Maximising the amount a lender will hand over to you isn’t about trying to take on unmanageable levels of debt. It’s a matter of taking a few simple but smart steps that could mean the difference between toiling in that ‘fixer-upper’ or owning your dream home using a Darwin mortgage broker for a home loan.

1. Shop around for lenders

Different lenders define income in so many different ways that it pays to use a mortgage broker who knows their way around what’s included and what’s not. One lender may allow share dividends as income, while another lender may not.