Goonellabah local, Stephen has lived in the Northern Rivers for many years with his family. Stephen explained to us why he loves the region and what happened when he was competing with another party for a house.
“I moved up here in 1983 and we’ve had three children in this area,” Stephen says with pride.
As a Telstra communication technician who’s worked in the field for 44 years, Stephen would have seen more of what the Northern Rivers has to offer than most people do in a lifetime. It’s no surprise then that he has a great affinity with the area.
“We love this area; Goonellabah is a fantastic suburb to live in. I am a fifth generation ‘Lismorer’. My parents lived in James Street and my Mum was previously out on Dunoon Road, where she was the daughter of a Dairy Farmer.
“Here we are 30 minutes from the ocean and 30 minutes from the nightcap. 2 hours from Brisbane, with 3 airports very close. It’s got a great hospital, a great uni, good swimming pools, 40 coffee shops; it’s got everything.”
With all these fantastic facilities and a great geographic location, Stephen added that the weather and lush environment also contributes to the Northern Rivers being one of the most attractive places to live in Australia.
“This area is water rich, there’s good rainfall and everything is so green. When you drive away from here you see dry grass and drought and you think, ‘wow, I am so glad where I live’.
Recently, Stephen was frantically looking to secure a loan for his son, as he was in direct competition with another party for a house. With his Home Loan Specialist, Jill, Stephen was able to secure the finance he needed within 24 hours.
“[Securing the loan within 24 hours] enabled us to get everything organised and win the house by 3 hours from the competitor. We wouldn’t have done this if it wasn’t such a quick turnaround.”
With the handling of his loan, Stephen states that dealing with his Banking Specialist, Jill, was very easy to work with.
“Jill would just give me a call, send me an SMS or I would just pop in to the branch to answer any questions [she had about the loan application]. Jill was always available and there was no real waiting. We both got the information….and bang.
“She made the experience seamless, quick and at no stage felt like I was being pressured. Jill made it comfortable for me as she knew what she was talking about.”
