Is Your Loan Still Working for You? Why Repricing and Regular Reviews Have Never Mattered More
- 10 hours ago
- 6 min read
There's a widely held assumption in the mortgage market that once a loan is settled, the work is done. The rate was negotiated, the structure was set, and the focus moves to whatever comes next.
It's an understandable assumption - and for lenders, it's a very profitable one.
A loan left unreviewed is almost always one that's drifted - out of step with the market, with your current financial position, and with what's actually available today. The borrowers paying the most are often the ones who've been sitting still the longest.
And right now, sitting still carries more risk than it ever has. Six weeks on from the Federal Budget, and with this week’s NSW state budget piling on the pressure, the landscape for property owners, investors, and small business owners has shifted in ways that make a clear-eyed review of your lending position not just sensible, but urgent.
Why more Australians are turning to brokers and what that means for your loan
Mortgage brokers now facilitate 81% of all new home loans in Australia. That's a record high, up from 55% in 2018, and it keeps climbing. According to the MFAA's latest Quarterly Market Share Report, brokers settled $124.88 billion in new home loans in the March 2026 quarter alone - the highest volume ever recorded for that period.
That number matters in the context of loan reviews and repricing, because it reflects something borrowers are increasingly understanding: lenders compete hardest for new business. Introductory pricing, cashback offers, and sharp rates are reserved for borrowers coming through the front door. Existing customers who haven't engaged recently often find themselves on rates that are materially higher than what's available today - sometimes from the very same lender. It's not unique to any one lender. It's just how the market is structured.
In an environment where government policy is actively adding cost, complexity, and brand new challenges for property owners and investors, that dynamic matters more than ever. Every dollar saved on a well-structured, well-priced loan is a dollar that stays in your pocket, instead of one that gets absorbed by policy changes you had no say in. A broker who is actively reviewing your position isn't a luxury. Right now, it's one of the most practical things you can do.
What changes between reviews
The lending market doesn't stand still — and as we've seen over the past few months, neither does the government's capacity to introduce changes. If your loan hasn't been reviewed in the last 12 months, you've likely missed more change than you realise. In that time alone: the RBA has moved the cash rate, the Albanese Government has handed down a Federal Budget with significant implications for property investors and small business owners, state budgets have piled on further, and proposed changes to SMSF lending rules — backed by the Greens — are now creating fresh uncertainty for self-managed super investors. That's before we get to lender policy shifts, product changes, and valuation movements across the market. A lot can happen. Most of it quietly costs you money if you're not paying attention.
The cash rate and lender pricing
The RBA delivered three consecutive rate hikes in 2026 before holding at 4.35% in June. On a $1,000,000 loan, those three hikes add roughly $450 per month - $5,400 a year. That's a family holiday, the average yearly petrol costs for a two-car household, or a contribution that could be building equity instead of padding your lender's margin. Not every lender responded identically either, some moved faster, some quietly added margin on top.
Your property's value
If your property has grown in value, your LVR has improved and better pricing may be available. Lenders won't tell you and they won't reprice you automatically. That improvement sits there working for your lender until you ask for it back. With dwelling price growth forecast at around 3% for 2026, down from earlier projections partly due to the Albanese Government's CGT and negative gearing changes, the window for maximising equity positions in some markets is narrowing.
Your financial position
If you're a property investor, the rules have changed fundamentally, and this week they got worse. From 1 July 2027, the Albanese Government will scrap the 50% CGT discount, replacing it with cost base indexation and a minimum 30% tax on capital gains. Negative gearing on established residential properties purchased after 12 May 2026 is now quarantined - losses can no longer offset wages or other income. And as of this week, in a backflip deal struck with the Greens to pass their budget legislation through the Senate, Prime Minister Albanese and Treasurer Chalmers have banned SMSFs from entering new limited recourse borrowing arrangements to acquire residential property. A strategy thousands of Australians have relied on to build retirement wealth gone, with barely a week's notice. The SMSF Association CEO called it "a clear departure from nearly two decades of settled policy." The structure that worked for your investment strategy 12 months ago - or even last week - likely now needs a complete rethink.
Lender policy and product changes
Government decisions don't just change what investors can do, they change what lenders will offer. When Bill Shorten threatened a similar SMSF ban in 2019, all four major banks withdrew their SMSF lending products before a single piece of legislation passed. Expect the same response now, and quickly. In an environment where Canberra is rewriting the rules at pace - CGT, negative gearing, SMSF lending, trust taxation - the product landscape is shifting faster than it has in years. Some options that existed last month may already be gone. If you haven't reviewed your position recently, the time is now.
What a review can mean for you
Contact us and we'll walk you through four straightforward steps. Most clients are surprised how quick the process is when you're working with someone who knows what they're looking at. Get in touch and we’ll respond within 48 hours.
Here's why it's worth it. A 0.50% rate reduction on a $1,000,000 loan saves approximately $5,000 a year in interest. Over five years that's $25,000, before compounding. Put that in real terms: a full bathroom renovation, a significant head start on a deposit, or $25,000 sitting in your offset account reducing your payable interest. For investors holding multiple properties, the figure multiplies.
Note: figures are illustrative only and will vary depending on loan balance, rate, loan type, and individual circumstances.
When to review - the answer is now!
In a normal market, annually is a reasonable baseline. This is not a normal market.
If any of the following apply, the conversation is overdue:
Your fixed rate is approaching expiry
Property values in your area have moved
Your income or financial position has strengthened since settlement
You're approaching the end of an interest-only period
You're planning a purchase or significant financial move in the next 12 months
But frankly, even if none of those apply the sheer pace of change in 2026 is reason enough. A loan that was well-structured and well-priced at the start of this year may look very different today. The question isn't whether your lending needs a review. It's whether you can afford to wait any longer to find out.
Don't Let This Government Decide Your Financial Future
Three rate hikes in five months. A Federal Budget that rewrote the rules for property investors overnight. A Labor-Greens deal that shut down SMSF residential borrowing with barely a week's notice. Property price growth forecasts revised down. Trust taxation changes on the horizon. And now a NSW state budget piling the misery on further. These aren't minor policy tweaks - they're structural changes to the way Australians can use property to get ahead, handed down with little warning and even less regard for the people who have worked hard, borrowed smart, and done everything right.
Supporting SMEs, investors, and business owners in building real, lasting wealth has been a core tenet of AAA since 1988. Nearly four decades of helping clients take control of their financial futures, build equity, and work toward self-funded retirements - reducing their reliance on government support in the process. And right now, this government is doing everything in its power to make that harder. The rules our clients have built strategies around have been rewritten almost overnight. The tools that made wealth creation accessible to hardworking Australians are being stripped back one by one. The frustration inside AAA is genuine, not just as brokers but as a small business that has lived through every market cycle since 1988 and never seen a government try this hard against the people working to get ahead.
But frustration without action doesn't help anyone.
If you're angry, you're not alone. Come and talk to us.
📞 02 9299 1144
Important note: This is general information only, not personal financial, tax or legal advice.
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