While records were tumbling at the Tokyo Olympics back in August, Dilip John – one of Aussie Home Loans’ newest franchisees – was notching up a very different record, settling over $66m in loans in just his first seven months.
John is no stranger to the Aussie Home Loans business model. He started as an Aussie mobile broker in 2010 and five years later stepped up to become a senior Aussie broker operating out of an Aussie store in Melbourne’s northeast.
By 2020, John was ready to back himself and invest in an Aussie franchise of his own.
Undeterred by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, he moved forward with his plan.
“I felt that buying a franchise would open opportunities for me and create the potential for expansion,” says John.
The highly experienced broker opened the doors to Aussie Heidelberg, 15km northeast of the Melbourne CBD, late last year. With many new territories for stores available across Victoria, he settled on Heidelberg because he knows the area well, and it’s close to his home.
As John notes, he was probably one of the few people brave enough to open a business in an exceptionally uncertain year, but he has no regrets.
“It was a good decision,” he says. “Since we opened, business has really forged ahead.”
Aussie Heidelberg already employs two brokers and two assistants, and John is looking to add more brokers to his busy team.
What’s especially remarkable about John’s journey as a franchisee is his outstanding success. Aussie Heidelberg’s $66m in home loans in just seven months smashed previous records for new Aussie store settlements.
John is understated about his success. He attributes his record level of settlements to “having good clients”, backed by his high level of community engagement.
Being a franchise owner brings a new set of responsibilities, he says. As well as helping his own clients achieve their homeownership goals, he manages the office and his team. But he believes the rewards are there.
“For store brokers who are comfortable taking on the additional responsibility, there are definitely more rewards in being a franchisee. Plus I get to work with more brokers – there are more people to interact with, and that’s the part I really enjoy,” John says.
He describes himself as an experienced mortgage broker “with a passion for achieving the best financial outcomes for my clients”.
After completing his Master of Business Administration and discovering that he had a sharp eye for numbers, John entered the accounting field and practised as an accountant for several years.
“My passion for helping people at pivotal points in their lives eventually led to a career in mortgage broking,” he says. “Working with individuals and families to organise their fi nances is therefore very important to me.
“My goal is to assist clients to reach their best financial potential, helping them with wealth creation and the reduction of debt, and to obtain suitable deals for house purchases.”
John has a wide range of expertise in different areas of lending, including first home buyers, refinancing, property investment, family guarantor home loans, deposit bonds, bridging loans, and commercial and construction loans.
He services Heidelberg, Rosanna, Macleod, Eaglemont, Ivanhoe, Bulleen, Greensborough and surrounding suburbs.
