Lenders Mortgage Insurance, or LMI, is one of those costs that can catch home buyers off guard. It is a one-off premium charged by lenders when you borrow more than 80% of a property's value. The insurance protects the lender, not you, yet you are the one who pays for it. Depending on your loan amount and loan to value ratio (LVR), LMI costs can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. The good news is that a no LMI loan could mean you avoid that cost entirely and keep more equity in your property from day one.
At FinancePath, we help everyday Australians in Melbourne and beyond understand whether they qualify for no LMI home loan options. We access home loan options from banks and lenders across Australia, so we can compare what is available and find a path that suits your situation.
What Is a No LMI Loan?
A no LMI loan is a home loan where the LMI premium is waived, even if your deposit is below 20%. Normally, borrowing at a high LVR, such as 90% LVR no LMI or even 95% LVR no LMI, would trigger an LMI charge. With a waived LMI arrangement, that cost is removed. This can save you thousands of dollars upfront, whether the LMI would have been paid as upfront LMI or capitalised LMI added on top of your loan balance.
There are several ways to achieve LMI free borrowing, and FinancePath can walk you through each one to find what fits.
Professional Exemption: No LMI for Certain Occupations
Many lenders offer an LMI waiver for borrowers working in specific high-income professions. If you are a doctor, specialist, or other medical professional, you may qualify for medical professional no LMI or doctor no LMI lending, often at up to 90% LVR without paying a cent in LMI costs. The same applies to other no LMI professions including lawyers applying for lawyer no LMI loans, and accountants who may be eligible for accountant no LMI products. These professional no LMI options recognise that certain careers carry lower financial risk, and lenders reward that with an LMI waiver.
If you work in one of these fields, it is worth checking your no LMI eligibility sooner rather than later. The savings can be significant, and the no LMI requirements are often more straightforward than people expect.
Family Guarantee and Guarantor Options
Another way to avoid LMI costs is through a family guarantee arrangement. With family guarantee no LMI lending, a family member, typically a parent, uses equity in their own property to support your loan. This reduces your effective LVR in the eyes of the lender, which can remove the need for LMI altogether. It is a popular option for first home buyers who have a solid income but are still building their deposit. FinancePath can explain how guarantor loans work and whether this approach suits your family's circumstances.
Government Schemes That Remove LMI
The Australian Government runs several schemes designed to help buyers avoid insurance cost through no LMI government scheme arrangements. The Home Guarantee Scheme, which includes the First Home Guarantee, allows eligible buyers to purchase a property with as little as a 5% deposit or 10% deposit without paying LMI. The government acts as a guarantor for the remaining portion of the loan, which means lenders do not require LMI. FinancePath can help you understand whether you meet the criteria for the Home Guarantee Scheme and how to apply through an approved lender.
For buyers considering a 5% deposit scheme, this government-backed approach is one of the most accessible ways to save on LMI and save on insurance costs without needing a professional exemption or a family guarantor.
No LMI vs With LMI: What Is the Real Difference?
When you compare no LMI vs with LMI scenarios, the financial difference is often striking. On a $700,000 loan at 90% LVR, the LMI premium could easily exceed $15,000. That is money that would otherwise go toward your deposit, your equity, or reducing your loan balance. By securing a no LMI deposit arrangement, you keep more equity from the start and reduce the total cost of your loan over time.
It is also worth noting that some no LMI home loan products come with competitive interest rate discounts, particularly for professionals. Whether you are looking at a variable interest rate or a fixed interest rate, FinancePath can compare your options and help you understand the full picture, including how your interest rate affects your repayments over the life of the loan.
How FinancePath Can Help
At FinancePath, our role is to understand your situation and match you with the right no LMI loans option from our panel of lenders. We look at your income, your deposit, your profession, and your goals to determine your no LMI eligibility and explain the no LMI requirements clearly. Whether you are a first home buyer taking your first step onto the property ladder, or an investor looking to avoid LMI costs on a high LVR purchase, we are here to help you make a confident, informed decision.
If you are thinking about buying a home and want to know whether you can avoid LMI, reach out to the FinancePath team today. We will help you understand your options, compare lenders, and take the next step with clarity.
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 envision a world where financial stress is a thing of the past. Where everyone has a trusted partner guiding them through life’s biggest financial decisions—24/7.
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.