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You think you can borrow $900k— here's what the bankactually sees.
before you talk to a broker, so you walk in calibrated instead of guessing income × 6.
Investor Profile (Skill 02) and FINANCE POSITION if present; otherwise standalone.
What you'll get back
1 Assessed income · 2 Assessed liabilities · 3 Capacity under 5 scenarios · 4 Your single biggest lever · 5 What to take to your broker.
Paste your numbers.See what a lender sees.
Paste the prompt below with your financial details filled in. The AI returns your estimated borrowing capacity across five scenarios, with each variable’s impact explained separately.
These figures are educational estimates, not lender assessments. Different lenders use different living expense benchmarks, different rental income shading rates, and different treatments for various liability types. This prompt gives you a calibrated starting point. Your broker gives you the actual numbers across specific lenders.
Borrowing reality check
Borrowing capacity reality check · Claude / ChatGPT · multi-scenario serviceability model
ROLE You are an Australian property-finance educator showing a buyer what a lender actually sees when assessing borrowing capacity — not a simple income multiple. Show each variable's impact separately. Be honest about the gap between what people assume and what lenders approve. INPUTS INCOME: gross annual $[amount]; type [PAYG / PAYG + overtime $X / rental $X gross / self-employed net profit — see note]; co-borrower [yes $X type / no]. (Self-employed → also run Skill 12.) LIABILITIES: HECS/HELP $[bal or none]; card limits $[total] (balance is irrelevant — limit is what counts); BNPL [yes ~$X/mo / no]; personal loan [bal $X, $X/mo]; car loan [bal $X, $X/mo]; existing mortgage [bal $X, $X/mo]; other [$X]. LIVING EXPENSES: $[/mo or "use a benchmark"]. TARGET: price $[amount]; type [house/townhouse/apartment]; state [..]; [investment/owner-occupied]. OUTPUT CONTRACT — exactly these 5 sections: 1. WHAT A LENDER SEES — ASSESSED INCOME — step from gross to assessed: PAYG ~100%; rental shaded ~70–80%; overtime/allowances shaded ~50–80%; self-employed = 2-yr average (flag); final assessed income. 2. WHAT A LENDER SEES — ASSESSED LIABILITIES — HECS compulsory %; cards assessed at ~3% of total LIMITS regardless of balance; BNPL flagged; loan repayments as stated; total assessed monthly liability. 3. CAPACITY — FIVE SCENARIOS (educational estimates, not a lender assessment). For each: max loan + max price at 80% LVR + repayment at the real rate + repayment at the buffer rate. A Base case (current typical rate + 3% buffer). B Card limits cut to $5k total. C HECS cleared. D B+C combined. E Stress at rate + 4% buffer. 4. THE SINGLE BIGGEST LEVER — name the one variable hurting capacity most for THESE numbers; quantify in dollars; say what to change and roughly how long it takes. 5. TAKE TO YOUR BROKER — 6 specific questions based on this exact profile (levers to lift capacity, lenders likely to suit, flags to be ready to explain). RULES - Different lenders use different shading, expense benchmarks and policy — call these calibrated starting points, not assessments. - Never state a single "you can borrow $X" as fact; always show the range and the scenario. PROPERTY FILE UPDATE Output a "PROPERTY FILE UPDATE" block with FINANCE POSITION (assessed income, assessed liabilities, base-case capacity, biggest lever) for my Property File. DISCLAIMER Educational estimates only — not credit advice or a borrowing assessment. Lenders differ. Verify with a qualified mortgage broker.
Why this matters
There is a number most Australian property buyers use as their borrowing capacity estimate. It is their gross income multiplied by somewhere between five and seven. It is almost always wrong — and almost always higher than what a lender will actually approve.
The gap exists because lenders assess serviceability, not income. They take your gross income, shade rental income at 70 to 80 percent, deduct your HECS repayment obligation, assume 3 percent of your total credit card limits as a monthly liability regardless of your actual balance, apply their own living expense benchmark if yours looks too low, and then test everything at your actual interest rate plus a 3 percent buffer.
By the time that calculation is complete, your borrowing capacity is often 20 to 30 percent below the number you had in your head. This prompt maps every step of that calculation so you arrive at your broker conversation with a realistic picture, not an optimistic one.
“The gap between what you think you can borrow and what a lender will approve is where most property plans fall apart.
Your first run is fine. Your fifth is sharp.
Incorporate actual lender rates
As interest rates change, update the base rate in the prompt to match current market offers from major lenders.
Refine living expenses using bank statements
Don't guess living expenses. Categorise your actual expenses over three months and feed the total into the prompt to test HEM benchmarks.
Run partner scenarios separately
If buying with a partner, test borrowing capacity as a joint applicant to see how joint incomes and liabilities affect the threshold.
Save this reality check in your Claude Project. Re-run it before applying for pre-approval to ensure no new liabilities have reduced your borrowing margin.
What it still gets wrong.
Living expense benchmarks vary by lender
Lenders use their own internal benchmarks (often the Household Expenditure Measure) and compare them to your declared living expenses. If your declared expenses look lower than the benchmark, lenders use the benchmark. This prompt uses a general estimate — your broker knows each lender’s specific benchmark.
Rental income shading varies
Most lenders shade rental income at 70 to 80 percent for serviceability. Some lenders use different rates for different property types or locations. Your broker knows which lenders are most generous for your specific situation.
Self-employed income is assessed differently
If any of your income is from self-employment, trust distributions, or a business, the calculation changes significantly. This prompt handles PAYG income well. Self-employed income requires the Day 12 prompt and a specialist broker conversation.
Policy changes are not captured
Lender credit policies change regularly. The variables in this prompt reflect general industry practice. Your broker checks specific current policies for specific lenders.
How this stacks.
Day 06 checks your borrowing capacity. Day 03 checks first home readiness. Day 29 prepares your broker pack. Run them in sequence to align your plans with lender policy.
← 01/04 for the property's numbers; → 25 Loan Structure and 29 Broker Meeting Prep.
Before your formal application.
You'll know the exact variables that are limiting your borrowing capacity.
You'll understand how HECS debt and credit card limits can reduce your assessed capacity, and how a lever like reducing a card limit is one thing to explore with your broker. You'll arrive with a clean, well-organised picture of your position, so the pre-approval conversation starts from real numbers rather than guesses.
Auction Readiness Prompt
Auctions in Australia are unconditional. You bid, you buy — no cooling-off period, no finance clause, no building inspection condition. This prompt builds your pre-auction checklist and maximum bid framework.
Read Day 07 ↗AI can analyse the property. It cannot approve the loan.
The prompts help you review the listing, the assumptions and the risks. But borrowing capacity, lender policy, valuation risk, deposit requirements and loan structure still need a human broker check before you make a decision.
This is the calibrated starting point. The actual number depends on the lender — and matching you to the right one is exactly what a broker does. That check is free.
Book a finance sanity-check