Hi Benderfile,
Your two questions can be dealt with seperately. There is no reason to wait on setting up your St G offset account until you've uncrossed your properties, or vice versa. Unless the tax deductibility of any of the accounts is not clear.

As Richard and Terry said, your money is better used offsetting your non-deductible loan with St George, than offsetting your dedutible loan at ANZ. St G have a good offset account with a small monthly fee.  

You've said that these are your St G loans

Hi Pirate,

There is a number of things to check with your mortgage broker.
  – Ask for their membership certificate to the either of the Mortgage Brokers assosciations, most brokers are with MFAA, but some are also with FBAA.
 – You should check how many lenders they are accrediteted with. If there are only 2 or 3 , then these are the only lenders they can put your loans through. Most brokers will have around 30+ lenders to choose from, but always best to ensure they have they have at least the main banks etc.
  – Mortgage brokers usually now also hold a Certificate IV in Mortgage Broking or the equivalent, so good to ask for also.
 – If you're located in WA, also ensure that your broker is licensed to operate in WA (WA are a bit more special than the rest of the country… )

In regards to choosing your mortgage broker, do shop around. Make sure the broker you choose is someone you feel you can trust and someone you're comfortable with. Referrals from family and friends who have had good experiences with a broker are  invaluable.

Good Luck!

Hey Lefthander07,
I'd suggest getting some advice from an accountant or a financial planner regarding the trusts. There are a lot of differences between types of trusts, and so the right trust for you will vary depending on your situation, and even your state.
As a mortgage broker, I can tell you how to arrange your loan with a trust, but not what trust is best for you.
You can set up your trust whenever you like, as long as it is all completely set up before you exchange on your IP purchase, but as Terry mentioned,  depending on the trust, there may be some ongoing management costs etc to be aware of

Hey Mixedup,
This is a bit of a complex question. Essentially, you are right when you say that the bank could change the interest rate at any time. And the best rate today is probably not going to be the best rate tomorrow.
 
The comparison rate of a lender is a good start. This is a rate that takes the current interest rate and combines it with any monthly or annual fees that would be charged and shows it as a interest rate. If you want to compare the real ongoing cost of different loans this is a good comparison tool. 

If you're interested in looking at the long term interest rates, it's prob also best to avoid loans that have a 'special rate' being advertised. You want a loan that will start low and stay low, rather than start well and go high later on. 

In saying all this tho, I will say (as a gross generalisation) that the big banks generally have the best rates, and that  they are less likely to bite you with a big rate rise later. They're also more stable than some of the smaller lenders at the moment. And, in the current market, that can only reflect positively on your interest rate.