A mortgage broker in Brisbane compares lenders on your behalf and manages the application. To choose one well, check they hold an Australian Credit Licence, understand how they’re paid, ask how many lenders they compare, and make sure they explain their recommendation in writing.
A mortgage broker is a service - a person who helps you find and apply for a home loan - not a financial product. This guide is about how to find and choose one in Brisbane. It doesn’t recommend a specific broker and doesn’t compare loan rates.
What a mortgage broker does
A broker sits between you and lenders. They assess what you can borrow, compare loans across a panel of lenders, recommend options, and handle much of the application paperwork. A good broker saves you time and explains trade-offs; they don’t lend money themselves.
How brokers are paid
In Australia, most brokers are paid a commission by the lender when your loan settles, rather than a fee by you. Brokers are legally required to act in your best interests and to disclose how they’re paid. Ask for that disclosure early - it’s a fair question and a good broker will answer it plainly.
How to find one in Brisbane
- Ask for referrals from people who’ve recently bought in Brisbane, and read independent reviews.
- Check licensing. The broker must hold or operate under an Australian Credit Licence. You can verify this on ASIC’s registers, and membership of the MFAA or FBAA is a further sign of standards.
- Prefer a broad panel. A broker who compares many lenders can look wider than one tied to a handful.
Questions to ask before you commit
- How many lenders do you compare, and are any excluded?
- How are you paid, and does it differ between lenders?
- Will you give me your recommendation and its reasons in writing?
- What are the total costs, including any fees I pay directly?
Government guidance on using a mortgage broker is available from Moneysmart, and licensing can be checked via ASIC.
The Queensland clock starts when the contract reaches you
Queensland starts its cooling-off period at the point the paperwork arrives rather than the point it is signed, and that is the detail a Brisbane buyer is most likely to get wrong. The Queensland Government states that the standard contract for buying a home comes with a cooling-off period of five business days, and that it starts the day you get a copy of the signed contract, signed by both parties. If it reaches you on a weekend or a public holiday, the same guidance says the period starts on the next business day, and it still begins if a representative takes the contract on your behalf.
Because the trigger is delivery, the clock can start on a day nobody chose. The Queensland Government adds that where there is a dispute over when you got the contract, the seller has to prove they got it to you. For anyone arranging finance, the working assumption is that the window is already running by the time the countersigned contract lands in an inbox, not from the point a lender is approached.
The exit is formal and time-stamped. The Queensland Government says the period ends at 5pm on the fifth day, that the notice must be written, signed and delivered before 5pm on the final day, and that the buyer is responsible for making sure the seller actually gets it, in person, by email or by fax. The deposit is then refunded within fourteen days, and the seller may deduct a penalty of up to 0.25 per cent of the purchase price.
Queensland also carries an exclusion the other two do not, and it catches the buyer who kept bidding after the room went quiet. There is no cooling-off period at auction. Nor is there one on a private treaty contract entered into within two business days of an unsuccessful auction of that property where the buyer was a registered bidder at that auction. A negotiation that begins the moment a property is passed in is therefore unconditional in the same way the auction itself would have been.
Source: Queensland Government, Cooling-off period.
Same guide for the other capitals: Sydney · Melbourne.
This is general information about how to find a service, not financial or credit advice and not a recommendation of any broker. Tradergy earns no commission and collects no personal data. Reviewed by the Tradergy editorial team, September 2026.
Common questions
Do I need a mortgage broker in Brisbane?
No - you can go directly to lenders. A broker can save you time by comparing many lenders at once and handling the paperwork, but it’s a personal choice. Compare a broker’s options against going direct.
How are mortgage brokers paid?
Most brokers are paid a commission by the lender, not by you. Under Australian law brokers must act in your best interests and disclose how they’re paid. Ask for that disclosure up front.
How do I check a broker is licensed?
A broker must hold, or operate under, an Australian Credit Licence. You can check licensing on ASIC’s registers, and many brokers also belong to an industry body such as the MFAA or FBAA.
How long is the cooling-off period in Brisbane?
The Queensland Government states that the standard home contract carries a five business day cooling-off period starting the day the buyer receives a copy of the contract signed by both parties, ending at 5pm on the fifth day. Cancelling costs a penalty of up to 0.25 per cent of the purchase price. There is no cooling-off period at auction, or on a private treaty contract entered within two business days of an unsuccessful auction where the buyer was a registered bidder.