Your mortgage broker in Melbourne.
Independent home loan, refinancing and investment lending advice for Melbourne buyers and investors. We compare 40+ lenders, we're paid by the lender (not by you), and we know this market.
Everstone Finance is an independent mortgage broker serving the Melbourne CBD. Founded by former major-bank lenders, we help Melbourne buyers, refinancers and investors compare home loans across 40+ lenders, at no cost to you.
Melbourne is its own kind of market, and it pays to have a broker who gets that
As the heart of the Melbourne CBD, about 0.6km from the GPO, postcode 3000 is Australia's densest and most apartment dominated market. Roughly 54,900 people live here, the largest group aged 20 to 29, and only about a quarter are owner occupiers. That blend of young professionals, students and investors shapes how almost every loan in the CBD gets put together.
It is also one of the few inner city addresses where the entry point sits well below the metro average. The median CBD apartment is around $413,250, against a wider Melbourne unit median closer to $641,690 in early 2026, so a 20 percent deposit here is roughly $82,000 rather than the six figures most inner suburbs demand. With unit rents near $675 a week and gross yields approaching 8 percent, it is no surprise that first home buyers and yield focused investors make up so much of the activity.
The catch is on the lending side. Many CBD towers are full of studios and one bedroom apartments, and a lot of lenders treat anything under about 50 square metres as higher risk, either capping how much they will lend or asking for a bigger deposit. Capital growth in the tower market has also been patchy, so the lender you choose and the way the loan is structured matter far more than the headline rate. Get them right and a low deposit purchase stacks up. Get them wrong and the same apartment can be hard to finance at all. Hospital staff are a notable cohort, with the Parkville biomedical precinct at the CBD’s edge, and our medico home loan guide covers the no LMI tiers open to its doctors, nurses and researchers.
Whether you are buying your first apartment, refinancing a loan you have held for years, or building an investment portfolio, that is the conversation the Everstone team has with you, in plain English and with no pressure. We hold a 5.0 Google rating and operate under the Best Interests Duty as Australian Credit Representative 574314.
Melbourne property market snapshot (May 2026)
A direct read on where the Melbourne market sits today, so the numbers we discuss are grounded in current data rather than guesswork.
Freestanding homes
Units & apartments
How Melbourne values have moved
Median sale prices over the last five years for houses and units, plus the indicative gross rental yield on units, so you can see the direction of the market, not just today’s number.
What the five-year trend shows: over the past five years the Melbourne house median has risen sharply (roughly +48%) and the unit median has softened (roughly -7%). Indicative gross rental yields on units have climbed strongly over the same period, ending around 7.9%. These trajectories are read from the Cotality charts and rounded to each chart’s axis grid, shown to illustrate direction rather than exact monthly figures.
In short: as at May 2026, buying a house in Melbourne typically means ~$485,000, while a unit typically means ~$413,250. With around 74% of residents renting, loan structure matters as much as the rate here, which is exactly the kind of thing we work through with you.
Property and demographic figures sourced from Cotality (CoreLogic) Suburb Report data for Melbourne VIC 3000, as at May 2026. Figures are indicative, rounded, and change over time. Contact Everstone Finance for the latest before making decisions. Page reviewed June 2026.
What it is really like to buy in Melbourne
Melbourne 3000 is the CBD itself, the Hoddle Grid of high rise towers, heritage offices and laneways where roughly three quarters of residents rent. It is one of the few inner city addresses where the entry point sits below the metro average, but the home you buy here is almost always an apartment, and that single fact reshapes the whole lending conversation before you even pick a lender.
The homes, street by street
The CBD is towers, not streets. Around Melbourne Central, Queen Victoria Market and the Flagstaff Gardens edge you find newer high rise studios and one bedders, while the Collins Street and Flinders Lane end holds converted warehouses and heritage office conversions. The western run toward Spencer Street and Docklands is dense new build. Lenders read these very differently: a sub 50 square metre studio in a large tower can be capped or knocked back, where a larger heritage conversion finances cleanly.
Getting around and the lifestyle
Almost everything here is walkable or a short tram ride inside the free zone. Flinders Street and Southern Cross stations anchor the rail network, with Flagstaff, Melbourne Central and Parliament stations spaced across the grid. The laneways, the Bourke Street Mall, the Queen Victoria Market and the Yarra and Southbank promenade pull constant foot traffic, and RMIT plus the University of Melbourne on the Parkville edge keep rental demand high, which is why unit yields here sit near the top of the metro range.
Melbourne lending, in practice
The CBD is apartment lending in its purest form. Many towers are full of studios and one bedroom apartments, and a lot of lenders treat anything under about 50 square metres as higher risk, capping the loan or asking for a larger deposit. Some also apply postcode or single development exposure limits in the densest towers. Capital growth in the tower market has been patchy, so the lender and the loan structure matter far more than the headline rate. With unit yields among the strongest inner city, our guide to the best rental yields in Australia is worth a read for investors. Matching a CBD apartment to a lender comfortable with its size and its building is exactly what we sort before you commit.
Refinancing your home loan in Melbourne
When did you last check your rate? Across the CBD, where most owners hold an apartment they bought as a first home or an investment, the loan written a few years ago is often no longer the sharpest one available, and the lender that valued your tower comfortably then may not be the one that lends best against it now.
Is it actually worth refinancing?
Refinancing is only worth it once the numbers clear the costs. On a CBD apartment the savings can be real, but so can the friction: a fresh valuation in a patchy tower market can come back lower than you expect, and any switch resets that. The honest test is whether the rate saving over the years you plan to hold beats the discharge, valuation and setup costs. If it does, moving makes sense. If it is line ball, staying put often wins, and we will tell you which.
Releasing equity in Melbourne
Released equity in the CBD tends to fund the next move rather than the home itself. Owner occupiers often draw on a paid down apartment to raise a deposit for a house in the middle ring, while investors recycle equity into the next yield focused purchase. Because tower valuations can swing between lenders, how much you can actually release depends heavily on which lender reassesses your apartment, which is the first thing we check.
The apartment factor
In the CBD nearly every loan is against an apartment, and that is where the real lending nuance sits. Lenders differ sharply on small studios, high density towers and single development exposure, so the bank that suited you at purchase may now cap your borrowing or value your unit conservatively. A lender comfortable with your building can be the difference between a clean refinance and a flat no, and matching your apartment to that lender is exactly what we handle before you refinance.
When did you last check your rate?
Most people set a loan and forget it, while lenders quietly keep their sharpest rates for new customers. A quick review tells you whether you're still on a competitive deal, or leaving money on the table. No cost, no obligation, no credit check.
Book your free reviewWhatever stage you're at
The same plain-English, best-interests approach, tailored to how people actually buy and invest in Melbourne 3000.
First apartment buyers
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With units the realistic entry point here, we map your true borrowing capacity, deposit options and any schemes you're eligible for, so you can move confidently in a fast market.
Refinancing
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If you've held your loan a while, you may be on a rate that sharper deals have left behind. We compare 40+ lenders and handle the switch, and we tell you honestly if you're already well placed.
Property investors
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Melbourne has active rental demand that makes it a genuine investor market. We structure lending across principal-and-interest and interest-only with rental income and future portfolio moves factored in.
Commercial property
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Buying a shop, office or consulting suite around Chapel Street or Toorak Road, or refinancing a commercial loan? We arrange commercial and SMSF lending, and explain how the terms, rates and deposits differ from a standard home loan.
Upgraders & downsizers
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Moving from an apartment to a house here is a big jump in price bracket. We model the numbers, including bridging and equity options, so the next move is a confident one.
Self-employed & complex income
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If your income isn't a simple payslip, we know which lenders take a sensible view, and how to present your file so it's assessed on its real strength.
We know how lenders price loans and where the margin sits. That knowledge now works entirely for you, not the bank.
No charge for our service. Lenders price loans the same whether you go direct or through us, so there's no cost penalty for the help.
Proactive reviews and rate monitoring, and we handle the switch when a better deal appears. Independent, under the Best Interests Duty.
The people behind Everstone
You're trusting someone with one of the biggest financial decisions you'll make. Here's who you'll actually be working with.
Ahmed Lotfi
A former major-bank lender who now works entirely for you. Ahmed handles structuring, refinancing and investment lending across the 40+ lender panel.
Zappelin Heng
Co-founder with deep lender experience, focused on getting complex and self-employed files assessed on their real strength, not a tick-box.
Book a free Melbourne mortgage consultation
15 or 30 minutes · phone, Zoom or in person by arrangement · calendar invite sent immediately
Melbourne mortgage broker FAQs
Who is the best mortgage broker in Melbourne?+
Everstone Finance is an independent mortgage broker serving the Melbourne CBD (VIC 3000), founded by former major-bank lenders Ahmed Lotfi and Zappelin Heng. It holds a 5.0 Google rating, compares loans across 40+ lenders, charges clients nothing (brokers are paid by the lender after settlement), and operates under the Best Interests Duty as Australian Credit Representative 574314.
Do I need to be in Melbourne to work with Everstone Finance?+
No. We're based in South Yarra, Melbourne and work with borrowers across Melbourne and the rest of Australia by phone and Zoom, and in person by arrangement. Lending isn't tied to your postcode the way some services are.
What does property cost in Melbourne right now?+
As at May 2026, Cotality (CoreLogic) data puts the Melbourne house median sale price at around $485,000 and the unit median at around $413,250. We can assess realistic borrowing capacity for either a house or a unit.
Is using a mortgage broker free?+
Yes. No charge for the consultation, and no charge if you proceed. Brokers in Australia are paid by the lender after settlement, and lenders price loans the same whether you go direct or through a broker, so there's no cost penalty for the help.
Will an enquiry affect my credit score?+
No. A consultation involves no credit check. A credit enquiry is only run once you've reviewed your options and given explicit consent to formally apply.
Can Everstone Finance help investors buying in Melbourne?+
Yes. Melbourne has active rental demand, and we structure investment lending across principal-and-interest and interest-only, factoring in rental income and future portfolio moves. We can model the numbers for a Melbourne investment purchase.
How long does the mortgage process take?+
As a guide: 1 to 2 days to chat and plan, 1 to 2 days to prepare your options, and 1 to 2 days to submit once we have your documents. Settlement then aligns with your contract date. We can move faster when a deadline calls for it.
Nearby areas we serve
Helpful guides for Melbourne buyers
Suburb market figures are sourced from Cotality (RP Data) and are indicative. cotality.com.au
Serving Melbourne VIC 3000 · based at 35 Malcolm St, South Yarra VIC 3141
0407 834 757 · ahmed@everstonefinance.com.au