Rory Sercombe has built more than just a career – he’s built a business on helping Australians go beyond the basics of a home loan. The Melbourne-based founder of Own Home Loans brings nearly three decades of experience across banking, broking and business, blending mortgage expertise with financial coaching, property advice and a fiercely customer-first mindset. Backed by a senior role at National Australia Bank (NAB) and driven by a strong entrepreneurial streak, Sercombe leads a full-service residential brokerage that’s all about long-term wealth creation – not one-off deals.
Australian Broker is shining a light on top-performing brokers and BDMs who are making waves in the mortgage industry. In this special series, we’re sharing the stories behind their success – from innovative business models to client-first philosophies. It’s a chance to highlight the talent, drive and fresh thinking that’s pushing the industry forward and inspiring the next generation of finance professionals.
The following interview has been edited for grammar and clarity.
AB: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? What is your background? How did you become a broker?
RS: I've been in the industry for over 20 years. I started in equipment finance and then I started my mortgage journey with Wizard [Home Loans], which I enjoyed and learnt a lot. I worked with a lot of first home buyers and worked at an exciting time in our industry. From there, I took a break from the industry and had a couple of fitness businesses. I was then lured back into the industry and worked with NAB. And then about nine years ago I went back to broking and started Own Home Loans.
AB: What made you decide to start your own firm?
RS: I've always liked being my own boss and the challenges that come with it. I have always been passionate about having my own business.
AB: Do you primarily work in residential home loans? Or commercial loans? Both?
RS: Primarily in residential. But at NAB I spent time as a business banker, so I enjoy helping my clients with commercial deals. But Own Home Loans presents mainly as a residential brokerage.
AB: What is the secret to your success? Why do you think you've been successful as a broker? And what can competitors learn from you?
RS: Our number-one priority is always our care for the customer and the service we provide. We pride ourselves on creating a team of professionals for our clients to set them up for their best chance at success. We also go beyond just providing a home loan for our clients. We dedicate ourselves to show our clients how to pay off their mortgage as quickly as possible and build wealth through property. I think taking it beyond a transaction and creating a meaningful relationship with a client is what sets us apart from the others. Another thing that helps set us apart are our other businesses including property advisory, financial planning and money coaching. Surrounding our clients with a good team sets them up for the best chance for success.
AB: What are some of the strategies, tips or best practices for working with clients? And for working with lenders? What are you doing that other brokers are not doing?
RS: For clients, it is giving them more than what they expect. We always talk about how we are going to show our clients how to pay off their loan sooner and how to build wealth through property because after 20 years working in the industry, it's what I hear time and time again.
For working with lenders, I value the relationships we have with our broker development managers and think having strong relationships with our lenders on panel helps us when [we're] at times of need. And, always being respectful when working with creditors and others on the lender's team is something that we ingrain within the team. Everyone has a job to do and role to play, ours is of course to get the best outcome for our client.
AB: Do you work with clients nationwide? Or just in Melbourne? And what are your thoughts on Melbourne's continually evolving market? Has it reached a bottom? Is it a good investment bet at the moment?
RS: Yeah, we deal with clients from all over Australia, which is great. Melbourne's market, as you say, is continually evolving and our property advisory business has highlighted Victoria as being a great investment opportunity at the moment. With prices falling as much as they have and a rising population in Victoria to go with the housing shortage makes [for] a strong investment opportunity.
AB: What are your thoughts on Australia's loan and property markets as we enter into the back half of 2025? Are you seeing more or less activity than a year ago?
RS: We're seeing [that we're] at the stage of the interest rate cycle [where there's] a return to confidence in our clients, and our transaction numbers are growing to a solid year-on-year increase. We're also seeing good competition from lenders. So we're finding that we're able to find our clients a good deal. Our annual home loan review process has also been a success recently with lenders also offering their back book competitive rates, which is always good to see and our clients love.
AB: With the recent rate cuts, the re-election of the Labor party and the continued threat of US tariffs, how do you navigate this volatile market? And what advice do you have for clients or would-be homeowners during this time?
RS: We always tell our clients that property is a long game; there's always ups and downs. There are always things that we can't control. But the most important thing is clients invest in property when the time is right for them. Property cycles go up and down, but we always find those that hold, end up better off in the long term. It's not necessarily when you buy or when you sell. The important thing is the time in between those bookmarks.
AB: What other trends are you seeing in the market at the moment?
RS: We are finding that investors are returning to Melbourne. Confidence in first home buyers is also returning, which is great. Overall, it's a positive trend in the housing market, which is always a good thing. A trend that we're seeing at the moment in our money coaching business is our corporate partners have been really investing in financial education for their employees, which is good to see.
