The Wendy Higgins Team
Wendy joined Mortgage Choice in February 1998, after a long and successful career spanning over 24 years with the ANZ Bank. Wendy wanted a new challenge and joining Mortgage Choice was a logical decision, as her great love was providing her customers with sound advice about how to pay their home loan off quicker. The greatest reward for Wendy since joining Mortgage Choice has been the many referrals she has received from her existing clients.
A member of the Holdfast Bay Chamber of Commerce, Wendy has embroiled herself in the activities and happenings of the region she and her staff represent. Testimonial to all the awards she and her staff have received is the dedication given based on local, professional knowledge. This acknowledgement has not only been recognised by the local community but by the Franchise Council of Australia.
Extract from a News Release
LOCAL HOME LOAN SPECIALIST SCOOPS MAJOR INDUSTRY AWARD
Local businesswoman Wendy Higgins has added yet another industry award to her name, proving herself time and again as one of the State's most successful mortgage brokers.
According to Mrs Higgins a passion for helping customers find the right loan to suit their circumstances reeds to be at the top of any mortgage broker's list of credentials.
In September 2002 and again in August 2003, she was awarded the Australian Mortgage Awards Sales Person of the year (in a retail or franchise operation), her 7th and 9th award since joining Australia's largest mortgage broker, Mortgage Choice, in February 1998.
In 2001 I was awarded South Australian Franchisee of The Year award by the Franchise Council of Australia, and to be even nominated for Industry awards let alone winning it, was a fantastic result for my team and the company as a whole," Mrs Higgins said today.
I have also won a number of awards from Mortgage Choice, including the Mortgage Choice SA Franchisee of the Year and National Franchisee of the Year two years in a row, but winning awards outside of the company is just further recognition of my team's success."
Since Mrs Higgins bought her first franchise in 1998 she has helped more than 4500 South Australian families find the right home loan for their needs to the value of $670m.
Buying a second Mortgage Choice franchise in 2001 and a third in October 2002 and increasing her team to 6 loan consultants, she said the secret of her success was in the level of service they provide.
"My staff and I always try to exceed our customers expectations, and our business has grown through the amount of referrals we receive from our satisfied customers."
First Home Saver Accounts – the new Government initiative to help you save
To help first home buyers on to the property ladder, the Government is set to launch its brand new First Home Saver Accounts scheme on 1 October 2008. By opening a FHSA account, you can boost your savings through tax concessions and Government contributions. This savings initiative promises to deliver higher returns than conventional savings accounts.
Saving up for the deposit to buy a first home is becoming increasingly challenging and is not helped by the fact that Australia is now one of the least affordable housing markets in the world. First time buyers are faced with sky rocketing rents, interest rate rises and the increasing costs of day-to-day living, all of which make putting aside money each month extremely tough.
By following a few other simple steps, you can help cut the length of time it will take you to save up that deposit and achieve your goal of becoming a first home owner.
Mortgage Choice recommends the following tips to help you save those dollars
Keep your savings out of harms way. Set up a regular automatic transfer into a separate savings account to remove any temptation to spend it.
Stop needlessly spending money. Keep a diary of all the little things you buy each day (e.g. a latte, a bottle of water) to bring home how these costs can add up and eat into your budget. Use the Mortgage Choice Spendtracker to help you stick to your budget.
Only spend what you can afford. Leave your credit cards at home, only pay by debit or cash and only visit the ATM once a week.
Appreciate the true value of money. Each time you want to buy something, consider how many hours you would have to work to pay for it. For example, it would take someone on a salary of $50,000 nearly eight days to earn the money to buy a $1,300 flat screen television.
Shop smart. Plan your meals for the week on Sunday so you only buy exactly what you need, buy in bulk and switch to supermarket own brands where the quality matters less (e.g. flour, sugar).