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The Western Weekender has covered what we’re seeing on the ground across Western Sydney: growing families are making their move.

The pattern is consistent. More than half of our recent enquiries are from people we helped into a first property within the last three to four years, mostly townhouses and units under the $1 million mark. Those homes have held their value through the recent shift, while the suburban four- and five-bedroom homes on decent blocks, sitting between $1.3 million and $1.5 million, are in some cases listing $100,000 to $150,000 below where they were six months ago. The distance between the home these families own and the home they need has shrunk from both ends.

Incomes have helped too. Many of these households are earning up to 15 per cent more than when they first bought, which carries the larger loan.

As I told the Weekender, with rates front of mind, supply still tight and rents continuing to climb, the market could well stay busier than the negative outlook suggests. Families who run their numbers now may find a move that looked out of reach a year ago is achievable today.

Broker Daily has covered a shift we’ve been watching for months: the upsizers are moving.

More than half of our recent inquiries are from people we helped into their first home within the last three to four years. They’re back, and this time they’re after the four- or five-bedroom family home.

The reason is a rare alignment. Three successive rate rises and the Federal Budget’s overhaul of investor tax settings have taken some heat out of the $1.3 million to $1.5 million bracket, with some family homes listing $100,000 to $150,000 below where they would have sat six months ago. Meanwhile the townhouses and units these owners are selling, mostly under the $1 million mark, have held their value relatively well. The gap between what they own and what they want has narrowed from both ends at once.

Add household incomes that in many cases have grown up to 15 per cent since that first purchase, and a move that didn’t stack up a year ago is stacking up now.

As I told Broker Daily, this is a narrow window rather than a new normal. If you bought your first home a few years ago and your family is outgrowing it, the numbers may sit differently than the last time you looked.

Read the full article at Broker Daily.

RBA Rate Rise Puts Borrowers Back Under Pressure

Mark Stevenson, Managing Director of Evolve Lending & Finance, was quoted in Broker Daily following the Reserve Bank of Australia’s May 2026 decision to lift the official cash rate by 0.25 per cent to 4.35 per cent.

The article reported that the decision marked the third consecutive 25-basis-point rate rise for the year, with the RBA responding to persistent inflation, a firm labour market and rising fuel costs linked to conflict in the Middle East. The RBA said inflation was likely to remain above target for some time, with risks still tilted to the upside.

Mark said the RBA would likely have been hesitant to place further pressure on consumers already dealing with higher fuel prices, but that the Board remained focused on taming inflation. He noted that underlying inflation was still sitting above the RBA’s 2–3 per cent target range and warned that rates could rise further if inflationary pressures continue.

For mortgage holders, the article reinforced the importance of reviewing loan structure, borrowing capacity and repayment resilience in a higher-rate environment. If the latest cash rate increase has affected your repayments, refinancing options or broader lending strategy, contact Evolve Lending & Finance to understand what options may be available.

BREAKING: RBA Lifts Cash Rate to 4.35%

Mark Stevenson, Managing Director of Evolve Lending & Finance, was featured in The Western Weekender following the Reserve Bank of Australia’s May 2026 decision to lift the official cash rate by 0.25 per cent, taking it from 4.10 per cent to 4.35 per cent.

The RBA said inflation was likely to remain above target for some time and that risks remained tilted to the upside, including the risk of inflation expectations becoming harder to contain. The decision was not unanimous, with eight members voting to increase the cash rate and one member voting to leave it unchanged at 4.10 per cent.

Mark said the latest increase would add further pressure for mortgage holders, particularly borrowers with larger loans, variable-rate facilities, expiring fixed rates or limited repayment buffers. He noted that while the headline rate decision attracts attention, the real issue for borrowers is how the increase affects repayments, borrowing capacity, refinancing options and overall loan structure.

For many households, another rate rise is a reminder to review whether their current lending setup still suits their position. If the latest RBA decision has affected your repayments, refinancing options or broader lending strategy, contact Evolve Lending & Finance to review your current loan structure and understand what options may be available.

Bell Partners Finance Rebrands to Evolve Lending and Finance

Bell Partners Finance was featured in The Adviser in November 2025 following its rebrand to Evolve Lending and Finance, with the publication reporting that billion-dollar broker Mark Stevenson had changed the name of his Sydney-based brokerage after leading it for the past 11 years.

The rebrand followed the expiration of the brand licence agreement with accounting firm Bell Partners. Mark described the change as a new chapter for the brokerage, while emphasising that it was business as usual for clients. The same team and the same award-winning expertise remained in place, the main business line on 1300 112 355 was unchanged, and staff contact details had not changed. The brokerage continued to operate across home, business and asset finance lending, with brokers providing the same scope of services clients had come to expect. Finsure, the brokerage’s aggregator, was acknowledged for supporting a smooth transition throughout the process.

Mark shared the thinking behind the new identity, describing Evolve Lending and Finance as representing the next evolution of client-focused lending, where relationships matter, expertise is personal and solutions are tailored for real life. From home and investment lending to commercial, business and asset finance, the team’s approach remained centred on partnering with clients to make confident, informed financial decisions at every stage, with decades of experience and a proactive focus on securing the right outcomes rather than just the fastest approvals. Mark said he was looking forward to achieving more success under the new name and continuing to help clients reach their goals by securing their financial future.

If you are looking for an experienced, award-winning lending partner, contact Evolve Lending & Finance to find out how the team can help you.

whasFirst-Home Buyer Activity Surges: Bell Partners Finance

Mark Stevenson, Managing Director at Bell Partners Finance (now Evolve Lending & Finance), was featured in Australian Broker News in June 2025 reporting a significant rise in first-home buyer activity across the brokerage’s offices in Sydney CBD, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Baulkham Hills, Newcastle and Tamworth, following the RBA’s May rate cut.

Since the May cut brought the cash rate from 4.1 per cent to 3.85 per cent, Mark said the brokerage had seen a clear increase in activity from first-time buyers. With the RBA expected to cut again as early as its July meeting, and financial markets forecasting as many as three further cuts through the year that could bring the cash rate down to around 3.1 per cent, renters who had been sitting on the sidelines were now actively exploring whether they could get into the property market. Westpac chief economist Luci Ellis was forecasting cuts in August and November, with two more in early 2026, and had cautioned that without continued easing, Australia risked a shaky transition from public to private sector demand. Slowing population growth was also easing pressure on rents and inflation, giving the RBA additional room to move if labour market or price data softened.

Government policy was also playing a meaningful role in driving enquiry. The brokerage had been fielding calls from buyers specifically looking at new builds to take advantage of $30,000 First Homeowner Grants, which were limited to new properties. Mark also welcomed the re-elected federal Labor government’s pledge that from January 1, 2026, all first-home buyers would be able to purchase with only a 5 per cent deposit without the need for lenders’ mortgage insurance. In Queensland, additional support was available through the scrapping of stamp duty for first-home buyers on new builds, and through the Boost to Buy scheme, which would see the Queensland government contribute 30 per cent equity for new builds and 25 per cent for existing homes on eligible purchases up to $1 million.

If you are a first-home buyer ready to take the next step, contact Evolve Lending & Finance to find out what options and government schemes may be available to you.

Brokerage Offering Novated Leasing and Vehicle Sourcing

Bell Partners Finance (now Evolve Lending & Finance) was featured in Broker Daily following the expansion of its asset and business lending division to include novated leasing and nationwide vehicle sourcing services.

Arthur Peios, Head of the Asset and Business Division, outlined the mechanics of the novated leasing offering. The arrangement allows employees to bundle the cost of a vehicle and its running expenses into a single pre-tax monthly repayment, effectively reducing taxable income while covering both the finance and the day-to-day costs associated with the car. For employers, the program offers a way to attract and retain staff through an attractive salary packaging benefit, with the added advantage of reduced payroll tax obligations, though Peios noted that FBT obligations would apply where there was a private use component.

The vehicle sourcing service complemented the finance offering by giving clients access to fleet sale pricing across new and used vehicles, from a single purchase through to fleets of 100 or more. By working through a network of fleet contacts rather than a traditional dealership, clients could avoid the overhead costs built into standard dealer pricing. Peios also noted that test drives could be arranged at a time and location convenient to the client, including at their home or office.

The expansion came alongside the launch of the Bell Partners Finance Real Estate Partner Program, a referral arrangement through which real estate agents could share in lender commissions for home loans originated on behalf of their buyers. Mark Stevenson described the program as a way to streamline the home buying process for property professionals, connecting buyers with suitable lenders while guiding them through the application and approval process.

Interested in novated leasing, vehicle sourcing or asset finance? Contact Evolve Lending & Finance to find out how we can help.

Billion Dollar Broker Q&A: Mark Stevenson, Bell Partners Finance

Mark Stevenson, Managing Director at Bell Partners Finance (now Evolve Lending & Finance) was profiled in depth by The Adviser as part of their Billion Dollar Broker series, sharing the story behind settling one billion dollars in loans in just eight years and the principles that underpinned his rise to the top of the industry.

Mark’s path into broking began with a nudge from family. His uncle had spent years suggesting that every broker he met loved what they did and found genuine satisfaction in helping people. It took about a decade of hearing it before Mark gave it serious consideration, eventually making the move in 2011 through Mortgage Choice before transitioning to Finsure when they acquired LoanKit in 2013.

The Bell Partners Finance book is broad in its scope, with residential home loans making up around 65 per cent of settlements and the remainder spread across commercial property, self-managed super funds, asset finance and development finance. The core client base has always been self-employed borrowers, though the business services a wide spectrum. Mark noted that individual transactions can reach $10 million on a single property, which helps accelerate the cumulative numbers, though his approach has always been to focus on the work in front of him rather than tracking milestones.

On how he managed volume without sacrificing quality, Mark pointed to clear role delineation within the team. He created a template that brokers must complete before any deal reaches the admin team, covering file notes, recommendations, Statement of Credit Assistance and pricing details. Brokers cannot simply hand off incomplete work. The system is built around clear expectations, and by his account it produces very few problems because everyone understands their part in the process.

Mark was candid about the role of the people around him. He acknowledged that imposter syndrome still surfaces, because the success of the business at this scale is genuinely a team achievement, with his own contribution representing a smaller share of the whole than it once did.

The advice he offered other brokers was simple and grounded: be slow to hire, quick to fire when necessary, and never be afraid to ask for help from those who know more than you do in a given area.

Mark Stevenson’s story is the foundation of what Evolve Lending & Finance is today. Contact us to work with a team that has proven it can deliver at the highest level.

Billion Dollar Broker: How Mark Stevenson, Bell Partners Finance, Settled $1bn in Loans

Mark Stevenson, Managing Director at Bell Partners Finance (now Evolve Lending & Finance) was featured in The Adviser as part of their Billion Dollar Broker series, spotlighting his achievement of settling over one billion dollars in home loans and what it took to reach that milestone.

The feature, produced in partnership with Finsure, explored the journey behind the figure. For Mark, the billion dollar milestone was not something built on personal volume alone. His consistent view was that reaching that level of settlement is a team effort, and that having the right aggregator partner plays a significant role in giving high-volume brokers the infrastructure, support and lender access they need to operate at that scale.

The episode covered how Mark moved from working within a franchise broking model to building his own independent operation, what drove that transition and what the shift meant for how he ran his business. It also explored how his relationship with Finsure supported his growth at that stage of his career, and what he saw as the key factors that allowed him to continue writing at an elite level while maintaining quality of service.

Mark noted that even after reaching the billion dollar mark, he still occasionally experienced imposter syndrome, a candid and grounding admission from a broker who by any measure had built one of the most productive residential lending operations in Sydney.

The coverage reflects the scale and ambition of what has grown into Evolve Lending & Finance, a business built on genuine hard work, strong relationships and a relentless focus on client outcomes.

Want to work with a broker who operates at the highest level? Contact Evolve Lending & Finance.

How “Desperation” Motivated This Broker to Success

Mark Stevenson, Managing Director at Bell Partners Finance (now Evolve Lending & Finance) was profiled in Mortgage Professional Australia as part of its Top 100 Broker series, sharing the story of how he built one of the most productive broking businesses in the country from a standing start, driven in no small part by genuine necessity.

Mark launched his own broking business in September 2013 with little savings and six-month-old twins to support. By his own account, that pressure was one of the best motivators he could have had. In those early months he threw himself into community networking, school fetes, local advertising and constant refinement of his website and business systems. His approach was methodical and thorough, the kind of attention to detail he described as not just checking the obvious parts but pulling everything apart and making sure every piece was right.

About nine months in, an opportunity emerged to build a finance broking arm within Bell Partners, an established accountancy firm he had first connected with years earlier as an accounting graduate. He traded equity and a long commute for access to an established client base and infrastructure, and the results were immediate. He went from writing around $7 million in settlements in his first nine months on his own to nearly $70 million in the following six months. His view at the time was clear: 50 per cent of a much larger pie was always going to outweigh 100 per cent of a small one.

The experience changed not just the scale of the business but his understanding of what was possible. The pressure of that growth period pushed him to find creative solutions and expand his view of what broking could achieve. Over time, as the business matured and systems strengthened, his focus shifted increasingly toward the client relationship itself.

Mark Stevenson’s story is one of building something real through hard work, smart decisions and an unwavering focus on client outcomes, values that continue to define Evolve Lending & Finance today.

Want to work with a broker who is genuinely invested in getting the best result for you? Contact Evolve Lending & Finance.