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Originally from Melbourne, I moved to Cairns with my family in 1991 and started my career in Finance with Suncorp. After a transfer to open Suncorp branches in Sydney in 1995 I returned to Cairns and moved into the Insurance Broking Industry.
The allure that has kept me in the industry for 25 years are the relationships that I have made with local business owners, Insurers and the Cairns community. Being a local, I understand the unique needs of Far North Qld and the perils of finding and providing insurance solutions to suit my clients and most of all ensure they are protected.
I have partnered with Astute North QLD to create Astute General Insurance and I look forward to growing the existing relationships I have made and supporting new clients through all aspects of their Insurance needs through exceptional customer service, which Astute are so well known for providing.
At home there’s 2 teenage boys, 3 dogs, 1 cat, and 3 horses. I love being home cooking/creating which is not often or find me at the racetrack dressed to the nines in an original local creation (supporting local designers/artists is a passion) or at the gym thinking about getting back into Bodybuilding after a long off season 2016. I’m dedicated to whatever new adventure or challenge comes into my life and giving back to this wonderful community of Cairns whenever I can.
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.
We greatly appreciate your efficiency and persistence in helping us purchase our property.
It was a long awaited dream for us to give our kids and ourselves the space and serenity we’ve found. Thank you so much for playing an integral part of that dream coming to fruition.
Simon is fantastic! He explains and explains again if you don’t understand. He has helped us on a couple of occasions now and seriously, I wouldn’t go anywhere else or to anyone else.
Billie is friendly and genuine. She is knowledgeable about the products she talks about and comes across as someone who will work hard to get you the best possible deal.
I was very impressed with the quality of service and support. Jasmin really went beyond to ensure my equipment loan went as smooth and quickly as possible which took a great deal of stress out of setting up my new business. I would highly recommend Astute’s EF team Donnie, Morene and Jasmin for any car or equipment loans.
I found every time I rang the office with a query the phone was answered promptly. Gus and his team stayed in contact at all times either by email or phone just to make sure I had complete understanding of the forms I was signing and the procedures they were taking to finalise the loan. I was never left wondering what happens next.
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.
