Mortgage broker of year once more

Mortgage Link broker Glenda French has created something of a record by being judged the Otago-Southland Mortgage Broker of the Year for the fourth consecutive year.

"When I won three years in a row I thought that was fantastic, but this is above my expectations. I am so pleased."

Ms French said her success was down to the systems Mortgage Link had in place, and working as a team.

"The structures we have in place stand us in good stead to be successful."

Those structures included having someone on call 24 hours a day to help customers wanting mortgages or wanting assurances that all was well.

Ms French has been a mortgage broker for eight years.

She joined Mortgage Link in 2002.

She took over the business of Ken Hall and then joined fellow broker Jill Clearwater once they realised they could work well together.

"We believed that if we joined forces we would be more successful, so that's what we did."

Mortgage broking had changed in the past couple of years, Ms French said.

The products available had changed, and while some banks required a 20% deposit other lenders were still prepared to provide 95% of the price of a property as a mortgage.

Information technology had been a help in keeping in touch with clients from the time they applied for a loan, through the life of the loan.

Repeat business and referrals were a major part of business growth, Ms French said.

Although last year was a bit tougher as the house market tightened, the Christmas rush still arrived, albeit a bit later than usual.

"It hasn't stopped.

"We in Dunedin have fared well. People felt the timing was right and interest rates were low."

New buyers who did not fit the banks' criteria could still be helped to buy a home, she said.

Helping young people into their first home was a wonderful experience.

A major part of the job was making sure a loan was structured correctly so a home owner paid the least amount of interest over the term of the loan.

For most people, getting the lowest mortgage rate was the goal.

However, that was not the only thing to consider.

Saving even one year's interest was a huge saving, Ms French said.

Mortgage brokers deal with banks and work on commission.

The Bank of New Zealand is the only lender which does not deal with brokers.

Mortgage Link is in a trial relationship with Kiwibank, the only independently owned and branded group to do so.

The banks nominate the finalists, who are judged by an independent panel.

dene.mackenzie@odt.co.nz