Bri Grunow

I’ve given a lot of thought to feedback I can give to help improve our experience with Gus and Astute and I, honestly, cannot think of any.  However, I would like to share the positive experience we’ve had.

Gus is always honest and realistic about expectations – two things that are critical when buying a home.  This was our third home purchase through Gus and I’m disappointed that we’ve spent all our money and won’t be in a position to work with Gus again for quite a while.  When I say he’s honest, I don’t just mean with facts and figures, but he’s also honest about what he does not know.  For example, we received an unexpected letter from CommBank regarding our current mortgage right in the middle of our application process for the new mortgage.   Gus was honest that he had not seen one of those before and promised to get back to us as soon as he knew what was happening.  He chased it up and had a response that day.  I’d much rather have those approaches over a fast talker who simply says, “Yep, leave it with me”.

Gus sets realistic expectations with what the bank may or may not do so that there are never any surprises.  I also appreciate how he knows that when he speaks to me, I’m a bit more nervous than my husband, so he always takes the extra time to walk me through it and ensure I’m comfortable.  I never feel pressured into making decisions, but I always feel well informed and that Gus has provided me with all the details required to make the tough decisions.  A specific example of this is when Gus proposed to use as much of our cash and leverage less equity in other properties as a more conservative approach based on our prior discussions.  I asked him to re-run the numbers with leveraging all equity and allowing us to keep the cash in the offset account.  Gus objectively ran me through the risks and benefits of each approach and then immediately provided the figures.  I was able to weigh up both options and then choose either without feeling any pressure.  Another example is when I proposed to finance the costs of the renovations and Gus walked me through that process objectively, but in the context of our personal financial goals.

Gus has a great balance of being easy going and extremely proactive during a stressful time.  When dealing with real estate agents, solicitors, inspectors, etc. they all have a tone of extreme urgency and can add to the stress.  Gus always listens first, and then calmly responds without emotion or pressure.  His clear thinking and calm approach is exactly what’s needed when making such a huge financial decision.

Having Gus’s direct mobile and email also help to make the process such a positive one.  Our negotiations occurred over the Christmas break, so I was not bothering Gus with the details until we had a final agreement.  Gus knew this was happening and he still gave us a call during that week to make sure we were doing ok and didn’t need anything from him.  He was on holiday with his family when he called and I really feel that was unnecessarily going above and beyond, but at the same time, it was so appreciated.  Most of our business can easily be addressed during normal business hours, but it is such a relief to know that if something pops up on the weekend when we are out looking for houses, Gus is only a phone call away.

While this was our third home purchase, we’ve had a few other home loan approval applications for offers that weren’t accepted.  Gus applies the same level of commitment and professionalism each time, even though he knows that the contract may not go through and the approval may expire without us actually going under contract.  He’s never made me feel like we were wasting his time.  In fact, when I raised concerns about continuing to apply for approval without having an offer to make, he reassured me that we were well within reason and he’d let me know if the banks had concerns with the continued approval requests.

We’ve purchased both at auction and through the conditional contract process.  Gus walked us through both processes and gave us the confidence to know when to bid at auction, and when to buy conditional upon receiving approval for financing.

When the company switched from Cairns Home Loans to Astute, my husband and I moaned that our personalised service was about to become ‘corporate’.  I was worried that it wouldn’t feel like we were dealing with a local business anymore.  Luckily, none of those concerns were valid and the experience hasn’t changed at all – except that we now get to visit the amazing new office 🙂

We’ve recommended Gus many times and will continue to do so.  When I speak to friends and colleagues about their experiences with getting a mortgage, they always seem surprised by the exceptional service we receive from Gus and his team.

Michelle Masiello, Cairns

We just wanted to say thank you for all your help & hard work!

We would have been lost in this whole process without you.

Simon & Sarah, Smithfield, QLD

Myself and my partner Patrick are currently in the final stages of the settlement of our first home and as you can imagine it can be a very stressful and difficult time for any new potential home owner. Add to the fact that we are only in our early 20’s, both working full time jobs and both studying full time as well as trying to save to be financially ready to own our own home.

When we were financially ready to go ahead with the first loan process (through a bank, independently) we were absolutely disheartened as we were knocked back and told that we could not get a home loan. As you could imagine two young people scrapping every cent together for a year and to be told no made us feel as if all the hard work we had strived for was for nothing. I then approached my dad asking him what we should do next. He took me to a lady that he had dealt with when he brought his house through commonwealth that had now opened an Astute office.

When Billie welcomed us warmly into her store it felt as if all the stress, worry and confusion were lifted off our shoulders as she went through all the different options that she would try for us in successfully getting a loan for our first house. She really did connect with us through her friendly personality and strived to do the very best for us (not many companies are like that these days). Even after that first initial meeting and the ones that followed she was so caring and supporting throughout the whole process. I don’t think we would have been capable of going through with getting a house loan without Billie helping us. With every silly little question (there were a lot of them) Billie would always respond straight away and would always make us feel that we were a priority to her and in the world we live in, that isn’t always the case. Billie was also always happy to help us out if we were unsure of anything else during the long process and would always say to us to just give her a ring if there was anything else we needed. As clients of Billies we just wanted to pass on to you how much gratitude we have for the support and care she has given us. We are more than impressed with Billie and hope she receives this feedback and that she continues to do the amazing job she already does. From the bottom of our hearts Billie we thank you so much for the continued support. As well as your lovely other staff that have been fantastic to deal with – Seto, Phoebe & Becky!

Thank you for having such a hardworking, fun loving team John. We really appreciated all that you have done, Thank you

Sara Patten & Patrick Moore, Smithfield

Being newbies to town & the housing market, it was reassuring to have the guidance of Liam from Astute. We felt like one of his family by the extent of his efforts. His honesty, calming persona, knowledge & ability to explain the scary & unknown house buying process in our ‘speak’ was invaluable. Not to mention the fantastic custom home loan we have secured. I would highly recommend, and already have recommended, his services. Thank you again Liam and the Astute Team.

Raine and Scott, Cairns

5 star service  Love the Astute North QLD team, especially Billie. Thanks for your honesty and financial advice… will soon have a home for our family 🙂

Louisa & Tom Sams, Darwin

We recently had an appointment with Astute to help us sort out our mortgage needs. From the moment we stepped into the building we were made to feel welcome. From Shae on the front desk to Damian during our appointment. Damian went above and beyond to help us with our needs, explaining things simply and offering further support. It all makes so much more sense when you have someone who knows what they’re talking about! Thank you so much.

Tanya Greene, Cairns

John and the team looked after us on many fronts from mortgage, superannuation and even life insurance. We even compared rates on our new vehicle lease and Astute came through better than any bank.

These guys definitely have the XFactor

Colin Gilbert, Cairns