Australia’s mortgage market is heating up. And Bluestone Home Loans is stepping up with an expanded product suite.
Starting today, the non-bank lender is rolling out two upgraded offerings: a new loan tailored for expats and higher loan limits for residential properties.
"While Bluestone more commonly supports borrowers beyond the first-home buyer segment, our expanded lending capacity – including higher loan amounts and flexible credit policies – plays an important role in helping clients compete in a tight housing market," Tony MacRae, Bluestone's chief commercial officer, told Australian Broker. "By offering solutions tailored to investors, upgraders and self-employed borrowers, we’re enabling more Australians to access funding that meets their needs, even as property prices and competition continue to rise nationwide."
The non-bank’s two updated products illustrate Bluestone’s effort to appeal to a broader range of borrowers.
To start, the "Expat Home Loans" is available to Australians living and working outside of Australia. MacRae said the product launch was driven by increased demand, because securing financing while abroad can be difficult and time consuming. Throw in hard-to-understand lending structures, foreign currencies and regulatory hurdles, and it’s often harder for expats to get a loan than buyers at home.
“Australian expats have long been under-served by the traditional lending system," MacRae said, adding that the new product is "designed to open doors."
"During the development of our new expat offering, we had extensive conversations with brokers and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive," he said. "There’s clearly strong demand from Australians living abroad who want to invest back home. By adding expat loans to our suite of residential investment lending options, we’re equipping brokers with more tools to service a broader client base and meet the evolving needs of the market."
In addition, Bluestone is raising the bar on its "Residential Owner Occupier and Investor Loans." Metro borrowers can now access up to $5 million, up from the previous $3 million loan cap.
"By increasing our maximum loan amount in metro areas for prime and near prime residential loans, we’re enabling brokers to secure financing for a wider range of clients, whether they’re upgrading, investing or purchasing in high-demand locations," MacRae said. "This enhancement reflects our commitment to supporting borrowers in a rising property market, where higher-value homes are becoming more common across major cities. Expanding our lending capacity ensures we remain responsive to evolving borrower needs and market dynamics."
Bluestone’s latest offerings arrive amid a dynamic market. Lower interest rates, updated government housing schemes, rising rental yields and steady employment are fueling momentum. At the same time, soaring property prices, higher living costs and a tight housing supply are ramping up competition in Australia’s loan and property markets.
But despite all the noise, Bluestone, which turned 25 earlier this year, has been busier than ever.
MacRae told Australian Broker back in February, during the quarter-century milestone, that the non-bank was "extremely bullish about 2025."
So far, the numbers back him up.
In March, Bluestone revealed that its alt doc loan volume surged 260% in 2024, year-over-year — or up 39-fold since 2019. In June, the firm reiterated that its specialty lending business, which includes things like self-managed super fund (SMSF) lending, is a major growth driver, while also laying out plans to launch commercial lending and construction loan products by 2026.
MacRae added that: "Broker engagement has also been exceptional, reflecting both a recovering market and the impact of our recent product enhancements.
"The market plays a role, however over the past two years, we’ve invested heavily in strengthening our relationships, enhancing service and refining our product suite, all with the goal of delivering more value to brokers and their clients," he continued.
Bluestone was founded in Australia in 2000. In 2024, Bluestone sold the New Zealand arm of the business. Today, the firm's origination volumes have reached $5 billion per annum, and 100% of its loans are originated through brokers.
