RICHARD WEST possibly the fastest broker in the world! He’s travelled at twice the speed of sound and visited more countries than you could poke a plane ticket at, so you could describe Richard West as a bit of a Superman! Or at least in the mortgage broking business! In today’s highly competitive mortgage market it makes more sense than ever to use a mortgage broker. Why limit yourself to the offerings of just one institution when you can have access to all available offers, for free! When Richard boarded a Greyhound bus in the US at the tender age of 18, he didn’t know what adventures lay ahead. He just knew he wanted to travel. And when he returned to the UK from that bus tour of the USA, Canada and Mexico, his passion for travel was even stronger, pushing him to seek career with opportunities to work overseas. “Within weeks I landed a job at Citibank in London working in corporate operations. Twenty-five years later I still worked for them. But during this period I had permanent postings to Italy, Saudi Arabia and Greece. “Much of my career was spent in Audit, Compliance and Risk Assessment roles. The nature of my work allowed business travel to Switzerland, France, Germany, Denmark, Nigeria, South Africa, Malaysia, UAE, Bahrain and the USA.” Pretty impressive, you might say, but his passion for travel was still not sated - instead it was fuelled! “At every opportunity I also took vacations in countries I hadn’t visited. I think the list to date covers over 55 countries and the bucket list is still growing.” Richard began mortgage broking in 2004 and decided to launch Top Ten Home Loans early in 2014. As if that wasn’t enough, he also managed to complete a degree, a diploma and held two overseas positions - China and PNG - in that time. “Mortgage broking is about knowledge, experience and systems but equally important is communication. One or two of these components are often offered as customer highlights but I believe all four are absolutely essential,” Richard said. “Understanding a customer’s goals and specific needs is the foundation to find a client the right solution with the right products, features and services that support their objectives. “Most finance brokers provide diverse services that not only support owner-occupiers and investors but also support those clients that need commercial and asset finance solutions. “In today’s world of shopping for the best deal it makes sense to use a broker. A bank offers customers solutions within the boundaries and limitations of that organisation. But the better deal may come from the bank down the road, a non-bank lender or even an international bank with an Australian presence. As a broker, my job is search out the best deal available.” Top Ten Home Loans charge no service fee, because they are paid by the banks. And that rule applies even if the client doesn’t proceed with the loan.
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