Buying your first home can be a daunting and challenging experience, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as increasing property prices and demand was causing headaches for first-time buyers.
Cody Risby, a resident in the Hunter region in New South Wales, had been looking for a house for many months but said his offers were constantly being “trumped” at the last minute on several houses.
“It was a bit stressful, and I was wondering what I’d done wrong,” Cody said. “I’ve got a pretty decent job, I’m good with my money, I had some savings, so I don’t really know what I was doing wrong.”
With support from Dario Portolan, Beyond Bank’s senior relationship manager in the region, Cody persisted and eventually found his first home.
“Cody was in great shape financially, had a prequalified loan and good borrowing capacity – what should have been a simple process became a nightmare for him,” Dario said. “The local market was heating up, there was high demand for houses, prices were high in the local area, and it was so very competitive as demand outstripped what was available.”
After three separate attempts to buy a home, only to miss out at the final hurdle, Cody was devastated and exhausted.
He was commuting more than 90 minutes each way to work, working 12-hour shifts in the mining industry, all while trying to keep up with the property market.
Dario said he received a call from Cody’s mother, a long-time customer of his, asking if he could reach out to Cody to talk about his challenges and help get him back on track.
“We talked and I told him things happen for a reason, and I gave him my big brother shoulder and I listened,” Dario said. “I told him I would be there with him and encouraged him that the next house could be the one if we just worked together.”
Finally, Cody found his house, an offer was made and accepted, and even though there were a few hiccups and delays, Dario kept his word and assisted all the way through to settlement in April.
“I think if Dario didn’t help me out so much, if I didn’t have him backing me, I don’t think I would have been in a house,” Cody said. Dario said it came down to the core values of Beyond Bank, which was all about building relationships and supporting customers. “When we look at changing lives at Beyond Bank, what we are really doing is old-fashioned relationship banking,” he said.
Home ownership a key focus.
Helping our customers into their own home remains a priority for us.
For customers working towards their first home purchase, this could include assistance with goal setting, budgeting and navigating their way through government-assisted schemes. Where some financial institutions simply say ‘no’ to a home loan applicant, our people are committed to partnering with customers over many months – sometimes years – to help make home ownership a reality.
