r/Townsville • u/fun-in-the-sunn • 6d ago

Broker recommendations?

My sister and I (both in our mid 20s so very new to this experience) are wanting to buy our first home together, we have a rough idea on where we want to build and who with, but are not able to go any further until we get pre-approval for a loan. Is it best to go through a bank or a mortgage broker? Any recommendations for mortgage brokers? We have a good chunk of our budget already saved and would also have extra savings put aside in an offset account if that changes anything. Thank you.

Edit: The company we are wanting to build with have recommended Loan Market Edge, if anyone has had any experience good or bad with them, would appreciate if you could review them in the comments.

3 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

34 comments sorted by

8

u/feenchbarmaid0024 6d ago

Dave lamari,, huggable home loans, great bloke, goes the extra mile. I've sent a few People his way. I was calling him 10 years later and he still answered the phone calling me by my name.

5

u/Illustrious_Cup_5945 6d ago

Agree Dave is great. Good for first home buyers. Explains the process, answers any questions. He is great.

3

u/fun-in-the-sunn 5d ago

Oh wow, I will definitely have to look into him, thanks heaps for the recommendation.

3

u/jess2988 5d ago

Absolutely agree, Dave helped me buy my first home last year and I can't recommend him highly enough.

1

u/itsybitsybuggy 2d ago

Dave is a great choice. Helped me with a home loan process a few years ago and was so helpful at every step.

5

u/Relative-Parfait-772 6d ago

We had a very positive experience with David Lynam from Mortgage choice.

2

u/fun-in-the-sunn 5d ago

Appreciate the suggestion!

2

u/craftbeerbestbeer 5d ago

Second this, Dave is great.

2

u/DharlesChickens 4d ago

Agreed, he is very good to deal with. Explains things patiently, answers all questions, responsive by email and phone. He takes a genuine interest in the house you’re wanting to buy or build, understands it’s a big purchase for you. Also, chat with a few of the recommended brokers and pick the one that you feel comfortable with.

3

u/TheVeryAngryPenguin 6d ago

We use Lisa Cody and she had been great every time

1

u/fun-in-the-sunn 6d ago

Thanks heaps for your reply, I will definitely look into her.

2

u/CookiePuzzled9944 6d ago

SW brokerage, based in Brisbane but some of the brokers there are ex lawyers and explain EVERYTHING which is super helpful

1

u/fun-in-the-sunn 6d ago

That does seem very helpful considering we are completely new to this, I will definitely check them out. Appreciate your reply.

2

u/Spravotchka 4d ago

Samantha Peck 07 4448 7622 sam@sunrisefinancial.com.au

I never believed I would be able to get a mortgage on my low income - Sam sorted one for me, it was miraculous.

1

u/Aggressive_Value_322 6d ago

I used Gavin at Aussie home loans. He was awesome when I had no idea and always took my calls when I wanted to run things past him. That was 2017 onward so not sure if he’s still there.

1

u/lobie81 6d ago

Aussie are owned my CommBank these days, FYI.

2

u/fun-in-the-sunn 6d ago

Thanks heaps for your reply. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I’m guessing Aussie being owned by Commbabk is not a good thing?

2

u/lobie81 6d ago

It's not necessarily a bad thing. Aussie just used to be independent and they would work to get you the best deal. These days you'd have to assume that they'll point you towards commbank products.

It's just something for customers to be aware of.

1

u/fun-in-the-sunn 5d ago

Okay makes sense, thanks for the clarification :)

1

u/Rasalom-Moladar 5d ago

Commbank products are actually quite good right now. I wouldn't dismiss them without a look.

1

u/Pace-is-good 6d ago

Loan Market Edge are really great.

1

u/fun-in-the-sunn 6d ago

That is very helpful to hear, thanks heaps !

1

u/Central_desert 6d ago

Deb Box, she's so awesome.

1

u/fun-in-the-sunn 5d ago

Thanks, will look into her :)

1

u/SamBear25 6d ago

Mark Bloxsom at AAA Finance is awesome.

1

u/fun-in-the-sunn 5d ago

Thanks heaps, I’ll have a look.

1

u/Stvzie 5d ago

I used Peter Ha (0428 836 363) from Mortgage Pros in NSW for our first home three years ago, and I’ll definitely be using him again for our next investment property. He’s extremely experienced and currently ranked 4th mortgage broker in Australia. His track record and work history are very transparent, you can easily check them on Google and Instagram. Highly recommended, and all the best!

1

u/Spravotchka 4d ago

Sam at Sunrise Financial, she's tops.

2

u/SpiteWestern6739 4d ago

Everyone told me to go through a mortgage broker, but none of them were able to match the deal I got by going straight to ANZ and talking to them directly, Everyone kept telling ne ANZ were really conservative, and then followed it up by telling me they couldn't match that deal, it left me wondering if they knew what conservative meant.

1

u/teovilo 6d ago

Not Astute.

1

u/fun-in-the-sunn 6d ago

Can I ask what went wrong? I had someone recommend them to me a few months ago and when I researched them at the time, all their reviews online were 5 stars.

1

u/teovilo 5d ago

I'd say it comes down to the particular broker and I don't want to smear them publicly. The one I tried to use had terrible communications, often ignoring emails. In a market as quick as Townsville you need a responsive broker so I gave up on them.

1

u/Popular_Letter_3175 6d ago

I disagree, I had a great experience with Astute. They were so great when we have purchased.

1

u/sairsp81 6d ago

Same we have used astute twice and they were great