Talk to a mortgage broker about home loans in Matamata

Whether it's a first home in town, a family home with a bit more room, a lifestyle block out towards the Kaimai Range or a refix on the home you're already in, the questions tend to be similar. How much deposit you'll need, how a lender looks at your income and what a lifestyle block or a new build means for the loan all come into it, and the answers can differ from one lender to the next.

Pop a few details about your plans into the short form below and we'll pass them to one mortgage broker or lender, who can get in touch to talk through your home loan options with you.

Matamata is a farming town at the foot of the Kaimai Range, with green dairy country on every side and Wairere Falls coming down the bush-clad hills to the north-east. Even right in town you're never far from a paddock, a horse stud or a walking track.

It's one of the three main towns in the Matamata-Piako district, along with Morrinsville and Te Aroha. The town grew as a service centre for the dairy farms around it, and horticulture, horse studs and engineering and construction firms followed, while Hobbiton and the Firth Tower Museum bring in plenty of visitors.

These days plenty of locals farm or work in rural services, racing or tourism, while others run their own business or travel to work. Hamilton and Tauranga are both within reach, the beach is a little over half an hour away and Auckland is about an hour and a half up the road.

It's easiest to think of it in two parts: the town itself and the country around it. In town there's a mix of older homes and newer ones, and if you're buying an older place to do up, a builder's report and an early look at the LIM can save surprises later on. Some lenders may look at a new build a little differently from an older home, and if you're building, some may pay out a construction loan in stages as the build goes along.

Out of town, places like Waharoa, Walton, Hinuera, Ōkauia and Te Poi are surrounded by dairy farms, horse studs and lifestyle blocks. Some lenders may look at a lifestyle block or rural property differently from a house in town, depending on things like the land size, how the land is used and whether it earns an income, so it's worth mentioning those details when you get in touch.

If your income comes from farming, contracting, working with horses or running your own business, some lenders may want to see your accounts and may look at seasonal income a little differently. Investors often look at family rentals in town, and with Hobbiton just down the road some owners look at holiday or short-stay rentals, which some lenders may treat differently from a long-term rental, so it's worth mentioning the type of property when you get in touch.