Copyright © LYDIAN FINANCIAL SERVICES PTY LTD 2026. All Right Reserved.
Victoria | Lydian platform, delivered in partnership with Clark Finance Group
CHANGE LOCATION
Macleod is a quiet pocket built around its station and the short shopping strip on Aberdeen Road. Post-war homes on decent blocks, a strong primary school, and enough space to grow into. It draws families moving up from smaller places and investors looking at the La Trobe University rental market next door.
Macleod sits between two quite different markets. On one side it is a family suburb, and the people we speak to are upgrading, extending or refinancing after a few years of ownership. On the other, La Trobe is a short walk or bus ride away, which makes the smaller properties here attractive to investors chasing student tenants.
If you are buying as an investor near a university, the structuring matters more than the rate. Interest only versus principal and interest, whether you offset against your own home, and keeping the borrowing clean for tax purposes all make a real difference over time. We would always suggest talking to your accountant alongside us on that.
For owner occupiers the common thread is extending. Many Macleod homes have the land but not the floor plan, and adding on is usually cheaper than buying the same thing already done.
Student rental demand is real, but structure matters more than headline rate. We keep the borrowing clean and the deductibility clear.
Buying before selling is common here. We look at bridging so you are not forced into a rushed sale.
The land is usually right and the floor plan is not. Equity release or construction finance, modelled against the cost of moving.
Whatever stage you are at, there is a path through it. Pick the one that sounds like you.
We are not licensed to give investment advice, so that is a question for your accountant or financial adviser. What we can tell you is how lenders view it. Proximity to a university supports rental demand, but some lenders apply caps in postcodes with heavy student accommodation, and very small apartments can be difficult to finance regardless of location.
It depends on your circumstances and your tax position, which is your accountant’s territory. Mechanically, interest only keeps your repayments lower during that period but the loan does not reduce, and the repayments step up afterwards. We can show you both scenarios with real numbers so the conversation with your accountant is a short one.
Typically you can borrow up to eighty per cent of the property’s current value, less what you still owe, without paying lenders mortgage insurance. So a home valued at nine hundred thousand with a three hundred thousand loan might allow around four hundred thousand to be released, subject to your income supporting the larger loan.
Yes, through bridging finance. The lender considers the debt across both properties and the expected sale proceeds, and for the bridging period you generally only service the loan you will be keeping. It means you can buy the right home when it appears rather than accepting whatever is available after you have sold.
Book a free consultation and we will walk you through your options, what you can borrow, and what it will cost.
Book a free consultation
Serving clients across Australia.
Authorised Representative no. 525 778
Specialist Financial Group Australian Credit Licence no. 387025
Lydian Financial Services Victoria
Suite 1/103 Grimshaw Street, Greensborough VIC 3088, Australia
Level 12, 15 Collins Street Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Copyright © LYDIAN FINANCIAL SERVICES PTY LTD 2026. All Right Reserved.