uno helped slice 11 years off my mortgage

Read how concreter Ken Smith consolidated his loans and shaved $7000 off his mortgage.

It all started when Ken Smith went looking for a renovator’s special for his eldest son, Brady. The concrete truck driver from Albany Creek, near Brisbane, wanted to borrow about $500,000 to give his 24-year-old Byron Bay-based carpenter son a project to work on and a place to live.

“That’s eventually where we’re going to retire, down that way somewhere,” Ken says. “The plan was in three years’ time he would buy me out or we’d sell it and take the money. I’ve got two other boys [Lewis, 22, and Darcy, 16] and I wanted to offer the same to all three.”

As well as a mortgage on their own place, the Smiths had a business loan and their credit cards and household and car insurance policies with the one lender.

“[My wife] Shelley and I went to see our bank,” Ken says. “We’d been with them for 19 years and we never had any issues with them before. But after we came out of the interview I said to Shelley: ‘I’m just not happy. Something’s not right here.’”

While the Smiths stewed over their meeting with the bank manager, they discovered the uno home loans website. Ken signed up and put some financial information into the website fields but didn’t really think too much about it … until uno mortgage coach Phillip Jiang called.

“It was either that day or the next,” Ken says. “He asked me what I wanted to do. I said we were looking at buying. Anyway, Phil took all my information down and said ‘You’re not going to have a problem’. That’s not the feeling I got from [my bank].”

At around the same time, Shelley approached a mortgage broker to see what it could offer. This involved two face-to-face meetings, one of which forced Ken to take time off from work. “I never had to do that with Phil,” Ken says. “There was a bit of emailing and texting, especially in the early stages when he was asking questions. He would be doing this at 8.30pm or 9pm. Everything was done over the phone.”

Ken says Phillip gave him a list of information he needed – such as financial statements, credit card bills and tax returns – and let him uncover the best deals for their circumstances. Once Westpac became the favoured option, Phillip set up a liaison with the bank. “But Phil basically took over and dealt with the guys down at Westpac,” Ken says. “He did all the legwork for me.”

In the end, Phillip helped finalise the ideal home-loan deal for the Smiths. Not only did this package with Westpac wrap their loans and insurance policies together with one provider, something that was important for them, it saved them thousands of dollars a year. Although Ken is unsure exactly how much money they have saved, Phillip estimates it’s likely to be $7000 per year. If they invested this money into paying off their loans, the Smiths could chop about 11 years from their mortgage.

Ken says the biggest advantage of working with Phillip and uno was how easy it was for them to find the best possible loan deal. “I started to go down that path of using the internet and I thought, ‘Ah, this is just too difficult for me’. Obviously, Phil picked that up and away he went.

“The thing that was good for me was that it was simple. Phil basically did everything.”

This information in this article is general only and does not take into account your individual circumstances. It should not be relied upon to make any financial decisions. uno can’t make a recommendation until we complete an assessment of your requirements and objectives and your financial position. Interest rates, and other product information included in this article, are subject to change at any time at the complete discretion of each lender.

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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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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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