Bluestone Home Loans is offering a special promotion for investors amid surging investor activity.
Starting today, the non-bank lender is waiving the standard investor loading fee of 0.30% p.a. for eligible loans lodged between 19 January and 13 February.
"We know brokers are working hard to help their clients navigate a changing market," said Tony MacRae, chief commercial officer at Bluestone. "By waiving our investor loading [fee] for a limited time, we’re giving brokers a competitive edge and helping investors secure the best possible deal before rates move. It’s about making lending more accessible and supporting brokers to grow their business.”
The move comes amid heightened investor activity in Australia's property markets. The number of new investor loan commitments jumped 13% in the September quarter, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), with the value rising by 17.6%. That's on top of a 3.5% increase in the number of new investor loan commitments for dwellings the quarter before.
The recent spike in investor activity hasn't gone unnoticed by regulators. In November, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) announced new lending limits for high debt-to-income (DTI) mortgage lending. The new rule, starting 1 February 2026, limits high DTI home loans and is meant to preempt risks in the nation's lending landscape, particularly among investors, APRA Chair John Lonsdale said last spring.
On the ground, however, brokers say the investor wave is already well underway.
"It's a very heavy investor market at the moment," Alex Koutoulogenis, founder and director at Adelaide-based brokerage The Finance Project, told Australian Broker. "A lot of our clients are taking equity out to then go and purchase an investment property. We're seeing a lot of that at the moment."
The broker said accumulated equity, strong return prospects and a fear of being left behind are fueling the surge, particularly among owner-occupiers.
"There have been good returns in the property market over the last few years. So people are seeing the growth in their property and thinking, ok, if I can get another property, I can see the growth in that second property too. So it leads them to a better position," Koutoulogenis said. "And it's maybe a bit of the fear of missing out as well. If you know friends and family are looking at a second property, or going down that path, then you're probably going to start looking at it too. So it's probably a bit of everything."
He added, that despite — or perhaps because of — expanded government schemes aimed at assisting first-time buyers, "the first-time homebuyer market has slowed down a little bit just because, obviously, they're sort of getting priced out by investors."
With APRA's new guidelines set to take effect in February, some market participants anticipate a potential slowdown in investor activity, particularly among owner-occupiers seeking investment properties, though large-scale investors will likely remain unaffected.
"I think that will slow down investments. Just because some investors, their income is capped at a certain amount, so they won't be able to borrow anymore, unless their income increases," Koutoulogenis said. "So if they're already at their limits, obviously it will be hard to purchase another property."
Over at Bluestone, MacRae said APRA's investor guidelines don't address the real issue: there's still a housing shortage.
"We work closely with brokers and borrowers who often feel the ripple effects of housing policy changes, and the discussion around reducing the capital gains tax discount is an important one, particularly given the ongoing challenges in housing affordability," he told Australian Broker. "Any change needs to consider the flow-on effects for rental supply and investor confidence. A balanced approach that tackles both demand and supply will deliver better outcomes than focusing on one lever.
Bluestone's latest promo ends 13 February. Loans must be settled within six months. The offer does not include SMSF, expat, commercial or construction loans.
