Connective Home Loans Broker Profile

April 30th, 2018

Connective Home Loans Broker Profile
Haris Memic, Novus Finance

Q: Tell us about your broking business?

My business is currently in its infant stages – I only made the leap from Bank World 11 months ago! The focus of Novus Finance is predominately residential properties. However, a small percentage of my business comes from the Commercial/Property Development sector.

I have only recently rebranded to Novus Finance and I’m building an online presence. I’ve been getting business by word of mouth and through my referral partnerships – things have become busier than expected over the last three months, so I’m already looking to expand.

With my qualifications and experience in accounting, one of my pet hates has always been poor lending advice – loan structures which negatively impact taxation and future wealth building activities. One of the ways I am adding value for my clients is by finding partnering businesses to assist with these requirements – wealth planning, taxation and for their other professional needs like buyer’s agents and solicitors.

Q: What’s the best thing about being a broker?

One of the things that motivated me to get into finance and broking was that I wanted to help people fulfil their dreams. A broker plays a pivotal role in people’s lives, our advice and expertise can really make an impact. It probably sounds like a cliché, but I want to make a difference.

My favourite part of the job is listening to people – their stories, their dreams of owning a house, what they want to achieve in life, what kind of future they imagine. Helping them to fulfil those dreams – get their home and build wealth for the future they want –  is very satisfying work.

Another aspect of being a mortgage broker that I really enjoy is the flexibility. It’s one of the few jobs which allows me to arrange my working hours around my young family. I do sometimes work odd hours, but I don’t miss out on key moments in my children’s lives by working 9 to 5.

Q: How long have you been using Connective Home Loans Essentials?

I’ve been using Connective Home Loan Essentials from Day 1 with Connective! For a bank with no branches, they have done a wonderful job of getting everything right!

I’m a big advocate of the Connective Home Loans Team and the Essentials Team. Their BDMs are truly supportive, and they always have the time of day to pick up my phone calls. The Credit Team are great too – consistent with their policies. They are also great at explaining why certain deals are more suitable or not suitable for their appetite. I’ve learned a lot about fitting products to customers and finding solutions with different options, which is great for me and the clients.

Q: What do you see as the main benefits of Connective Home Loans Essentials for your customers?

I think the two main benefits would have to be the great rates and the simplicity.

Connective Home Loans Essentials interest rates are competitive and consistent. The customers love the simplicity of communicating with us instead of a bank, they can just go online, and they don’t have to wait in long queues when they call. And unlike other banks, the Connective Home Loans Essentials Team don’t ring them up all the time trying to sell them other products.

Another great thing about the Connective Home Loans Essentials offer is that it credits our ability to apply common sense. We can choose from a range of products that work for our customers and will give them great outcomes. Customers may not see this one, but the fact each application is looked at on its merits means that they are not disadvantaged.

Q: And what are the main benefits for you?

There are a few reasons I love using Connective Home Loans Essentials, but I want to say I think that the whole team is working together to provide a seamless loan submission process that feels fantastic.

Turnaround times are a major factor. When clients have an urgent settlement, I can confidently lodge a deal and know we will meet the settlement deadline and finance clause. I have had many compliments from clients after I obtain them a 48-hour home loan approval – particularly those who’ve just had the run-around from another bank!

But for me, the main thing is the service. My business is won through referrals – from my referral partners or my clients – and not purely on price. My service proposition is about transparency, convenience and managing the process for my clients, and the support I get from Connective Home Loans Essentials makes it work.

The kind of service I get from the Connective Home Loans Team puts me in control. As a broker with a growing list of clients, you want to control the relationship, you want to be the man putting the client with the right lender and you want that client to stay your client after you’ve done the deal, not become the bank’s customer. The fact the Connective Home Loans Essentials Team let me call on behalf of the client, means I always have a close relationship with the client.

 Q: Do you have any tips about using Connective Home Loans Essentials?

• Biggest tip is talk to your BDM, call the support team! They will take the time with you to workshop a deal.

• Even if some deals are outside of policy, give them a call and you will be pleasantly surprised at their willingness to find a work around, or consider an exception to policy.

• Use Mercury to quickly ascertain whether CHL Essentials products are a good fit.

• In my comparisons with the major banks, I always mention CHL Essentials when reviewing lending options.

Q: Do you have a specific example of how using CHL has helped you resolve a complex consumer loan scenario? How was using CHL different to any other big lender?

There are a couple of times when CHL have come through for me in a big way. My favourite story is from early in December 2017, when I met two clients who had been pre-approved with a major bank and had purchased at auction. They worked for three months trying to get approval to settle, and during that time they had to deal with four different branch lenders due to staff turnover. At the end of all that they were told they were not within policy, and their time had run out.

These clients were distraught. One call to my CHL BDM and the Credit Team and we were able to lodge their application immediately. Two days later I was able to give them news they will never forget, and shortly after we were able to settle. We saved the clients their $50,000 deposit and their first home! That was when I became an advocate for CHL.

I think CHL is also great for complex deals for self-employed customers. You can discuss the ins and outs of the business structure with the Credit Team and come up with a solution. With major banks, you rarely get to speak with a decision maker, and that makes it harder.  Sometimes you never get to understand how they came to certain assumptions on the file – and you can’t service your customers properly without that direct communication.