The structure decisions that follow you
Deposit sources, KiwiSaver, family guarantees, and the difference between what the bank says you can borrow and what you should.
First home buyers →Most people pick a rate. Specialists structure a loan.
The advertised rate is the most visible part of a mortgage and the least important over its life.
Get the structure right and the rate takes care of itself.
Rates move. You will refix three, four, maybe eight times across a 25-year term, and the difference between lenders at any given moment is usually a few basis points. What does not move is the structure: the entity that holds the loan, the split between fixed and floating, where your equity sits, how the security is arranged, and what happens when your position changes.
Get the structure wrong and you spend years working around it.
What we do
We are independent. We are not a bank, and we are not tied to one lender's credit policy. That independence is the point. Two lenders will look at the same income, the same deposit, and the same property and reach materially different conclusions. When you go direct to a bank, you get one answer. When you work with an independent adviser, you find out what the answer should have been.
- Understand the position first. Income, structure, equity, timeline, what you are trying to do over the next ten years rather than the next three months.
- Design the structure. Before we look at a single rate. Ownership, security, splits, offsets, and how the loan behaves when your circumstances change.
- Choose the lender for the deal. Not alphabetically, and not by whoever pays the most. The lender that reads your position correctly.
- Build a complete application. Documented, explained, and submitted once. Declined applications leave a mark on your credit file and make the next one harder.
- Stay after settlement. Rate rollovers, portfolio decisions, structural changes. Settlement is where the relationship starts.
Where we specialise.
The one moment the loan is open
Fixed-rate roll-off, cash contributions, clawback periods, and break costs. Where a badly structured loan gets fixed, or gets locked in for another five years.
Refinancing →Different rules, different maths
loan-to-value ratio (LVR) settings, interest deductibility, portfolio structuring, and releasing equity without compromising the next purchase.
Investment property →Closing the income gap
Your accountant minimised your tax. The bank read that as low income. Closing the gap between what you earn and what the lender thinks you earn is specialist work.
Self-employed mortgages →Where independence matters most
Trusts, non-bank lenders, credit impairment, intergenerational structures, and the applications that do not fit a standard template.
Complex lending →Read from the credit side of the desk.
Carl spent 16 years at ANZ and 10 at Westpac before becoming an adviser. He has read applications from the credit side of the desk, which is a different education from reading them as a broker.
The application that is going to be declined is usually identifiable before it is submitted, and usually fixable. Most of the work happens before anything reaches a lender.
More about Carl →What it costs you
We are paid by the lender when a loan settles, not by you. That arrangement creates a conflict of interest, because commission varies between lenders. We manage it, we disclose it, and you should read how in our Disclosure Statement before we give you advice.
Disclosure Statement →How we work, in four steps.
- 01
Discovery
We get to know your situation, your goals and anything that could get in the way.
- 02
Structure
We design how the loan should be set up and shortlist the lenders that suit it.
- 03
Submit
We prepare your application and present it to the right lender.
- 04
Settle
We coordinate settlement and the release of funds, then review your loan with you after the first year.
What clients say about working with Carl.
Carl was an absolute pleasure to work with. His knowledge, professionalism and prompt communication gave us confidence throughout our first home purchase. He secured us an excellent deal with Westpac and made the entire process seamless. We highly recommend Carl to anyone looking for a mortgage broker.
Three of us, all self employed, wanted to get a home loan for a shared house. Without the expertise, help and the precise instructions to fill in the various documents or organise specific items we would not have had a chance to get the mortgage over the finish line. Carl was extraordinarily helpful and always found a way to continue this not so easy application. I can highly recommend Carl. Very grateful for his assistance.
Carl was fantastic to work with. Our mortgage application was not straightforward as we were multiple people, all self employed with new businesses. We had tried using other brokers but they weren't able to get our approval across the line. Carl was tenacious with the banks, and had so much knowledge he was able to guide us through all the information we required and how to present it. After a difficult process he was able to secure us a mortgage with very favourable terms. I couldn't recommend him enough, the effort and work he puts in is second to none!
Carl Mann is a fantastic mortgage broker. He is knowledgeable, professional, and has excellent communication. Carl kept us updated along the way and provided sound advice. I would definitely recommend Carl to anyone needing assistance with mortgage finance or refinancing.
Carl helped us work through the finance for our next investment property without losing sight of our existing lending. He understood what we were trying to build over the longer term and worked through the different options with us before we made an offer. That preparation made the purchase much smoother.
Development finance was very different from arranging a normal mortgage. Carl understood the feasibility, valuations, build costs and timing the lender needed to see, and helped us get everything organised before it went to credit. Having someone who understood the development side of the deal saved a lot of back and forth.
We were purchasing premises for our business and needed someone who could look at both the property and the strength of the business behind it. Carl worked through the numbers with us, explained what the lenders would focus on and helped structure the application properly from the start.
Start with a conversation.
Thirty minutes. We work out where you stand, what is achievable, and whether we are the right people to help. If we are not, we will tell you.
Every conversation is confidential.
Book a conversation