How our customer Nidean bought her first home

“Last year when I was thinking about buying a house it seemed so impossible. After talking to Tian and hearing, ‘here are your options’, I knew there was a little bit of hope there; that it was possible.”

Finding the right property

Brisbane high school teacher Nidean purchased her first home with her fiancé earlier this year. They’d saved for a deposit and Nidean’s mum, Marion, helped them get across the line. “It was always our intention to give her money back, so we made the decision that we didn’t want a guarantor. We’re both the kind of people that don’t like owing other people things,” says Nidean.

Marion had actually used uno to refinance a loan and recommended Nidean chat to home loans adviser Tian Liu, who had worked extremely hard to help her.

“He was great: always contacting mum and I would say definitely going above and beyond what was the call of duty,” she says. “I contacted Tian and said, ‘we’d really like to work with you just because I know how good you were for her’.

As first home buyers, Nidean and her partner were eligible for the first homeowners grant and Tian talked them through a few things they needed to do to get the ball rolling.

“He explained to me the conditions of the grant, such as you’ll need to buy a place for under $500,000 [to be eligible], and the benefits – that you don’t pay capital gains tax and stamp duty and all those sorts of things.

“Knowing that made it a lot easier to look for properties and helped me filter the search,” Nidean says, adding it was a challenge to find a brand new home for under $500,000 in close proximity to the area they wanted to be in.

Nidean and her fiancé were about to submit documents to uno for pre approval when Nidean stumbled across ‘the one’.

“I was driving home a different way than I normally do and drove through this estate I didn’t know existed. I went home, had a bit of a search and found a place. We went and looked at it on the weekend and we put an offer on it,” she says.

“When I saw that property, we jumped on it quickly, because I knew there wasn’t a whole lot of time for us to make a decision.”

Marion helped them make a good offer on the property. “She’s a pretty good negotiator and a good conversationalist in those moments,” says Nidean.

“I think we were lucky in the sense that the offer was reasonable and they were willing to accept. And the benefit of buying a brand new home is that no one else has lived in it. So, there was no pressure on anyone to get out of there and for us to get in.”

And Marion was eager to see her daughter get a leg up on the property ladder. “I wanted Nidean to buy something because it’s going to get harder and harder for these young people to buy property,” she says.

Securing pre-approval

uno was able to move quickly, working extra hard to get the application over the line. “There were a few hiccups along the way,” says Nidean. We worked with Tian mostly in the beginning, then Torika and then with Remonda.

“Remonda probably had the toughest job towards the end because the finance was saying that we needed an extension on the settlement date and that could have cost us a lot of money. She worked so hard to push and escalate what she needed to so that we could get it in on time. It all happened very fast.”

When it came to finding the right loan, Nidean says she put her total trust in uno. “What I’ve learned, and I often reflect on processes that we go through, is that, it’s a very complex process to buy a house. I would have had no idea what I was doing if I didn’t go through a broker,” she says.

“I would ring Tian and say, ‘can you just check that I filled out this form properly?’ And he would say, ‘oh, no, you need to tick this box.’ And I just thought, ‘imagine if I sent it off.’ It’s a time saver. It also feels like a form of security in knowing that what you’re doing is through someone who’s credible.”

Moving in

Nidean and her fiancé moved in earlier this year. She is proud of what they went through and overjoyed by the outcome. “Last year when I was thinking about buying a house it seemed so impossible. After talking to Tian and hearing, ‘here are your options’, I knew there was a little bit of hope there; that it was possible,” she says.

“I see it as a big compliment to us and just think it’s a huge achievement to say, ‘we’ve done it’.”

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TESTIMONIALS

What our customers are saying

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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Tina Anderson
July 29, 2024
My experience with Mortgage Broker - Scott Wilkinson, and his team - exceeded my expectations! I couldn’t be happier after settlement - in this current financial climate. He listened to what my requirements were in a loan and then devised a suitable plan for me moving forward. Which was something I didn’t think was possible to achieve. I strongly believe that Scott’s qualifications and previous experience in the Finance Sector - sets him apart from other Mortgage Brokers as he has more insight into the industry and the needs of the customer. Scott was professional, provided solid options, was timely with communication and gave great advice. I will definitely be using Scott’s services in the future and I highly recommend him to anyone as a Mortgage Broker.
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Marlon Baena
July 22, 2024
Karis dedication to assisting with our home loan, even while I was on holidays, truly exemplifies a commitment to excellent service. It's the small things that often make a big difference, and it seems Karis attention to detail and clear communication were key to our smooth home purchase. I highly recommend using UNO and Karis for your home loan needs.
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