Living the Aussie dream.
Living in a small unit with one baby and another on the way, Cairns couple Franz and Kristy knew they needed to upgrade to a new home with more space.
“Our goal was to live the Aussie dream, with a backyard for our kids to play in and space for our growing family,” Kristy said.
One of Kristy’s workmates suggested that the couple contact Smartline. “At the start we really had no idea about how much we needed to build a home and how much we could afford,” Kristy said.
Smartline Personal Mortgage Advisor Jason Thomson and assistant Annette Desbrow helped Kristy and Franz with their loan requirements and right from the start, were more friends to Kristy than just someone conducting a business transaction.
“Jason and Annette worked tirelessly for us and arranged everything. After we purchased a block of land and started building our home, it was Annette who made sure that every last detail was taken care of,” Kristy said. “I think we used every area of expertise Smartline has to offer –we certainly put them through their paces.”
The goal for Franz and Kristy was to move into their new home by Christmas 2007. This was achieved but would never have happened without the tremendous efforts of Smartline. “The building process and wait was expensive for us, not only were we relying on one income due to the young children requiring care, but we also had building costs and were still renting another property while our home was being completed,” Kristy said.
To help them in this financially stressful time, Annette streamlined and simplified their loan, allowing them to plough ahead with their dream.
“There were a lot of ups and down in the savings process, Smartline even advised us on the best way to deal with lump sum payments, with most lending institutions requiring proof of savings history for such funds,” Kristy said.
When it looked like the last details of the family’s home – security screens and final bank valuations - would not be completedin time, it was Annette who organised this through a friend, once again going far beyond the call of duty. “From day one she was like a good friend to me. When the house was completed and I had the keys in my hand, she was the very first person I called,” Kristy said.
The couple and their two young children made it into their new home before Christmas with a week to spare.
The couple achieved another dream about a month ago when, after being engaged for six years, they finally tied the knot in their very own backyard.
“To get married was also our goal, but one which we knew had to take second place to the goal of building a new home for the children,” said Kristy. “Without Smartline I have no doubt we would never have been able to achieve this as quickly as we did”.
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buying my first home
