Self-employed Damien refinanced his loan

Damien Reilly is not your average UNO Home Loans customer. He’s not your average real-estate refinancer, either. Sydney-born Damien has taken his lifelong passion for music and technology and found professional success internationally – he is founder and CEO of New York-based Blue Pie Productions, which publishes music and protects artists’ copyright. He also runs DJ Central, a global dance music television show. Both his production company and TV program help independent labels and artists from across the world achieve wider exposure for their music. But back in Sydney earlier this year, Damien faced the music over his pressing property issues. As anyone building a company knows, things can often be tricky financially – especially in a cyclical business such as music publishing. It often means spending part of the year living on scraps – and having the odd scrap as well. Damien admits he found himself with money issues following the Global Financial Crisis in 2008. They were difficult times for his business, with some of his customers not able to pay their bills, and he says this put his credit rating at risk. How much can I save by refinancing?Use UNO's calculator to estimate your savings. Calculate SavingsHaving a poor credit record in business can make it difficult when you’re looking for finance, let alone a home mortgage. “It’s a challenge to find someone that will listen to you,” he says. Damien’s difficulties left him with an unfavourable deal on his mortgage. At one stage he was paying 9 per cent on his loan, then he refinanced and the interest charges dropped – but only slightly – to “8-point something”. So when he was looking to relocate his Australian business headquarters, moving from the city to Moss Vale in the NSW Southern Highlands, it seemed like a good time to refinance the loan on his place in nearby Bundanoon. “My house is old and needs a bit of work, but we’ve got an acre of developed grounds,” he says. “It’s in a really nice area.”

How UNO helped

Given his history with the banks, Damien looked further afield for refinancing options and came across UNO. “Phillip at UNO was amazing,” Damien says. “I’ve never had an experience like that with a lender ever. He rings me up. He tells me what’s going on. He manages everything. “I’ve never in 30 years of business experienced someone like that who genuinely cares.” Given his experience, Damien believes UNO fills a void in the marketplace. “I’ve been blown away by the caring of the company because it’s an emotional journey buying a house,” he says. “The average person out there, they shit themselves at this process. They do. Because I’ve seen it. We’ve all got friends that go, “Oh no, I don’t understand it”. And their brains shut down.” Phillip took great care managing his refinancing journey, Damien says. He describes one encounter while they were both working out the best approach to take … Phillip: Damien, hi, how are you? Damien: Oh, Phillip, it’s so good to hear from you. Phillip: You know, I was drinking my wine last night, and I thought we could do a better deal. Damien: Really? Phillip: Yeah, I think what we’re going to do is this. And I was thinking of you. “Now, after the first call, I told my wife [about UNO] and she goes, “Oh, they’re all full of sh*t”. I said, “No, this guy’s really different.” And then when she spoke to him, all right, from God to my lips, she said, “That guy really cares”. And I went, “I know. Imagine if the banks cared.” Here are other UNO customers who have the benefit of working with Phillip. With Phillip’s help, Damien ended up getting a loan from non-bank specialist lender RedZed. He’s happy with the deal, and he’s pleased to spread the word about UNO. “UNO is a unique business,” he says. “It’s very rare – that very caring approach. “UNO’s going to be a force to reckoned with.” Take 30 seconds to calculate how much you could save by refinancing your home loanhere.Book a call in with UNO

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TESTIMONIALS

What our customers are saying

Gabe Windsor
October 26, 2023
What a fantastic experience using UNO Home Loans. Mike Parsons and the team were exceptional. Such an easy, hassle free experience, cannot recommend them highly enough. Mike Parsons was in touch every step of the way, and with him doing all the leg work, the transition to a refinanced home loan was a very easy one. Thank you!
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Laurisa Sticotti
July 1, 2023
Scott Wilkinson has been fantastic when dealing with my broking needs. He has held my hand through every step of the way and has made purchasing my first home a much more comfortable experience than I anticipated.
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Thusi Gamage
July 1, 2023
Awesome team, Very reliable and friendly. Scott Wilkinson is very experienced and knowledgeable.He guided us throughout the process and was available to help.
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Omar Zazou
June 1, 2023
I have worked with Scott Wilkinson to get my home loan and he has been a massive help to navigate my first home purchase. He has taken care of all the financial details and I didn't need to worry about anything. Highly recommend him for his professionalism, patience and support!
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Kelly O'Connor
June 1, 2023
You won’t find any broker better than Anita at UNO. We’ve told all our friends and family about her and will be using her for all our mortgages in the future! A stress free process from the start. She listened to our needs and was always available.
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Ashley Morson
We are truly grateful for uno home loans and our broker Karis Churchill. This is our second time purchasing a home with the help from Uno and both times have been a very positive experience. Our recent purchase had many obstacles due to different factors however it was our dream home and we were up for the challenge. Our broker Karis was a true support and went above and beyond. She communicated so well with our solicitor and the real estate agents. She kept us updated through every step and kept us motivated when things seemed impossible. Uno is very fortunate to have Karis as a broker and we would highly recommend her to anyone. Our family are so happy we are now in our new forever home. Thank you so much Karis and to the uno team!!!
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Ebubekir Demir
Thank you Eren for your quick and efficient turn around time to getting an approval for a loan. Will be recommending you to anyone that needs a quick and reliable loan.
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