How is the composite score calculated?

It's a weighted blend of five signals: sentiment (28%), Google rating (26%), review volume (20%, log-scaled), recency of reviews (10%) and listing completeness like phone, website, hours and address (16%).

Why does sentiment matter more than the star rating?

Because a star average can hide a real pattern. Two brokers can share the same rating while one has a run of recent complaints about the same issue. Reading what reviews actually say catches that in a way a plain average can't.

What does a low-confidence score mean?

It means the business has few recent reviews, so the score is built on limited data. We label these listings clearly rather than presenting them with the same confidence as a broker with a large, current review base.

Can a broker pay to improve their score?

No. Scores come only from the rubric and the underlying data. Paid placement, where it exists on this site, is always labelled and never affects a business's score, and any editorially reviewed list discloses that on the page.

How we score mortgage brokers in Perth

Compare A Broker Directory currently scores 464 mortgage broker businesses across Perth. Every score is built from the same five measured signals, weighted the same way for every listing, so you can compare a broker in Joondalup against one in Fremantle on equal terms. This page explains exactly how that works.

The five signals, heaviest first

Each business gets a composite score out of 100, made up of:

Sentiment (28%): a synthesis of what recent reviews actually say, weighing repeated praise against repeated complaints.
Rating (26%): the Google aggregate star rating.
Volume (20%): how many reviews a business has, log-scaled so a broker with 400 reviews doesn't get penalised the same way a broker with 6 reviews gets a small boost. Ten reviews and a hundred reviews are both meaningful, but they aren't ten times as meaningful.
Recency (10%): how recently customers have actually left reviews. A broker who was excellent in 2019 but hasn't had a new review since isn't necessarily still excellent today.
Completeness (16%): whether a business lists a working phone number, website, opening hours and address. A broker who is easy to contact and check up on is doing something basic right, and it matters when you're about to hand over financial documents.

Why sentiment carries the most weight

Two mortgage brokers can sit on the exact same star average and be nowhere near equivalent. One might have a spread of complaints about slow communication during settlement, or being pushed toward a lender that paid the broker a better commission. The other might have a spread of praise about explaining loan structures clearly and chasing rate reductions. A star average alone hides that pattern completely. Reading what recent reviews actually describe, not just how many stars they carry, is the only way to catch it. That's why sentiment is weighted above the raw star rating itself, and why it sits first in our rubric rather than last.

Where the reviews come from

We don't republish reviews on this site. We read them, identify recurring themes, and synthesise that into the sentiment component of the score. If you want to read the original reviews in full, in a broker's own words, we link out to the Google listing so you can go to the source directly.

The honest limits

A score is only as good as the data behind it. A business with only a handful of recent reviews gets a low-confidence score, and we label it as such on the listing. Treat those scores as a starting point for your own checking, not a final word. Volume and recency both exist in the rubric specifically to stop a business with three reviews from three years ago from outscoring one with a large, current base of feedback.

Scores aren't for sale

Every score on this directory comes from the rubric above and the data behind it, and nothing else. Where paid placement exists anywhere on this site, it is always labelled as paid, and it never changes a business's score. If a "best of" list, such as our commercial finance brokers list, involved any editorial review of picks or ordering, that is disclosed on the page itself. Where no such disclosure appears, the ranking is the output of the rubric alone.

Who's behind this

Compare A Broker Directory is published by Scout Local Media, an independent Australian publisher founded in 2026. Scout Local Media builds practical local guides, business directories and consumer resources aimed at helping people find local businesses they can actually trust, while giving good local operators a fairer shot at visibility online. The rankings on this directory are maintained by Nathan Ellis, Research Lead, who oversees how the rubric is applied and kept consistent across every listing.

You can find more of the publisher's work at scoutlocalmedia.com.au, or reach the team directly at hello@scoutlocalmedia.com.au with questions, corrections, or a business you think we've missed. You can also return to the directory home to browse the full list of 464 Perth brokers.

FAQ

How is the composite score calculated?: It's a weighted blend of five signals: sentiment (28%), Google rating (26%), review volume (20%, log-scaled), recency of reviews (10%) and listing completeness like phone, website, hours and address (16%).
Why does sentiment matter more than the star rating?: Because a star average can hide a real pattern. Two brokers can share the same rating while one has a run of recent complaints about the same issue. Reading what reviews actually say catches that in a way a plain average can't.
What does a low-confidence score mean?: It means the business has few recent reviews, so the score is built on limited data. We label these listings clearly rather than presenting them with the same confidence as a broker with a large, current review base.
Can a broker pay to improve their score?: No. Scores come only from the rubric and the underlying data. Paid placement, where it exists on this site, is always labelled and never affects a business's score, and any editorially reviewed list discloses that on the page.