How UNO helped one family in the middle of a home loan muddle

Emma needed help finding the right deal for a complex home loan structure. They had multiple loans from a number of banks and three properties.

Finding the right home loan deal in a mountain of complexity

Emma Cleary and her husband unexpectedly found their ideal family home in Sydney’s inner west. The find was unplanned – they weren’t really looking – but soon this significant Glebe property was all they were thinking about. So they decided they would try to buy it, even though they knew there would be some financial hurdles to jump first. They needed to solve for a complex home loan structure. Prospective home-loan borrowers often need to make challenging financial decisions while dealing with difficult circumstances. Whether it’s in the weeks following a divorce settlement or the death of a parent, some people find themselves weighing up making big commitments while juggling major family, work or financial issues. What confronted the Clearys was something else all together. They had multiple loans from a number of banks, three properties that needed to be remortgaged and a home they had already started renovating. One of their other properties was partly renovated; another was a block of flats, all of which had different tenancy arrangements. All of their many bank loans had varying levels of debt and were structured differently. Some were interest-only investment loans; others allowed them to reduce the principal owing. And they contemplated all of this while living in a rental property. Time was an issue, too. As well as raising a family, they both had challenging full-time jobs – one in the city, the other on Sydney’s northern beaches. Finding the time to organise face-to-face meetings with financial services businesses during work hours was going to be tricky. But the Clearys were determined to get on top of their complicated financial commitments, as well as their partly completed renovations, and buy their dream home. How much can I borrow?Use UNO's calculator to estimate your borrowing capacity. Calculate Now

Looking for answers

When they had organised previous loans, the Clearys dealt with their banks directly. They tried using brokers but found it was “a complete disaster”. “Admittedly, we’re doing something that’s a little bit more complex than just the average mortgage,” Emma says. “Any level of complexity seems to really challenge the standard service models with brokers and, particularly, with the banks.” So Emma sent an email to UNO Home Loans. “It was a Sunday,” she says. “I can’t recall the time but it would have been late afternoon, knowing me. We would have been busy with family stuff. I would have been sitting down and starting to do a bit of work. I got a response within minutes and started the ball rolling that night.” Emma says the UNO team continued to respond to the couple’s requests quickly. “I think, worst case, my husband sent them a note at 4.30 in the morning and someone got back to me at 6, which was amazing.” The Clearys were looking for the best way to manage their complicated financial situation. They needed advice on how to find the best loans to suit their unique circumstances. UNO helped guide them towards a mix of fixed and variable loans with different repayment terms. This plan involved structuring some of their loans around the lowest overall cost – not just the best available headline interest rate – while others had more flexible terms, allowing them to be paid off faster. It also meant, for instance, that not all of their fixed loans were able to expire at the same time. “They’re the sorts of things you might not necessarily think about at the moment you’re trying to get this stuff done, but it’s all incredibly important,” she says. “It’s that sort of advice they gave us that was really helpful.”

Final challenges

The loan they chose for their new property had a fixed interest rate for five years at the lowest rate available. “The advice they gave us around how much we locked in and how much we kept variable was all driven by our needs but the advice was really good. “A couple of times they challenged us and the challenge was healthy. In one instance, we even changed our proposal for the block of units and how we funded it.” With the Clearys needing to work through so much complexity in their dealings with their original lenders, even tiny issues became potential sticking points. At one time, a bank made a small administrative error that threatened to delay their plans. Once again, she says UNO sprung into action immediately. “They actually jumped in a cab, went to the bank, sorted out the paperwork on the spot, came out to our home straight away to get the paperwork to me so that it wouldn’t be delayed,” Emma says. “You’re talking service that’s above and beyond, especially from a digital platform. “It was quite a complex transaction and this was the easiest financing experience we’ve ever had.” Book a call in with UNO

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What our customers are saying

Kyle Richards
October 10, 2024
Absolute legend, helped me through the first home buyers scheme, explained everything in a way that made sense, was very knowledgeable and a joy to work with.
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Chloe S
October 8, 2024
Mike Parsons made it possible for us and the in laws to get 2 pretty complicated home loans. He helped us through everything and we'd be happy to use Mike and the team again for anything we needed. Thanks again!
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Sam Rezai
October 2, 2024
I have gone through 6 different mortgage brokers prior to meeting Andrew Wyers. He is the most patient mortgage broker I’ve encountered and also the most knowledgable about the bank’s lending process and products available. It took me 1 year to find a house I was happy with and Andrew was always there to assist with any issues or questions I had; he always return my phone call, even on the weekends or when his away on holidays. The loan process was smooth and I had no complications. The process with Andrew was again nice and easy, he took the time to find and put together the right package that was suited to my situation. I have recommended Andrew to my family & friends and everyone have been grateful and completely satisfied with his service.
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S Wilko
September 23, 2024
I had not dealt with Scott or UNO before finding them on the internet. Even as an Australian citizen living and working overseas, I knew obtaining a loan would be difficult. However, Scott went above and beyond what I expected from a mortgage broker. I genuinely don’t think you could find another company that works as hard as they did to get my home loan approved. I cannot recommend them highly enough. Everyone I dealt with at UNO were extremely professional and helpful. If you are looking for a broker, you would be mad not to give them a go. Thanks to Scott Wilkinson, Dalby Bajwa, Jena Lasquite and Andrew Pacini. Shaun.
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Shan Liao
September 3, 2024
I had an outstanding experience with Tian Liu. He was incredibly professional and attentive, going above and beyond to meet my needs. His expertise and dedication made the entire process smooth and stress-free. Tian's deep knowledge of the market and commitment to finding the best solutions for his clients truly sets him apart. He was always available to answer my questions and provided invaluable guidance throughout. I highly recommend Tian Liu to anyone in need of a reliable and skilled broker!"
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Nathanael Chin
September 3, 2024
Tian Liu provided exceptional service throughout the entire process. His professionalism and keen attention to detail were evident from the start. Tian consistently kept us informed and offered insightful advice that made us feel confident in our decisions. He truly cares about his clients and works tirelessly to ensure the best possible outcome. We couldn't be happier with his assistance and highly recommend Tian to anyone looking for a trustworthy and knowledgeable broker.
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Patrick Winters
August 14, 2024
For the past three years, it has been an absolute pleasure to work with Mike Parsons. He has consistently helped us navigate commercial property loans with skill and efficiency. Mike’s timely and professional responses to our inquiries have been invaluable. We have built a strong, reliable relationship with him and eagerly anticipate continuing our collaboration in the future. We highly recommend his services.
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Lee Robibaro
August 6, 2024
I am so thankful and grateful to have Scott Wilkinson as my broker. He not only looked after me every step from start to finish he gave me confidence and I was able to trust him and his expertise. My children and I are now happy in our new home and very appreciative of Scott's help. I will definitely be only having Scott as my broker from here onward as there is no mucking around and straightforward answers. Thanks again
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Steve Mav
August 6, 2024
Scott and the whole team at uno have been amazing. Super responsive and helped us achieve a result that we couldn’t have possibly achieved on our own.
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Thien Pham
August 5, 2024
Scott, Dalby and Jena were awesome to work with for my recent Home Loan, they are responsive and knowledgeable - which helped ensure a smooth purchase from pre-approvals to settlement. This is the second property I've purchased with UNO as my mortgage broker and would definitely recommend their services. Thanks again to the UNO Team for the awesome support.
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Scott Hutchinson
August 5, 2024
I am writing this summary in support of recommending Mike Parsons as a Mortgage Broker. At the time of writing this, I have known Mike for 4 years and he has executed 4 mortgages deals for me (including 2 refinances) over that time. Mike has provided me incredible service as a mortgage broker as follows : - Works painstakingly on getting the scenarios together to provide you options that optimize your position. - Works inordinate hours on the detail necessary to support the scenarios. - Mike keeps you updated on the status and progress of the applications and also helps you work through answering questions and any complexities that may arise. -In my cases, given the complexities and timings of my situations , these application processes would take many weeks to finalize . Mike never gave anything other than utter commitment and focus to getting the job done. Mike acts as a true business partner throughout this whole broker /mortgage journey. I simply would only go to Mike for any future dealings on getting a loan from a bank (and as will my kids in the future !) . There is no way a bank (I have seen anyway) would provide this kind of time nor service to a customer. You can rest assured that once Mike has done the deal, you have ended up with the most optimized position taking into account all the variables/scenarios in play. Scott Hutchinson
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Jason Seam
August 5, 2024
I've worked with Scott Wilkinson for my last 2 properties and he's been excellent. He sourced multiple options and didn't push a specific bank, tailoring his recommendations to me based on my requirements. I was specifically requesting a "medico loan" and Scott could navigate that extra requirement with expertise. When I was initially working with Scott, I was also trialling 2 other brokers and neither of those 2 had the same breadth of lenders, or could provide the same deals. I've referred multiple buyers to Scott and his team; one of them said to me after working with him, "how'd you find this guy, he's so good compared to all the other broker's I've worked with!" I'm going into my next purchase with Scott as my broker partner again. I recommend him to everyone
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