iscover
He co-owned a company with her and that company itself had a number of commercial properties. The settlement date was looming and the client’s company needed urgent financing. I needed a fast strategy.
By the end of the week, we had conditional approval. Within a month, the refinance was settled, the client had bought out his wife, and we’d locked in a strong commission.
While this story is fictional, it is based on countless scenarios I’ve had. They are almost always lucrative. For me and the broker.
The ‘divorce market’: Emotional, urgent, and profitable
As brokers, you’ll spend so much time chasing first home buyers, investors, and refinancers that you may often overlook one of the most motivated borrower profiles out there: the recently separated.
In 2023 alone, there were 48,700 divorces in Australia. And this doesn’t even count de facto separations.
Divorces create high-pressure financial deadlines, heightened emotional stakes, and often involve high-value assets. This is particularly the case when your clients are professionals, business owners, or high-net-worth individuals.
Combine these factors and you’ve got the perfect storm for a broker to step in, solve a problem fast, and deliver real value (while earning a healthy commission in the process).
Here’s why brokers should treat divorce clients as a niche worth cultivating:
1. Divorces have built-in urgency
Court orders and settlement timelines create hard deadlines. Family Court proceedings often stipulate when assets must be sold or refinanced. And there’s no room for dragging feet. Your client needs to act fast and they will prioritise your call.
This urgency helps move deals through the pipeline quickly, reducing the lag time between lead and settlement.
2. The properties are often high-value
Divorces are more common in the 40–60 age bracket. A time when many people have significant equity, multiple properties, or self-managed super funds.
If they’re splitting up, there’s often a primary residence, maybe an investment property or two, and in some cases, family trusts or commercial assets. Sometimes the couple co-own commercial assets, such as a company together, and that company itself will own properties.
This creates opportunities for:
- Refinance of properties (residential or commercial)
- New purchase (one or both parties may need a new residence)
- Bridging loans
- SMSF or asset-based lending
- Investment lending restructuring
In short, one divorce can potentially produce multiple deals.
3. The emotional trigger
While some clients drag their feet when it comes to finance, divorce changes that. People don’t want to stay financially tied to an ex. They want a fresh start and they’ll do what’s needed to make it happen.
This generally means more decisive borrowing decisions and less price sensitivity (they want fast, not just cheap). As a broker, you’re helping someone move on with their life, rather than just securing a loan for them. That kind of value is hard to beat and it builds long-term client loyalty.
4. Referrals can snowball
Handled well, divorce deals can turn into a strong referral network. Think about it: family lawyers, mediators, accountants, and financial advisers are constantly dealing with clients who need urgent finance during separation.
Partnering with them or simply letting them know you can handle these sensitive deals could lead to a steady pipeline of referred clients.
Tap the niche!
If you haven’t already, now is the time to build a strategy around separation and divorce lending. Develop referral relationships, update your messaging, and be ready to act fast when that late-night phone call comes in.
Position yourself as the broker who can calmly navigate the chaos and you’ll become their go-to finance person for years to come. Because while love may break down, your pipeline doesn’t have to.
Gee Taggar is the founder and managing director of Archer Wealth.