If you’re a residential property investor looking to grow your portfolio in 2025, you might be wondering whether traditional banks are still the best route. The truth? They may not always be the most flexible option – especially if your financial situation doesn’t tick all the standard boxes. That’s why moving to a specialist lender could supercharge your portfolio’s growth.
Whether you’re self-employed, have a complex income, or simply want faster turnaround times, non-bank lenders like Bluestone offer tailored solutions that could help secure your next investment property sooner.
Unlock more equity, even with Alt Doc
One of the biggest hurdles for investors is accessing equity to fund their next purchase. You might be sitting on a sizeable portfolio, but unable to touch much of your built-up equity. Traditional lenders often limit equity release to full-doc applicants; that’s those with two years of tax returns, payslips, and a squeaky-clean credit history. Which, as we know, isn’t often the case for ambitious property investors.
An Alt Doc application allows self-employed borrowers to verify their income using business bank statements, BAS, or an accountant’s letter. This means you could unlock substantial equity from your existing portfolio through refinancing, without the need to jump through endless hoops. Depending on your circumstances, Bluestone allows unlimited equity release – allowing you to re-invest built-up equity over time, even if your income situation (and documentation) changes.
Time the market with fast turnaround times
If you’ve found the perfect investment property, then finding a lender that can support you through the purchase and funding process is critical. The market moves quickly, so you’ll want a lender that has real people taking a common-sense approach to reviewing your application. Finding a lender that offers a flexible credit assessment process could help you move quickly and confidently. For example, at Bluestone, all applications are assessed by a lending team in Australia, so we understand your situation and only ask for the documents we need to make a decision, and nothing extra just for the sake of it! It’s critical to be upfront with your broker about turnaround times to keep the process moving along swiftly – they’ll know which lenders SLAs will work, and which could jeopardise your property search.
Build your portfolio through your SMSF
Thinking about using your super to invest in property? A standard home loan won’t quite cut it, as you’ll need to use a purpose-built Self-Managed Super Fund (SMSF) Residential Investment Loan from an eligible provider. These are set up to support the unique ownership structure along with meeting the strict requirements when borrowing using the funds in your SMSF. While you won’t be able to live in the property or access its equity, it is a way some property-focussed investors choose to take control of their super. There’s a lot to consider before rushing in, so it’s critical to seek appropriate financial advice to ensure your investment strategy aligns with your overall retirement needs.
Investing through a SMSF usually requires a substantial balance in the SMSF, as lenders generally offer up to 80% LVR and require enough income through the fund to service the loan – you won’t be able to top it up using your take home salary or income from another property.
Talk through your options
Growing your property portfolio doesn’t mean playing by the big banks’ rules. Reach out to your broker or financial advisor to sense-check your investment options and understand how a non-bank lender could help with fast and flexible investment support. Your broker could also help refine your strategy so you’re ready to strike with your next investment opportunity.
The information provided in this article is general in nature and is not intended to be financial advice. We always recommend you seek your own, independent financial advice which can take into consideration your specific circumstances.
