the-plan purchases can be assessed on a reduced dutiable value — the land plus whatever construction was finished at the contract date, not the completed price.
- That reduction can bring a purchase under a threshold the finished value would miss, which is worth modelling before you sign.
- On vacant land only the land is assessed. The building contract isn't counted towards the dutiable value.
Living in it
- At least one purchaser has to move in within 12 months of settlement and live there for 12 continuous months.
- Buying vacant land, you must move in by whichever comes first: 12 months after the occupancy certificate, or 36 months after settlement.
- Active members of the Army, Navy or Air Force are exempt from the residency requirement. Reservists and APS staff are not.
The grant, and pensioners
- The $10,000 First Home Owner Grant applies to a new home valued up to $750,000 — new builds only, not established houses.
- Eligible pensioners may qualify for the first home buyer exemption or concession, or for the separate pensioner duty reduction.
Victorian thresholds and eligibility are set by the State Revenue Office, and they are the authority on your situation, not this page — the full rules are at sro.vic.gov.au (opens in a new tab) for the duty exemption and the First Home Owner Grant (opens in a new tab). Bring me your contract and I’ll work through it with you.
Which of these you qualify for — and which combination leaves you better off — depends on your income, your deposit and the property itself. That’s the conversation.
General information only, not credit advice. Price caps, income thresholds and grant amounts are set by government and change — confirm the current rules at firsthomebuyers.gov.au (opens in a new tab) and I’ll confirm your eligibility against your own numbers before you commit to anything.
Asset Finance
Vehicles, machinery and heavy commercial assets — funded properly, so the equipment earns its keep without swallowing the cash your business runs on.
One broker for the house and the ute.
Your home loan and your equipment sit on the same file — so one never quietly undoes the other.
How The Purchase Can Be Structured
A dealership shows you one product and calls it “the finance”. There are four common ways to fund an asset, and which one fits depends on who should own it and when.
Chattel Mortgage
You own the asset from day one and the lender registers a mortgage over it until the loan is repaid.
Suits: Businesses that want the asset on their own books from the start.
Finance Lease
The financier buys the asset and leases it to you over a fixed term, with a residual owing at the end.
Suits: Operators who want a predictable monthly cost and an exit at term.
Hire Purchase
You hire the asset and ownership transfers to you automatically with the final instalment.
Suits: Buyers who want to end up owning it without paying for it up front.
Novated Lease
A three-way arrangement between you, your employer and the financier, paid from your salary.
Suits: Employees whose workplace offers salary packaging.
The right structure depends on your GST registration, accounting basis and tax position. This is general information only, not tax or credit advice — confirm the treatment with your accountant, and we’ll work to whatever they recommend.
What Could Your Assets Unlock?
Property, vehicles and equipment you already own are borrowing capacity sitting still. Pick an asset class to see the rough shape of what it could release.
Lenders commonly go to 80% of value before mortgage insurance enters the picture. Your usable equity is that figure less what you still owe.
Every repayment covers interest and chips away at the balance, so the loan clears over the term.
Estimated usable equity
$180,000
Indicative only — not an offer, not a pre-approval and not credit advice. Advance rates vary by lender and by the age, condition and resale market of the specific asset. The rate shown is a placeholder for illustration, not a quote.
Where Does Your Credit Actually Sit?
Four questions, your own estimate, no credit check. Enough for me to tell you which lenders are realistic before anyone touches your file.
We Are Protective Of Your Credit File
- No credit check is run here. Nothing on this page contacts a credit bureau, so nothing leaves a footprint on your file. Every answer below is your own estimate.
- Nothing is stored on this website. Your answers are emailed to Adriana through our form provider and aren’t saved to a database on this site or shown to any lender.
- Don’t send documents yet. No payslips, bank statements, ID or account numbers — none of that is needed to have the first conversation, and this form isn’t the place for it.
How we handle personal and credit information is set out in our Privacy Policy.
One relationship. Every step of the way.
I'm Adriana Fernandez — founder of LendLadder and the person you'll deal with from the first conversation to well after settlement.
I spent more than eight years in banking and finance before broking, which means I’ve seen how lending decisions are actually made — which files sail through, which ones stall, and why. I use that to put your application in front of the right lender, presented the right way.
First home buyers are where my heart is. It’s the purchase with the most unknowns and the least margin for a nasty surprise, and getting someone into their first home never gets old. But the same care goes into every file — investment, commercial, asset and equipment finance included.
What you get either way is straight answers, a wide range of lenders to choose from, and someone who stays in your corner long after the loan settles.
Adriana Fernandez
Founder & Mortgage Broker · Melbourne South East, VIC
“Integrity. Honesty. Determination.”
Integrity — The right guidance, even when it costs me the deal.
Honesty — Nothing buried in the fine print.
Determination — One "no" is not the answer.
8+
Years in banking and finance
100+
Lenders on panel
13
Ways I can help
From first chat to settlement — and beyond
A clear, guided path. You always know what's happening and what comes next.
We Talk It Through
A relaxed, no-obligation conversation about where you are now and where you want to get to. No forms first — just a conversation.
I Assess Your Position
I work out what you can genuinely borrow and what it will cost you, and explain it without the jargon.
I Compare The Market
I compare loans across a panel of over 100 lenders and bring you a short list with the reasoning behind it.
I Handle The Application
I prepare and lodge everything, chase the lender, and keep you posted at every stage so you're never left wondering.
You Settle — And I Stay
Settlement isn't the finish line. I review your loan as rates and your circumstances change, for as long as you have it.
Prefer to get a head start on step two? You can complete the fact find online whenever it suits — the income, expense and document detail a lender needs, gathered securely in one place through Middle, the Australian provider Adriana uses. We’ll still talk it through before anything goes near a lender.
Start your fact find with Middle (opens in a new tab)Where the market sits today
Straight from the Reserve Bank's published statistics — no marketing rate, no teaser, no asterisk.
RBA cash rate target
4.35% p.a.
Set by the Reserve Bank board — the anchor every variable rate moves from.
As at 27 August 2026
New owner-occupier variable
6.3% p.a.
Average variable rate on owner-occupier loans funded during the month.
As at 30 June 2026
New investor variable
6.4% p.a.
Average variable rate on investment loans funded during the month.
As at 30 June 2026
Existing owner-occupier variable
6.3% p.a.
Average across loans already on the books — the number worth comparing yours against.
As at 30 June 2026
Market averages published by the Reserve Bank of Australia, updated here automatically. Averages are not an offer of credit and the rate you’re offered depends on your lender, deposit, security and circumstances. Last updated 30 June 2026.
Why LendLadder
One relationship. Every step of the way. You get a broker who knows your name, your goals and your file — not a call centre and a reference number.
The brief is your life, not our product list
I'm not carrying a target for one lender's book. Your goals set the brief, and if the right answer is the loan that pays me least, that's the one you'll be shown.
You'll hear the bad news first
Plain numbers, plain English, no pressure. If something isn't in your interest — a rate, a structure, a purchase — you'll hear it from me before you hear it from anyone else.
One relationship, every step of the way
Settlement isn't the end of the job. I'm still here at your annual review, when rates move, at your next purchase and the one after that.
More lenders than any one bank can offer
Major banks, non-banks and specialist funders. Your situation never has to be bent to fit whatever a single institution happens to have on the shelf.
Eight years reading files from the other side
I spent 8+ years in banking and finance before broking. I know how a credit team reads an application, which is exactly how I know to present yours.
You'll understand every decision you make
The aim isn't just to get the loan approved. It's that you can explain, in your own words, why this loan and why now — and feel confident about it years later.
What working with Adriana feels like
5.0 out of 5, based on 7 Google reviews
I highly recommend Adriana. She made the entire home loan process smooth, stress-free, and easy to understand. She was professional, responsive, and always available to answer my questions. Her knowledge, dedication, and attention to detail made all the difference, and she worked hard to achieve the best outcome for me. If you're looking for a trustworthy mortgage broker who genuinely cares about her clients, Adriana is the one to choose. Thank you for your outstanding support.
Jasbir Gill
3 weeks ago
Adriana has a wealth of knowledge as a mortgage broker and only wants the best outcome for her clients. I would certainly recommend her if you need a broker that is very responsive and has a range of solutions for you.
Olu Oladejo
3 weeks ago
I had an excellent experience working with Adriana at LendLadder. She was incredibly helpful, responsive to every question I had, and always took the time to explain everything clearly. Her knowledge and expertise made the entire process easy to understand, and I felt well informed every step of the way. I would highly recommend Adriana to anyone looking for a trustworthy and professional mortgage broker. I'll definitely be using her again for my next property venture.
Sash Sivcev
a month ago
Dealing with LendLadder has been a great experience, we were provided with many options that as a first home buyer we didn’t know was available to us. The brokers knowledge and attention to detail was nothing like I’ve ever experienced dealing with my own bank as I felt like they really cared about us. Will definitely use this service again and recommended to anyone purchasing.
Shania A
a month ago
Adriana is really professional and works based on customers situation. She works with multiple lenders to provide best solution for the client. She is very approachable whenever you have questions. Definitely someone I’d feel comfortable recommending to friends, family and clients looking for a good mortgage broker.
Minhal Lakhanie Buyers Agent
in the last week
Worked With Me?
If I helped you get where you were going, a few honest words go a long way — they're how the next person decides whether to pick up the phone. Public reviews live on Google; send it here instead if you'd rather it stayed between us.
Got photos or a video?
Keys in hand, the new ute, the machine on site — add them to your review and I’ll put them up alongside it.
FAQs
The things borrowers ask me most. Can't see yours? Just ask — there's no such thing as a silly question.
What does a mortgage broker cost me?
How much can I borrow?
Do I really need a 20% deposit?
How long does the whole process take?
Which lenders do you work with?
Can you finance a build, not just a purchase?
Do you only do home loans?
Can you help with insurance, investments or finding the property itself?
I'm self-employed or my situation is complicated — can you still help?
Who is Adriana Fernandez?
What is LendLadder?
Let's get you moving
Ready to take the next step? Book an appointment, send a message or message me on WhatsApp — whichever suits you. There's no obligation, and in most cases I'm paid a commission by the lender when a loan settles rather than a fee by you. Where a fee could ever apply, you'll have it in writing first.
Already decided and want to get moving? You can start your fact find online — the secure form where the details I need for a lender get collected in one place, at your own pace. It’s run by Middle, an Australian company Adriana works with, and nothing is submitted to a lender until we’ve spoken.
Call
Based in
Melbourne South East, VIC
Response time
Usually within one business day
Partner With Us
See how we can help scale your brokerage or lending network. If you look after people who need finance — or you're a funder who wants to be on the panel — let's talk.
Your Clients Stay Yours
I handle the finance and hand them back. No cross-selling into your relationship, no quiet approach about the services you already provide.
You Hear Back The Same Day
A referral that vanishes into a queue reflects on you, not me. You get told where it's up to, including when the answer is no.
Home And Asset Under One Roof
Mortgages, commercial, vehicle and equipment finance. You refer once rather than keeping three different contacts straight.
