Brokers partner with digital entrepreneur to launch an online home loan service

Two mortgage brokers launch a service which combines online advice with personal guidance

Brokers partner with digital entrepreneur to launch an online home loan service

A new digital service for home loans has launched in New Zealand which will allow home buyers to apply for a mortgage fully online whilst having access to mortgage experts.

HomeLoan.co.nz will work in conjunction with an Auckland-based call centre, and will place loans with one of New Zealand’s major mortgage providers whilst giving clients access to telephone and face-to-face advice with a broker as necessary.

The venture is the result of a partnership between mortgage brokers Carey Brunel and Glenn Christie, along with digital strategist Shaun McGowan.

“McGowan is very, very successful digital marketing professional, and Brunel and I know the mortgage side and we have access to the banks,” says director Glenn Christie.

“The way we used to get business 28 years ago is we went out and talk to the real estate agents and the conveyancing solicitors, and we’d offer to see their clients without them having to make an appointment. These days, people want to do everything online. The new generation is very technology-driven, but if people get stuck at some point in the process, they’ll still want to speak to someone. That’s what we can offer people.”

Christie says the key advantage of the website is that clients can have access to a huge wealth of broker experience, and this is offered either online, via telephone or a face-to-face meeting as best suits the client’s needs.

“We’re embracing technology,” says Christie. “There is going to be a real demand as technology progresses for people to do things completely online with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. But there will also always be people who want to talk to someone at the end of the phone, or go a step further and go and actually see someone face to face.”

 The amalgamation of the two methods will be the key draw of the website, which is currently operating out of Christie and Brunel’s Mortgage People brokerage in Auckland.