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Lenders use two factors to gauge your capability to service a mortgage.
Jumping into a mortgage can be the biggest financial decision you’ll make in your life – and it can be one of the trickiest to navigate.
There’s a vast array of mortgage lenders and loans available, each with different loan conditions and varied choices, and sometimes hidden fees and added costs.
Katrina Rowlands, managing director at Mortgage Success, said the business has developed an individualised service that capitalises on the team’s experience and industry knowledge to provide the best choices and outcomes for clients.
With access to over 65 lenders and hundreds of loan products, Mortgage Success provides a premium service that has the capacity to identify the right alternatives to assist a borrower if they are buying, refinancing, investing or looking to pay their loan off earlier.
“Through our award-winning team at Mortgage Success, the process of finding the premium home loan choices to suit your needs should not be a daunting experience – my team collectively has an outstanding depth of knowledge and works for your individual success and freedom of choice,” Ms Rowlands said.
With decades of experience, the team at Mortgage Success recognise the importance of their role in the local market and beyond.
“Our clients have goals and we work together to help them achieve them,” she said. “We provide our clients with written comparisons for different loan types and products from different lenders to enable them to make informed choices about the loans that are available.”
One of the biggest mistakes commonly made when applying for a home loan is not being honest with household incomes and expenses.
“Lenders use these two factors to gauge your capability to service a mortgage,” Ms Rowlands said. “The big picture is that lenders share data with banks, mortgage insurers, and other institutions to prevent fraud. In short, there is no way that you can outsmart your lenders. Integrity of process and correct interpretation of your information is crucial.”
Another side to the borrowing process that many first time lenders tend to overlook is that applying to multiple lenders does affect your credit file. Making a good first application also saves a lot of stress as does having a champion on your side to navigate the process.
Whether you’re looking to enter the property market as a first home buyer, purchasing an investment property, refinancing or renovating it pays dividends to work with a reputable and trusted broker.
Phone 4222 2222, email reception@mortgagesuccess.com.au or head to mortgagesuccess.com.au
RMB Lawyers is one of the largest regional-based law firms in NSW and has the size, strength and experience to handle any legal matter.
The company assists clients around NSW and across Australia, while retaining a strong focus in the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands, Macarthur and Goulburn Mulwaree areas.
Offering a comprehensive range of personal and business-based legal services, with specialist lawyers providing expert advice in:
Conveyancing and Property Development
Wills and Estates
Family and Personal Law
Compensation Law
Criminal and Traffic Law
Commercial Transactions
Dispute Resolution
Court Work
When you need a law firm you can trust RMB’s team of lawyers to put you first and strive to resolve your matter.
“Our team members go above and beyond what you would expect for any form of service provider working night and day and weekends, constantly meeting deadlines and caring for our people very much along the way,” managing partner Craig Osborne said.
“We are proud of winning the Illawarra Business Awards on three occasions against all other Illawarra businesses in the Customer Service category.
“For the past 16 years plus we have asked our clients to score our performance and our score is currently sitting at nine out of 10 and has been for a number of years.
“It is our 90 plus staff that makes our business special along with our long-term relationships with our customers – many of whom tell us that they are our customers for life.
“I think people should take our customers’ word for why they do business with us but we do have a track record working in regional NSW and beyond for 136 years.
“We continue to grow at a rapid pace which is an indicator that more customers ask us to do their work and like the way that we do it.”
Over the past 16 years RMB has moved from one office to 16 offices, a testament to their expansion.
“Our greatest success is the fact that we live and work in regional Australia and that we strive to be a leader and active participant in all aspects of community life – to build strength, capability and resilience in the communities we serve,” he said.
“We have talented team members who undergo ongoing training in all aspects of law and business and our people understand what it is like to live and do business in regional Australia.
“To that end we are deeply embedded in the communities we serve, and we understand what local people and businesses are going through in their daily lives.”
Located at Level 3, 110-114 Crown St, Wollongong. Phone 4228 8288, freecall on 1800 681 211 or go to rmblawyers.com.au
The grounds of Lakeside Memorial Park feature a peaceful, open and natural setting that are maintained throughout the year by their team of qualified and experienced grounds staff.
First opened in 1963 with the first burial taking place in 1964 and the Crematorium opening in 1980, Lakeside Memorial Park is a premier provider of burial and cremation memorial spaces in Wollongong and the Illawarra region.
Lakeside has lawn and headstone burials, cultural options including crypts and mausoleums, a veteran memorial area and a wide range of commemorative plaques to choose from.
They also have the Illawarra’s largest selection of cremation memorial options such as with bush rock or granite.
It is a fresh flower only and a no-ornamentation memorial park.
“Moving forward after the lockdowns and COVID-19 we are opening up again to the community with a Christmas Service to be held on December 13, 2022 and the return of our All Souls Day Mass and Remembrance Day in 2023,” said Shirley Wilson, the parks and garden manager of Lakeside Memorial Park.
A Christmas Service is to be held on December 13.
A proud member of InvoCare, they operate with the highest degree of integrity, responsibility and fair dealing.
“We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards in our dealings with our client families, the community and the services we provide,” Shirley said.
“Our Lakeside Chapel is perfect for holding funeral services, as it is fully equipped with audio-visual technology. We can also arrange for the funeral to be recorded so that the service can be shared with family and friends. The chapel comes with an electric organ too.
“With seating for 120 guests and standing room for many more, the Lakeside Chapel can also be expanded by opening up the doors to the portico, providing overflow for guests.
“Funeral webcasting is available at all our chapels where the funeral service is live-streamed.”
Prepaying a funeral is also an option to consider. A prepaid memorial ensures that your specific instructions will be carried out and relieves loved ones from making such a personal and financial decision at what can be a very emotional time.
Speak to the friendly staff for more information.
Today, Lakeside Memorial Park is a proudly Australian operated business that is committed to serving all of the people and faiths of Wollongong and the greater Illawarra region.
Located near the junction of the M1 Motorway and Kanahooka Road. Phone 4261 1200 or see lakesidecrem.com.au for details.
While the Illawarra has fairly recent business activity in the timeline of many international businesses, there are local businesses that top many decades in business, some well over a hundred years.
Wollongong City Libraries holds more than 50,000 published and original resources in the Local Studies collection.
They document every aspect of the Illawarra’s history.
Some of their records show the early establishment of businesses still in operation today:
The collection includes company and community group records, minute books, Illawarra images, books, reports, magazines, newsletters, newspapers, manuscripts, maps, electoral rolls and registers and census records as well as business and trade directories.
In the early 1800s trade directories were similar to telephone books with lists arranged by trade name and surname.
The Wollongong City Libraries’ collection includes:
Explore the Illawarra, its people, history and environment through their Local Studies collection, located on Level 1 of Wollongong Library.
A variety of digital resources may also be accessed via the libraries online catalogue, including over 39,000 images and 1300 maps.
You can explore the Illawarra, its people, history and environment through their Local Studies collection on Level 1.
The library welcomes donations of historical and contemporary material that help tell the story of the Illawarra – this includes any of the item types listed above.
They have trained and experienced staff to help you with enquiries in-person, via phone on 4227 7414 or by email at localhistory@wollongong.nsw.gov.au
Contact the friendly team and find out more about the history of businessses in the Wollongong region, especially the original ones.
Did you know: The Illawarra Mercury is one of the oldest newspapers in Australia, publishing from 1855 with daily publication commencing in 1949.
From a sprawling farmland featuring dairy cows, sheep, llamas, goats, pigs, chickens, ducks and more to NSW’s largest family owned and operated water theme park, what a remarkable tapestry has been woven at Jamberoo Action Park!
Australiana abounds…where you control the action, with rides and attractions featuring many of our most notorious creatures and features.
And now, new and ready for this summer is the parks’ most exciting thrill ride precinct so far: Velocity Falls! Modelled on the surrounding Illawarra escarpment, Velocity Falls is the newest, largest and singularly most dynamic combination of water thrill rides in Australia.
Featuring eight lanes of timed, head to head racing with Octo Racer and two individual and very different skybox drops with The Stinger, Jamberoo Action Park continues to offer a thrill for everyone.
*The Perfect Storm – three tornados, thunder, lightning – one of the tallest, longest, most exciting water rides in the world.
*The Funnel Web – taunt the spider’s giant fangs at speeds up to 30km/h – this is a GUINNESS WORLD RECORD holder!
*The Taipan – drop into the darkness of the belly of the beast.
*Banjo’s Billabong – the largest aqua play structure built in the southern hemisphere with over 200 water cannons and six water slides.
*Outback Bay – one of the largest wave pools in NSW, sets of waves every 15 minutes and the venue for Dive In Movies through summer.
*Billabong Beach – let mum and dad relax while the little ones gallivant around in shallow pools with mini water slides and water jets.
*The Rock – a beautiful stage is set to challenge your fears…work your way up to the five metre drop!
*Surf Hill – a speed slide with an 18m drop and wave like rollers, race your friends in eight lanes of action.
*Rapid River – riders on rubber rafts travel the river’s course meeting bucking rapids, cascading waterfalls and travelling through caves.
*The Chairlift – the first ever installation at Jamberoo and still popular, offering remarkable views.
*The Bobsled – choose from one of two tracks, control your own speed and ride tandem with the young ones.
Jamberoo is great for families, with plenty of places to set up or get a meal. You can even bring your own shelters and food if you wish.
Admission to the park covers all rides and attractions. Parking is free and a ticket to Jamberoo is a great gift idea for anyone looking to create a meaningful and memorable impression.
Now in its 42nd year of operation, Jamberoo Action Park has plans well into the future. Find out more and get tickets at jamberoo.net
