My name is Daniel Lipman, and I’m a registered financial adviser I’d love to help you live a great life by advising on your mortgage. But first things first, why can I help you? I have a degree in finance. I have worked on teams settling over $200 million dollars of loans per year. I have 100 ‘high-touch’ clients whom I contact frequently.
Since early high school, I have had a fascination with property investment. It is the obvious focal point of a number of my interests, namely global economics, history (especially the ancient Greeks) and finance. My friends say I am great to talk to about anything ranging from basketball to Marcus Aurelius. In New Zealand (rightly or wrongly) property is the hub of everyone’s finances and as such is the most powerful tool most kiwis use to build wealth. This is the reason I am a Mortgage Adviser. Watching customers who are stressed and nervous, be transformed, over a few conversations and negotiated options, into confident proud homeowners and investors is hugely satisfying.
My professional journey started at Auckland University of Technology, where I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Information Systems. After graduating I had many opportunities but specifically chose property because of its’ practicality for Kiwis, and then chose mortgage broking because it lets me choose the best products for my customers from the entire marketplace.
In my extended community, many people refer and ring me when they are thinking of property. Every customer who I help is hugely satisfying, but it is extra special when I am helping a friend – or a friends’ friend because I get to see first hand how they are enjoying their house when I get invited around to a BBQ, and seeing the extra holiday they could afford via photos on my Instagram all whilst knowing I played a small part in that.
If I cast my mind back to choosing mortgagehq as a company versus going independent or with a different firm, I chose mortgagehq because of the client-first mentality which has caused the business to grow with a team model rather than it being a competitive environment. This matches my desire to put clients first. For example, Toby was a first home buyer, who came to me with a pre-approval from a bank.
He had been to the bank to get his pre-approval and thought he had had a good financial experience. But he had a problem. He wasn’t able to decide on a house, he was feeling apprehensive, unsure and lost. When Toby and his partner met with me we spent an hour unpacking the options at different banks, looking at current interest rates, pointing out things to consider such as the process around finance for bidding at auctions. I introduced him to an agent and a lawyer. Toby left our meeting with a small network around him. He left recharged, motivated and had built the confidence to go and buy.
I was saddened but not surprised when I heard that no one from the bank had taken the time to help him properly. The scary thing is that people don’t know what they don’t know. Until someone comes and speaks with me they often think they are being well serviced – but they aren’t. It is amazing from my perspective to watch people’s voice, posture and face change to a relaxed smile as they build understanding and then confidence in mortgages and ultimately in their financial future.
Over the next six months, Toby would call me when he was at open homes, we chatted several times a month. He went through 8 properties and eventually got a cracker deal and was really chuffed – he even referred a few of his friends to me.
These conversations are what I love about my job, and what separates me from a vending machine broker. I love being at mortgagehq because of our client first structures, which match my intention and desire to treat customers like friends, our managing director always says “what would you do if this person was your grandma”. The mortgagehq process involves gathering all of your details so we can work our way through and pull out every option you have. Explain them to you then have a collaborative conversation about what will work for you.
Once you and I settle on the best option for your life I switch hats to become a broker. Where I go in to bat for you, negotiating with the banks for things like rates, exceptions to standard servicing rules, explaining why this property is worthy of lower LVR and getting every detail sorted. But getting you the best rates is not what excites me, it is the long term that interests me the most – because it makes the biggest difference in your life.
You can expect me to unpack your 5 and 10-year plan. Asking questions like are you going to have changes in income, kids, inheritances? Because we need to line up the mortgage with those changes – and the current interest rate environment. Otherwise, all e do is optimise for today, when in reality we need to be optimising for the next three to five years, or it will cost you.
The structure of your mortgage makes a huge difference. Adelaide (not her real name, I take privacy seriously) was a single mum with two kids. She is lovely and successful she earns a really good income and owns a home plus an investment property. But she had had her mortgage structured very badly which was costing her cash every week, over time this issue multiplied and had caused her to get into some unsecured debt. Her situation was starting to get worse month by month.
Adelaide was running a busy household and feeling somewhat out of control but she unsure where to start to fix it. When we got on the scene we restructured her existing lending onto lower rates, moved the payment dates around so it worked for her personal situation, then consolidated her extra debts onto a short term mortgage. By doing this she was able to smash down her short term debt.
We were able to collaborate, I provided an outside expert opinion and then worked to fix everything up so within 6 months she was back on track. What was extra special for me to watch was after 12 months she had built up a financial buffer and was able to take her kids on a family holiday – which I love. Overseas holidays are motivating to me, I have travelled through India. I did the Rickshaw Run fundraising for charity, we covered 3,300 km, raising money for Mental Health NZ. As well as a great holiday I always find travel is an investment in yourself. I came back from that trip motivated by realising (yet again) how good I have it compared to some others, which translates to me grabbing hold of and running with the opportunities we have in New Zealand.
Do you want a motivated professional to help you build wealth, negotiate rates, and set up your mortgage to help you succeed? If so I would love the opportunity to help you grow wealth confidently with a plan, whether it be your first home or your 10th. Get in touch today.
