A mortgage is a daunting and utterly life-changing amount of money, yet most of us don’t have the time or experience to be sure that we’re doing everything we can to make it work for us.
It’s definitely worth popping in for that five-minute chat with Stu and Alan then.
“As the newest additions to the team at Motueka’s own Castle Trust Financial Planning, Stu Pope and Alan Atkins offer impartial mortgage advice“
Stu has 20 years’ experience in the mortgage brokering field, where his vast expertise and personable manner made him almost too busy for his own comfort.
He loves working for a company as “customer-centric” as Castle Trust, appreciating their holistic approach to their customer’s financial well-being.
Alongside Stu is Alan, a born-and-bred local who has recently completed his Certificate in Financial Services. A familiar Motueka face to many, Alan has spent 20 years working in the parallel field of real estate, including nine years as the owner of Motueka’s Ray White franchise. This affords him excellent insight into the financial pressures and time restraints that home buyers face, and he is delighted to bring this synergy to the mortgage brokerage team.
The Castle Trust team understands what is both typical and possible when it comes to negotiating with lenders. They are familiar with the discounts and sweeteners that each individual provider is able to offer. Stu and Alan take care of the negotiations on their customers’ behalf, taking on the communication and legwork until they can present the best possible options.
“Because we’re doing it every day,” says Alan, “we know what a good deal from the bank is.”
Stu and Alan know the ins and outs of not only the banks, but specialist non-bank lenders, and they work with just about every single option out there. And yes, Alan says, that does include NBS.
Most of the time, their impartial mortgage advice and services are completely free to their customers, and if there are to be any fees, they will be discussed well in advance. No surprises, says Stu. After all, this is not a single transaction for them. They are working on establishing a lifelong relationship with each and every customer – and this is a key reason why Stuart allowed himself to be lured out of early retirement by Castle Trust owners Kathryn and Glyn.
He appreciates that with their expertise in insurance and investments, Castle Trust’s mandate is to take care of “not just present needs, but future needs too”.
“I really like that part of the business,” he says. “Almost without exception, most banks and other providers don’t have that holistic approach.”
Unlike banks, which are restricted from giving mortgage structure advice, the Castle Trust team will use their expertise to help you design your mortgage offering impartial mortgage advice so that it is the best fit for your situation, both for the present and the future.
Sometimes people just want support to work with their existing bank to lock in the best rates when their fixed term ends.
“We have the benefit of looking at everything in your banking history and making sure you’re still getting the best deal,” Alan explains.
Castle Trust can also work with people whose circumstances don’t automatically tick the boxes for the banks – customers who are self-employed, for example, or who have bad credit, or those of retirement age who have assets behind them but no ongoing income. Stu and Alan can work with families who would like assistance with setting up a “bank of Mum and Dad” structure, or for people who would like advice about commercial and business loans.
With their combined wealth of experience, they’ve seen almost every imaginable scenario and can accommodate a variety of needs that mainstream lenders don’t want to know about.
After all, that’s what the team at Castle Trust really specialise in getting to know your situation and applying their knowledge and enthusiasm to help you get your finances organised.
