We’ve Helped Over 150+ First Home Buyers
We’ve Helped Over 150+ First Home Buyers
We’re a small, experienced team based in Cairns with one focus: helping Queensland’s police, nurses, and teachers buy property with clarity and confidence. Every client we work with gets real people, genuine advice, and support that doesn’t stop at settlement.
Principal Mortgage Broker & Founder
Dan spent 15 years as a police officer in Cairns before making the move into finance, and that background is the foundation of everything Houses for Heroes does.
Working frontline gave him a clear understanding of the income structures, employment conditions, and real-life pressures that police, nurses, and teachers navigate every day. When he started advising clients on home loans, he realised most brokers weren’t equipped to handle those specifics well. So he built a business that was.
Dan holds a Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking Management and is accredited with a broad panel of major banks and specialist lenders. He is a member of the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia and is fully licensed as a mortgage broker. He has extensive experience working with first home buyers, owner occupiers, and investors across Cairns and Far North Queensland, and works with clients throughout the state.
His approach is straightforward: listen properly, explain everything clearly, and stay involved from the first conversation through to settlement. Clients regularly describe working with Dan as easier and less stressful than they expected, which is exactly the point.
Settlement & Property Portfolio Manager
Rachael is Dan’s older sister and the settlement and property portfolio officer at Houses for Heroes. If Dan is the strategy, Rachael is the follow-through. She guides clients through the final stages of their purchase, keeping everything on track from formal approval through to settlement, and has a reputation for being so far ahead of the process that Dan occasionally has to remind her the client is still catching up.
Her role doesn’t stop at settlement. Rachael actively manages ongoing client relationships, regularly reviewing interest rates, monitoring property values, and making sure each client’s lending structure stays competitive as their circumstances change. Her focus is on the long game, making sure the people who trust H4H with one of the biggest decisions of their life continue to feel supported well beyond the day they get their keys.
Credit Analyst
Shiela is the youngest member of the team and somehow also the most experienced, bringing over a decade in banking and mortgage broking to a role that sits at the detailed, demanding end of every application. She is responsible for the analysis behind each home loan, assessing client situations, structuring applications, and managing everything required to get loans submitted and approved correctly the first time.
While not a McEntee by name, she is very much part of the family. Dan and Rachael will both tell you she is the one keeping things running behind the scenes, with a precision and work ethic that keeps the whole operation moving and a personality that makes sure it never feels like hard work. Clients might not always see what Shiela does, but they feel it in the smoothness of the process.
Platinum Broker 2025/2026
New Broker of the Year 2026 – Finalist
New MFAA Community Champion Award 2026 – Finalist
Adriana and Arron first connected with us through our Facebook group, Queensland First Home Buyers, as they began exploring options for their first home.
They had heard about guarantor home loans, where a family member can use equity in their own property to help avoid lender’s mortgage insurance, and wanted to understand how it could work for them.
We guided them through this option, along with other pathways available when grants or schemes aren’t suitable, ensuring they had a clear and confident strategy in place. Adriana and Arron secured a pre-approval, which put them in a strong position to act when the right property came up in Cairns.
Throughout the process, we supported them with property reports and walked them through the contract step by step. With that guidance, Adriana and Arron were able to confidently make an offer, which was accepted, and settlement followed shortly after.
It was a pleasure helping such a great couple take their first step into homeownership.
Ash was referred to us by one of our associates and reached out looking for a clearer path forward after not getting the right outcome with a previous broker.
As a first home buyer, he was feeling uncertain about his options and what was actually achievable. Our focus from the start was to provide clear guidance, simplify the process and rebuild his confidence.
We took the time to understand his personal situation, the type of property he was looking to purchase, and what would set him up for long-term success. From there, we matched him with a lender that aligned with both his circumstances and his goals.
With the right strategy and support in place, Ash was able to move forward with clarity and confidence, securing his first property and taking that important step into the market.
Helping buyers like Ash get their foot in the door is exactly why we do what we do, and we’re proud to have been part of his journey.
Ehrin first reached out with the goal of helping several family members, which spoke volumes about her character and priorities.
As we worked through the First Home Guarantee Scheme and stamp duty concessions, it became clear that the eligibility rules made that path more complex than expected. Rather than rushing into a decision, Ehrin took the time to step back and consider her options.
A few months later, she returned with a new plan, focusing on what was right for her and her future.
From there, we arranged a pre-approval for a property that suited her lifestyle and long-term goals. To support her borrowing capacity, we matched her with a lender on the Regional Guarantee Scheme panel that could fully recognise the allowances from her employment.
With a longer settlement involved, we made sure she felt supported throughout the process. We provided a clear pre-settlement checklist so she knew exactly what to look out for and felt confident leading up to receiving her keys.
Ehrin’s journey is a great example of the importance of stepping back, reassessing and moving forward with a plan that aligns with your own goals. We’re incredibly proud to have been part of her journey into home ownership.
Kelsey and Dan were referred to us by a former police colleague and came to us as first home buyers ready to enter the Cairns property market.
Like many buyers at the moment, they were finding it difficult to keep up with rising property prices while trying to save a large enough deposit to avoid lenders mortgage insurance. We also explored the available government schemes and grants, however these weren’t the right fit for their situation.
From our first conversation, we focused on creating a clear and practical plan. We discussed using a family guarantor as a way to help them move forward sooner, without needing to wait years to build a larger deposit.
We carefully structured the loan to suit both Kelsey and Dan, as well as the guarantor, taking into account their income, existing commitments and living expenses. From there, we matched them with a lender that aligned with their goals and circumstances, ensuring the structure was both suitable now and flexible for the future.
With the right strategy in place, Kelsey and Dan were able to move forward confidently and secure their first home sooner than they had expected
Whether you’re buying your first home or looking at an investment property, the first step is the same: a free conversation with Dan to find out where you stand.
