Helping brokers bridge gaps
Publication Date: Monday, 30 June 2025
This article originally appeared in Australian Broker.
YOU’VE SEEN this movie before.
Your customer has decided it’s finally time to upsize – bigger property, better suburb. They’ve started to prepare their current property for sale but aren’t ready to put it in the shop window for prospective buyers just yet – the front needs a lick of paint, the garden needs landscaping and then there’s the decluttering to sort out.
They know where they want to buy and have started looking around in their suburb or town of choice. Suddenly, their dream home pops up on the listings. Great street, great area, great vibes. This is the one.
But the auction is in a few weeks … there’s no way they’ll be ready to sell before then.
Enter their trusty broker armed with bridging finance. Rather than miss out on the property of their dreams, a short-term bridging loan can be a great way to buy first and sell later, with the comfort of knowing they’ve already secured the new property.
Bridging finance is an increasingly important tool in brokers’ kitbags. With two rate cuts so far this year and more to come, 2025 looks to be the year short-term finance comes into its own.
Auction clearance rates are up; home values increased 0.5% in May 2025, driving CoreLogic’s Home Value Index 1.7% higher over the first five months of the year;1 and building approvals are down, with the total number of dwelling approvals dropping by 5.7% to 14,633 in April 2025.2
It all adds up to a tight housing market where attractive properties are more sought after than ever, fuelling demand for flexible finance options.
“In an ideal world, no one would have to deal with the stress and worry that often come with buying and selling properties at the same time,” says Jason Azzopardi, CEO of leading non-bank lender Brighten.
Buy first, sell later
“We know the homebuying journey isn’t always straightforward. More often now, buyers are finding their dream property before they’ve even started looking seriously, and they want to move quickly. Others simply want to act fast to take advantage of favourable market conditions” – JASON AZZOPARDI, BRIGHTEN
Connecting borrowers of all shapes and sizes
Whether your customers want to upsize, downsize, take advantage of the current market or avoid the hassle of finding a rental, Brighten Connect bridging loans provide the flexibility and support they need to achieve their property goals.
With a maximum loan size of $5 million (and the ability to go higher on exception) plus an alternative income verification option, Brighten Connect reaches parts of the market underserviced by traditional lenders.
Brighten “caters for borrowers of all shapes and sizes”, says Azzopardi.
“We’ve seen a wide range of situations where customers may need a bridging loan. For example, we’ve helped young PAYG couples secure a larger home as they welcome a new baby, as well as business owners looking to purchase an investment property using alternative income verification.”
Why choose Brighten Connect?
In addition to competitive interest rates, Brighten Connect features an interest-only repayment structure during the bridging period, which lasts a minimum of six and a maximum of 12 months; however, the interest budget is retained, meaning no repayments are required.
If there is no end debt, the borrower simply repays the bridging loan in full once their existing property is sold.
If end debt is involved, a key advantage of the bridging loan is its seamless transition: once the existing property is sold and the bridging portion is repaid, the remaining loan automatically converts to a standard Brighten full-doc or alt-doc product − typically at a lower interest rate.
Brighten Connect also offers competitive LVRs: up to 80% LVR on both end debt and peak debt up to $2 million, and up to 70% LVR for peak debt between $2 million and $5 million.
In terms of security, houses, apartments and townhouses located in category 1 and category 2 postcodes are accepted.
“Fast turnaround times, clear communication and strong broker support are all essential to broker confidence. We’re focused on removing friction so brokers can act quickly with their clients” – JASON AZZOPARDI, BRIGHTEN
Making it easy to say yes
In a competitive market for short-term finance, Azzopardi says Brighten’s superior service proposition sets the firm apart from other lenders, offering brokers a smooth and responsive experience that helps them say yes to their customers.
“We pride ourselves on being easy to deal with,” says Azzopardi. “We know time is of the essence when it comes to bridging finance, which is why we’ve recently streamlined our approval process to improve efficiency and reduce delays.
“Fast turnaround times, clear communication and strong broker support are all essential to broker confidence. We’re focused on removing friction so brokers can act quickly with their clients.”
Bridging loans are just another option in Brighten’s suite of lending products, alongside full-doc, alt-doc, construction and vacant land, expat and non-resident, as well as commercial loans.