About
Your Local Broker for Perth
Servicing customers in all surrounding areas
| Brad Smith |
Finance Broker
Brad is the Director and founder of Baseline Finance. Brad originally qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2011, but used this experience as a launch pad to pursue a career in Finance soon thereafter. His experience is spread across the Corporate, Commercial, Business Banking and Residential channels, having fulfilled multiple roles in 3 major finance institutions.
Brad is passionate about the industry and the community in which he lives, and holds a Diploma of Mortgage Broking, a Bachelor of Business Science degree, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting. Brad is driven by achieving positive customer outcomes, and is committed to engaging honestly, fairly and with your best interests at heart.
Years of experience have resulted in Brad developing professional relationships within the accounting, finance, property industry - allowing you to leverage the best professionals in these fields. Outside of Finance, Brad is a poor golfer, a couch rugby union tragic, and an animal lover.
| Kris Palao |
Client Service Associate
Kris is a full-time Client Service Associate at Baseline Finance. With over 11 years of experience across banking, marketing, and administration, Kris brings a calm, reliable presence to every client interaction.
She began her career in the banking industry, where she spent five years assisting with loan processing, client servicing, and daily operations. She later transitioned into marketing and admin roles, where she developed her skills in communication, document handling, and digital content creation.
Now supporting the Baseline team, Kris ensures that every task — from coordinating loan documentation to organizing client files — is handled with precision and care. Her focus is always on making processes smoother and providing clear, consistent support.
Outside of work, Kris is a proud mom to a beautiful daughter. She enjoys watching movies and anime, and finds joy in a quiet moment with a good cup of coffee
Your Local Broker for Perth |
Servicing customers in all surrounding areas
Brad Smith |
Finance Broker
Brad is the Director and founder of Baseline Finance. Brad originally qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2011, but used this experience as a launch pad to pursue a career in Finance soon thereafter. His experience is spread across the Corporate, Commercial, Business Banking and Residential channels, having fulfilled multiple roles in 3 major finance institutions.
Brad is passionate about the industry and the community in which he lives, and holds a Diploma of Mortgage Broking, a Bachelor of Business Science degree, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting. Brad is driven by achieving positive customer outcomes, and is committed to engaging honestly, fairly and with your best interests at heart.
Years of experience have resulted in Brad developing professional relationships within the accounting, finance, property industry – allowing you to leverage the best professionals in these fields. Outside of Finance, Brad is a poor golfer, a couch rugby union tragic, and an animal lover.
I have been in the finance industry for 15 years. The satisfaction of delivering for a customer is my reason for getting out of bed. I love to help my clients to find the right solution for their needs.
Honesty, transparency, straight talk, and a ‘never-say-die’ attitude has been the cornerstone of my success to date. If that’s something you value, welcome to Baseline Finance.
Brad is the Director and founder of Baseline Finance. Brad originally qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2011, but used this experience as a launch pad to pursue a career in Finance soon thereafter. His experience is spread across the Corporate, Commercial, Business Banking and Residential channels, having fulfilled multiple roles in 2 major finance institutions.
Brad is passionate about the industry and the community in which he lives, and holds a Diploma of Mortgage Broking, a Bachelor of Business Science degree, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting. Brad is driven by achieving positive customer outcomes, and is committed to engaging honestly, fairly and with your best interests at heart. Years of experience have resulted in Brad developing professional relationships within the accounting, finance, property industry – allowing you to leverage the best professionals in these fields. Outside of Finance, Brad is a poor golfer, a couch rugby union tragic, and an animal lover.
Kris Palao |
Client Service Associate
Kris is a full-time Client Service Associate at Baseline Finance. With over 11 years of experience across banking, marketing, and administration, Kris brings a calm, reliable presence to every client interaction.
She began her career in the banking industry, where she spent five years assisting with loan processing, client servicing, and daily operations. She later transitioned into marketing and admin roles, where she developed her skills in communication, document handling, and digital content creation.
Now supporting the Baseline team, Kris ensures that every task — from coordinating loan documentation to organizing client files — is handled with precision and care. Her focus is always on making processes smoother and providing clear, consistent support.
Outside of work, Kris is a proud mom to a beautiful daughter. She enjoys watching movies and anime, and finds joy in a quiet moment with a good cup of coffee
Brad is the Director and founder of Baseline Finance. Brad originally qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2011, but used this experience as a launch pad to pursue a career in Finance soon thereafter. His experience is spread across the Corporate, Commercial, Business Banking and Residential channels, having fulfilled multiple roles in 2 major finance institutions.
Brad is passionate about the industry and the community in which he lives, and holds a Diploma of Mortgage Broking, a Bachelor of Business Science degree, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting. Brad is driven by achieving positive customer outcomes, and is committed to engaging honestly, fairly and with your best interests at heart. Years of experience have resulted in Brad developing professional relationships within the accounting, finance, property industry – allowing you to leverage the best professionals in these fields. Outside of Finance, Brad is a poor golfer, a couch rugby union tragic, and an animal lover.
Why use a mortgage broker? |
Simply put, a mortgage broker’s job is to find you the right loan for your situation and make sure that you continue to have the right loan as your goals and situation change over time.
What makes us different? |
Baseline Finance
Banks & lenders
Your own personal, non-bank affiliated home loan expert
Free for you
We work in your best interests (we’re not owned by a bank)
We work in your best interests (we’re not owned by a bank)
Fast turnaround times
Access to over 60+ banks and lenders in one place
Ongoing support and guidance once your loan has settled
What makes us different? |
Baseline Finance
Your own personal, non-bank affiliated home loan expert
Free for you
We work in your best interests (we’re not owned by a bank)
We work in your best interests (we’re not owned by a bank)
Fast turnaround times
Access to over 60+ banks and lenders in one place
Ongoing support and guidance once your loan has settled
Banks & Lenders
Your own personal, non-bank affiliated home loan expert
Free for you
We work in your best interests (we’re not owned by a bank)
We work in your best interests (we’re not owned by a bank)
Fast turnaround times
Access to over 60+ banks and lenders in one place
Ongoing support and guidance once your loan has settled
What makes us different? |
Baseline Finance
Banks & lenders
Your own personal, non-bank affiliated home loan expert
Free for you
We work in your best interests (we’re not owned by a bank)
Fast turnaround times
Access to over 60+ banks and lenders in one place
Ongoing support and guidance once your loan has settled
What We'll Do For You |
Understand Your Goals
We’ll take the time to understand your unique situation and goals.
Provide You With Some Options
We’ll do thorough research, provide you with a few loan options, and help guide you through your decision.
Get It Sorted For You
Once you’ve selected your preferred loan we’ll do the legwork to get it lodged, approved, and settled.
Help You Save
We’ll stay in touch to make sure that you still have the right loan as your situation changes (and try to save you money along the way!).
Our Code of Ethics. |
We are serious about the commitment we make to our customers.
Transparency
We do all that is possible to ensure our customers are fully informed about why we make the loan recommendations we do, and how we get paid.
Committed professionals
To deliver outstanding results for you, we invest in ourselves and our business. You can have confidence we maintain, develop and apply a high level of knowledge and skills to meet all required industry standards and qualifications.
Governance and Culture
We will always act in accordance with applicable laws and cooperate with any regulatory bodies. We see our role as constantly adapting, leading and shaping best practice in the industry.
Manage conflicts of interest
Conflicts can happen from time-to-time. When any conflict of interest exists, we will disclose them to our customer and always give priority to their needs.
Quality
We will do everything possible to ensure records of clients are retained, maintained and kept in a form that is complete, accurate and safe.
Do I have to Pay to Use a Broker? |
There are a lot of misconceptions that mortgage brokers charge hefty fees. Generally this is not the case. Typically a mortgage broker will be paid by the lender (ie no additional cost to you) in the following way:
Mortgage brokers are paid an upfront commission and a trail payment: |
UPFRONT PAYMENT PAID TO ME BY THE LENDER, NOT BY YOU.
A one-off payment called an upfront commission is usually between 0.65% to 0.7% of the loan amount (+gst). We do all the legwork to get your loan approved.
TRAIL PAYMENT PAID TO ME BY THE LENDER, NOT BY YOU.
‘trail’ or ongoing commission is usually 0.15% p.a., based on the balance of your loan. We’ll be in regular contact with you to check in on your situation and make sure your loan continues to work hard for you, your changing situation and goals.
How that Plays Out: |
Let’s say you choose to take out a $500,000 loan with Bank ABC.
An upfront commission of $3,250 (based on a 0.65% upfront payment rate)
A trail payment of:
$750 in the first year with a loan balance of $500,000
$675 in the second year if your loan balance was $450,000
$600 in the third year if your loan balance was $400,000
The trail payment will continue until you pay off your loan or your loan is changed. It will also cease if your loan ever enters in to default or arrears.
