Big Deal

Publication Date: Monday, 25 August 2025
This article originally appeared in Australian Broker.

How Brighten empowers brokers with one-stop vacant land and construction solutions for the self-employed 

The facts

The scenario

A self-employed customer was looking to build his dream home on the Gold Coast. 

One day, an ideal block of land had come up for sale in the perfect location. There was a home on the site, but it had seen better days. In fact, it was a proper knockdown job, so perfect for his new build. 

The only issue was timing. The building contract wouldn’t be ready for a few more months, and blocks like these on the Gold Coast are as rare as hen’s teeth.

With the clock ticking, he needed a quick solution to fund the purchase before other interested parties snapped it up. Once that was done, he could finalise the build contract for his dream home.

However, the customer wasn’t in a position to provide full financials at such short notice.

“At Brighten, we know the path to homeownership is rarely straightforward. Every customer is different and has different needs”  – CHRIS MEAKER, BRIGHTEN

The solution 

In need of an alt-doc solution – fast – the broker went to Brighten. Since the property was deemed uninhabitable, the customer was able to apply for Brighten’s vacant land loan, which includes an alt-doc option for income verification.  

The customer provided Brighten with an accountant’s letter to verify his income, and his application for a Brighten Land loan was approved the next day. 

Three months later, the customer returned to the broker with his building contract, hoping to get a construction loan.  

When the broker came to Brighten, we were able to approve a $2.4 million alt-doc construction loan at 70% LVR. And since the customer had an existing vacant land loan, we also offset the risk fee paid for the land loan against the construction risk fee, saving the customer thousands of dollars.  

Another big selling point for Brighten’s construction product, Brighten Easy Builder^®, is that after the construction period, the loan will revert to a standard alt-doc home loan, featuring a lower interest rate. 

“[A] big selling point for Brighten’s construction product, Brighten Easy Builder^®, is that after the construction period, the loan will revert to a standard alt-doc home loan, featuring a lower interest rate” – CHRIS MEAKER, BRIGHTEN

The takeaway

At Brighten, we know the path to homeownership is rarely straightforward. Every customer is different and has different needs.  

In this case, we helped the customer secure his perfect block quickly before he’d finalised his building plans. If he’d waited until the building contract was in place, chances are he would have lost out on the ideal land to build his dream home. 

At Brighten, we aspire to be brokers’ lender of choice. To do so, we continue to develop and enhance our products to provide brokers with one-stop solutions. We aim to meet the needs of all types of borrowers: from PAYG to self-employed alt doc, 30-year mortgages to short-term bridging solutions, our product suite is designed to support them through every stage of the homeownership journey.  

Brighten’s product suite: 

• Full doc 
• Alt doc  
• Near prime  
• Expat, overseas income and non-resident  
• Vacant land and construction  
• Short-term bridging  
• Commercial lending  

So if your customer has a property dream that might be a little outside the usual parameters, give us a call and we’ll work with you to find a solution. 

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