Case Study: Peter

We sat down with Peter and asked him a few questions on his experience, challenges, and how he overcame them.

My partner and I had been together for about three years when we decided the time was right to buy a house together. This decision coincided with the biggest property boom seen in decades so we needed to act fast as the market was rising at a very quick pace. We knew which suburbs we wanted to live in so it was just a matter of getting our finance sorted.

“We were kept up to date and in the loop at all times during the application and settlement process.”

• Trying to buy a house during one of the biggest property booms in decades.
• The competition was fierce. Most properties were being taken to auction to take advantage of the rising market.
• Real Estate Agents were fielding multiple offers, with many house being sold prior to auction.
• We knew we needed to have our finance approved prior to auction, including using equity from our existing properties.
• Initially we approached a broker, but after a month of back and forth, with no outcome, we decided to deal directly with a lender.

• Deal directly with your lender, we found it to be a quicker process, plus you have the option to deal with any bank not just the ones that pay the broker commission.
• Attend auctions as a spectator to observe and familiarise yourself with the process. Don't bid as a couple. Select one person to do the bidding and avoid looking at each other during the auctions. It's surprising how easy it is to read non-verbal queues between couples at an auction - you want to avoid giving your competitors an advantage.
• Do your research on interest rates. It's surprising how much variation is out there between the banks. It pays to shop around.
• We knew online lenders have better interest rates than bricks & mortar banks so we did after researching online lenders with positive customer reviews we rang loans.com.au. The representative we spoke to was very helpful and we applied for finance that same day.
• With finance approved we were able to attend auctions with confidence!
• A house had come on the market that we loved. We attended every open home. Auction day was nerve-racking but we'd done our research by attending multiple auctions as spectators and researching auction tips online. We had our limit and our auction game plan and we stuck to it and we won!