Loan-to-value ratio — the loan (or total debt) secured against a property divided by the property's value, shown as a percentage. A $600,000 loan against a $1,000,000 property is a 60% LVR.

It's one of the main risk measures a lender looks at. A lower LVR means more equity behind the loan, which generally opens up more lenders and sharper pricing.

It depends on the security, its location and the nature of the deal. The private and non-bank lenders on our panel consider higher-LVR, business-purpose scenarios case by case — talk to us with the specifics.

Add up the total debt across the security pool and divide it by the combined value of the properties. This calculator handles a single security; for a multi-property structure, send us the details.

Usually, yes. More equity is lower risk for the lender, which tends to mean more competitive rates and a wider choice of funders.