“Clients are no longer asking, ‘how much can I borrow?’, they’re asking, ‘what should I do next?’. That is a fundamentally different question, and it’s where brokers add the most value,” he says in a chat with MPA.
Borrowers are facing pressure from all directions. Monthly repayments are rising as the banks start to pass through funding costs, leading to more restrictive borrowing capacity.
“This is where the conversation changes,” says Brown. “It moves the broker’s role from facilitator to adviser. It becomes about understanding risk, structuring for flexibility and planning beyond the next transaction. Not just securing a loan but helping clients make decisions that will stand up over time.”
Brown is already seeing this dynamic play out. Borrowers are looking to refinance in order to create certainty, while fixed and split loans are back in vogue. Offset strategies matter more than ever and brokers are spending more workshopping scenarios.
“This is exactly where the broker model is strongest,” says Brown. “Lenders provide products. Brokers help clients understand what those products mean for their situation. And in a market like this, that difference matters.”