A non-major lender has launched a new consumer website which they say will leave brokers more time to add value in conversations with clients.
The new website, HomeHero.com.au, is an initiative by St.George Bank aimed at educating consumers and helping to make it as easy as possible for buyers to feel empowered and in control of their home buying journey.
The idea came about after new research by St.George Bank revealed that over half (57%) of home buyers said they’d be more confident about securing a home if there was an easier and simpler way to evaluate and compare properties for sale.
Clive Kirkpatrick, general manager of broking for St.George, told
Australian Broker that brokers, too, can be making the most of tools like this.
“We created HomeHero to provide more education to help potential consumers be more prepared when making decisions about purchasing a home. We want to take some of the anxiety out of getting ready to buy.
“But brokers can also be taking advantage of tools like this. What we are hoping the flow on will be for a broker is that a customer will be better prepared for the discussion. If the customer understands what they are looking for and what capacity they have, then it allows the broker more time to actually add value in the conversation around different features of the products they may need.
“We are hoping the bottom line will be a more efficient conversation from the broker’s point of view, because the customer will come in better prepared.”
Kirkpatrick also said they hope brokers will add tools like this to their suite of services offered to clients.
“We are hoping if they can send this out as part of their pre-meeting checklist then the customer will feel better prepared when they come and meet with the broker and then the broker can provide a better service.
“Using the website is free so it is about trying to educate customers, not trying to push a product. Once the customer gets there, we hope they will find that a St George product will be the right fit for them, but we know that’s not always the case. We just want to provide this type of service to help facilitate and reduce the anxiety in the whole decision making process," he told
Australian Broker.
