If you have owned your home for a few years, there is a good chance you have built up more equity than you realise. Property values across Melbourne have grown significantly over time, and that growth could be sitting in your home right now, doing nothing. Equity release is the process of accessing that built-up value so you can put it toward something meaningful, whether that is renovating your home, consolidating debt, or stepping into an investment opportunity.
At FinancePath, we help everyday Australians understand how to access home equity in a way that makes sense for their situation. We work with banks and lenders across Australia to find the right home loan options for you, so you are not limited to just one lender or one product.
What Is Equity Release and How Does It Work?
When you release equity, you are essentially borrowing against the value of your property. The amount of equity available to you depends on your current property value minus what you still owe on your home loan. Lenders will also look at your loan to value ratio (LVR), which is the percentage of your property value that is covered by your loan. Most lenders will allow you to access usable equity up to a certain LVR threshold, typically around 80 per cent, without requiring you to pay Lenders Mortgage Insurance.
For example, if your home is worth $800,000 and you owe $400,000, your available equity could be up to $240,000, depending on the lender's LVR requirements. That is a significant loan amount that could open up real possibilities for your financial future.
One common way to access home equity is through a cash out refinance, where your existing home loan is refinanced and the additional funds are released to you. This can be done with your current lender or by switching to a new one. FinancePath can help you compare options and find a structure that works for your goals.
What Can You Use Equity Release For?
One of the biggest equity release benefits is the flexibility it gives you. There is no single right way to use your home equity, and the best use depends entirely on your personal circumstances. Here are some of the most common equity release uses we see at FinancePath.
Renovating your home is one of the most popular reasons people choose to release equity. Whether you want to update your kitchen, add a bathroom, or build an extension, using equity for renovation means you can fund the work without dipping into your savings. You can find out more about how this works on our renovating your house page.
Using equity for investment is another powerful option. If you have been watching the property market and thinking about buying an investment property, your home equity could be the deposit you need to get started. This is a strategy many Melbourne homeowners use to grow their wealth over time. Learn more about investment loans and how they can work alongside equity release.
Equity for debt consolidation is also worth considering if you are managing multiple debts with higher interest rates. By rolling those debts into your home loan, you may be able to reduce the overall interest rate you are paying and simplify your repayments. Our debt consolidation home loans page has more detail on this approach.
Some people also use equity release to help a family member enter the property market, fund education, or cover other major expenses. The key is making sure the purpose aligns with your broader financial goals.
Understanding the Costs and Risks
Equity release is not without its considerations. Equity release costs can include application fees, valuation fees, and potential break costs if you are leaving a fixed rate loan. It is also worth thinking about whether a variable interest rate or fixed interest rate suits your needs, as this will affect your repayments over time.
Equity release risks are real and worth understanding before you commit. Borrowing more means your loan balance increases, which means you will pay more interest over the life of the loan. If property values fall, your equity position could also change. That is why it is so important to go into equity release with a clear plan and the right advice.
At FinancePath, we take the time to walk you through the numbers honestly. We want you to feel confident that releasing equity is the right move for you, not just something that sounds appealing in the short term.
The Equity Release Process with FinancePath
The equity release process starts with understanding your current position. We will look at your property value, your existing loan balance, and your goals to work out how much usable equity you have and what you could realistically access.
From there, we help you with the equity release application, comparing home loan options from banks and lenders across Australia to find a structure that suits your needs. Whether you are looking to unlock property value for renovation funding, use equity to invest, or consolidate debt, we will help you put together a plan that makes sense.
If you are thinking about expanding your property portfolio, equity release can be a key part of that strategy. Visit our expanding your property portfolio page to see how it all fits together.
You can also explore debt recycling as a complementary strategy to help you use your equity in a tax-effective way over time.
If you are ready to find out how much equity you have available, start with a Loan Health Check or book an appointment with one of our Melbourne-based mortgage advisers. We are here to help you unlock wealth and make the most of what you have already built.
We begin by gaining a deep understanding of you - your goals, your lifestyle, your current position, and where you want to be in the future.
At this stage, we focus on asking the questions that matter to you, not just the questions lenders require. This allows us to build a strategy that supports your life today and your longterm plans, not just a transaction.
During this stage, we:
This first step ensures we're aligned and preparing a lending plan that's tailored specifically to your needs - not a one size fits all approach. It's all about setting the right foundation so the rest of the journey feels simple, informed, and stress free.
Next, we design a personalised lending solution around your unique circumstances and guide you through every part of the approval journey.
After analysing your position and reviewing the broader lending market, we provide you with a clear, personalised borrowing capacity and a lending structure that aligns with both your immediate needs and future goals.
In this stage, we:
You'll always know where things stand, what's coming next, and what actions (if any) you need to take. We remove the complexity from this step so you can move forward with confidence, clarity, and peace of mind.
Once approved, we support you through settlement and continue to work with you well beyond your loan being put in place.
Settlement is not the end of the journey - it's the beginning of an ongoing relationship designed to ensure your lending continues to support your life as it evolves.
Here's what this includes:
We proactively reach out to ensure your lending remains aligned with your goals - now and into the future - giving you the confidence and peace of mind that we have your back.
Your lending journey doesn't end at settlement, and neither does our support. Our ongoing approach ensures you're always well positioned to make the most of your financial opportunities.
















































Chris and his team have been a pleasure to deal with during the whole process. Very informative and got us a great result with our remortgage.
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Hands down the best broker experience we have ever had. Mark, his team and network of property professionals made our experience 10/10. Have already told all my family and friends, can’t recommend FinancePath more!
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We’re here to help you seize opportunities, avoid pitfalls, and live your best life. Not just for you, but for your family, friends, and future generations.
Book AppointmentMany brokers focus on how much you can borrow. We focus on how much you should borrow — and, just as importantly, why.
Rather than producing a generic borrowing capacity figure, our role is to ask the right questions upfront so your lending strategy actually fits your life. We take the time to understand your income structure, expenses, lifestyle priorities, future plans, and risk tolerance before discussing numbers. This ensures your lending position supports where you’re heading, not just what a calculator says is possible.
From there, we help you shape a personalised lending strategy — considering cash flow, tax implications, flexibility, and future opportunities — so your finance decisions remain sustainable and intentional over time. Our focus is on clarity and confidence, not maximising debt.
We also stay involved beyond settlement. That means helping you understand how your loan works day‑to‑day, keeping an eye on whether it still suits your circumstances, and checking in as your goals or situation evolve.
Unlike many brokers, we hold an Australian Credit Licence (ACL), which means we are required to meet strict compliance standards, maintain professional indemnity insurance, manage dispute resolution processes, and demonstrate adequate resources and systems. This provides reassurance that you’re working with a licensed professional held to high regulatory and ethical standards.
In short, we don’t just arrange loans — we help you make lending decisions that still feel right years down the track.
Instead, we’re paid through commissions by the fund provider when a loan settles and, in some cases, while the loan remains in place. This payment structure does not change our legal obligations to you.
As licensed mortgage brokers, we are required to act in your best interests and comply with responsible lending obligations under Australian law. That means we must take reasonable steps to ensure any loan we recommend is suitable for your circumstances, aligns with your objectives, and does not place you in financial hardship. Our duty is to you — not the lender.
Banks, by contrast, are only required to ensure a loan is not unsuitable for their customer. They are not held to the same best‑interests obligation and are limited to offering products from their own range.
Our process is designed around these higher standards. We focus on understanding your full financial position, asking the right questions, and recommending lending solutions that are sustainable over the long term — not simply what you might qualify for today.
This approach gives you confidence that your lending decisions are being made carefully, responsibly, and with your interests at the centre — both now and into the future.
Not at all. Whatever stage of life you are in or financial position you find yourself in, we can help bring clarity to your money matters. We may identify loan products with better rates, or help you build a smarter end-to-end money management strategy. It all starts with a free smart money management consultation. Whether you are looking to reduce debt, grow wealth, or simply get a clearer picture of your finances, our team is ready to help you take the next step. There are no obligations and no pressure, just straightforward, honest guidance tailored to your situation. Give us a call on 1300 780 440 to get started.
Interest rate movements are one of the most common concerns we hear from borrowers — and understandably so. Even small changes can affect repayments and your longer‑term financial position.
At FinancePath, you’re not left to navigate these changes on your own. Our role is to help you understand how rate movements may affect your loan and to be available when it makes sense to review your options. When you’re considering a change — whether that’s reviewing your rate, restructuring your loan, or exploring refinancing — we’ll walk you through the implications clearly so you can make an informed decision.
We also focus heavily on getting the structure right from the outset. That includes discussing fixed versus variable rates, split loan options, and flexibility features, so your loan is aligned with your goals and risk tolerance from day one — not just current market conditions.
Our approach is about long‑term suitability, not constant switching. As your circumstances or the lending environment change, we’re here to help you assess what still makes sense, so your loan continues to support your broader financial plans over time.
Missing out on a great property because your bank is buried in paperwork is frustrating — and avoidable. We work closely with a wide range of Australian lenders, including specialist lending teams that don’t deal directly with the public. This allows us to assess your situation efficiently and guide your application through the process without unnecessary delays.
Whether you’re seeking pre‑approval or need a fast turnaround on a purchase, we focus on momentum so you’re always ready to act. No sitting on hold. No waiting weeks for updates. When the right opportunity comes along, you’ll be in a strong position to move forward with confidence.
While every situation is different, most applications move from initial submission through to settlement within two to six weeks. Your first financial assessment and loan recommendation can typically happen within days of providing your details. From there, formal application and lender assessment generally takes one to two weeks, though complexity, document readiness, and the lender's current workload can all influence the timeline. Property valuations and legal checks can also add time depending on the circumstances. Pre-approval can often be obtained faster, sometimes within just a few days. At FinancePath, we work to keep things moving efficiently at every stage and will keep you informed throughout so there are never any surprises. The goal is always to get you to settlement as smoothly and quickly as possible.
Most people approach a bank only after finding a property they want. By that point, time pressure is working against you, and any gaps in your application become urgent problems.
We take the opposite approach. Getting your lending position clear before you need it means we can ask the right questions, gather the correct documents, and present your application accurately, without the rush. Approval timeframes ultimately depend on the lender and loan type, but our role is to remove every delay on your side, avoiding back-and-forth, last-minute surprises, and unnecessary bottlenecks.
The result is that when the right property comes along, you're already organised, informed, and ready to act. Not scrambling to catch up.
Being self-employed or running your own business should never be a barrier to building your property portfolio or securing the finance you need. Traditional lenders often apply a one-size-fits-all approach that puts self-employed applicants at an unfair disadvantage. At FinancePath, we work with self-employed borrowers and business owners every day. We know which lenders genuinely understand variable income, what documentation they require, and how to present your application in the strongest possible way. Whether you are using business financials, tax returns, or business activity statements, we help you put your best foot forward. Some lenders actively specialise in self-employed borrowers and offer more flexible criteria, and our job is to connect you with the right one while making sure you are getting a competitive deal.