Navigating your way through financial matters can be complicated but Astute in Kiama is set up to help people get full value in a wide range of areas.

Astute offers services from lending to insurance and financial advice.

They can help with all types of loans by getting to know the client’s financial situation, then applying their years of industry knowledge to provide you with the loan that’s best suited for you, not necessarily the one with the lowest interest rate.

Astute recently opened a new locally owned and operated office on Terralong Street operated by Brent Rollings, his wife Kathryn and their son Harry.

Brent started his career with 25 years in corporate IT before moving into the financial services industry a decade ago when his family moved to Kiama.

He started with a business in Camden while also operating in Shellharbour before recently deciding to set up shop in Kiama.

“We’ve got a really well-established client base. It’s a mix of locals, as well as clients from all over the country.

“We’ve built the business based on strong referrals. We haven’t advertised a lot. It’s just been a lot of word of mouth.”

Property is a perennial hot topic in Kiama and Brent said they can help people who are starting out or more experienced owners who are looking for a change.

“If you’re a first homebuyer who has no idea how to enter the market and buy property, we can guide them through the finance and the whole purchasing process,” he said.

“We also help people wanting to refinance or review their current home loan to make sure they’re getting a great deal.

“For those wanting to build more equity or if you’ve got an investment strategy, trying to build a property portfolio, we’re here to help.

“Additionally, we have an equipment finance and asset side of the business, where we can help businesses buying vehicles or plant machinery. We can even take care of your insurances for you – whether you are a business or just looking to insure your home or vehicles.

It can be daunting in a place like Kiama where real estate prices are constantly rising but it’s not impossible.

“There is s quite a bit of complexity around the schemes for first home buyers. You can easily get lost in it without guidance,” Brent added.

“Ultimately, our job is to try and get the best outcome we can for our clients. And that is whether we’re looking for the most competitive interest rate in the market or looking at the different policies that lenders have around what they will and won’t do.

“And that can result in massive variances in what you can actually borrow.

“The government has just reviewed the first-home buyer scheme so they’ve made it far more accessible to a lot of people. And I feel like that will drive even more interest in the property market.

“We already live in one of the most desirable locations in Australia that has had significant property growth associated with it.

“But there’s incentives around these schemes and the narrative is that we may see some further interest rate cuts over the next three to six to 12 months.

“The other night we had an interview with some first-home buyers and they wanted to buy in Kiama. And by the time we got to the end of the conversation, they thought maybe we cannot buy in Kiama, but maybe we can look at Albion Park or Dapto or further down the coast.

“You just need to work out what is achievable.”

Brent said they are transparent about the process - “if you want the best interest rate we can find, this is where you will land but it may not be the best option when you factor everything in.

“People can jump online and do their own research but we see it a lot - they don’t see the hidden costs or banks will decline them and it would never have been an

application that we would have submitted.

“We have a really high success rate of approval because we don’t want to submit an application unless we are confident we will get the approval.

“Ultimately, it’s up to the client, but typically we will come up with four options for them to choose from.”

And once your deal is done, Astute keep in touch to ensure the client is staying on track.

“Where we really add value to our clients – is that we stay in touch. We are not just here to get a loan established. We are looking to build long-term relationships with clients.

“We are always checking in - every 6-12 months in more detail, we’ll do a rate review or a home loan health check.”

And the best aspect for the borrower is that there is no upfront cost - the lenders pay Astute for their services.

Please note - this is paid content