Shannon and Simon can pay for renos by switching to a better rate – with the help of loanScore

UNO home loans

The Block winners Shannon and Simon Vos know a great deal about homes and renovating but admitted they weren’t so savvy when it came to home loans.

Brothers Shannon and Simon Vos won season nine of popular renovation show The Block:Glasshouse back in 2014. While the two know a great deal about homes and renovating, they recently admitted they weren’t so savvy when it came to home loans. (In case you missed their insta story and Facebook video about this, we’ve included them below). The painter (Shannon) and plumber (Simon) recently checked their home loan rates in Australia using UNO’s loanScoreTM tool and found the results pretty surprising. With Shannon moving into a new home, he has big plans to renovate. But as anyone who’s renovated their home before knows, the process can be time-consuming and extremely costly. “I hope you have an absolute mint of savings tucked away, cause renovating ain’t cheap,” his brother Simon quipped. Shannon, like 89% of homeowners, didn’t know the rate on his home loan. When he checked it using UNO’s loanScore tool, he found out that he was actually eligible for a better rate. The money he could save by refinancing could even be put towards his renovations. “I know you’re renovating your home, but you need to renovate your home loan before you start to make sure you’re getting the best deal possible,” said Shannon. We couldn’t have put it better ourselves. When you let us know your current home loan rate and details about your loan, loanScore gives you a score out of 100 to indicate how good your current loan is. The higher the score, the better your loan is. If you get a low score, UNO will search for better loans and can show you your potential net savings over 3 years if you choose to switch.

As an Active Home Loan Manager, UNO:

helps you find the right home loan for your situation
monitors your existing loan and let you know whether it’s still the best loan available to you (even if you didn’t get it through us)
helps you renegotiate with your current bank or lender, if your current loan is no good
helps you switch banks, if your current bank or lender won’t come to the party Check out UNO’s loanScore tool to see if you could be getting a better rate – and could be saving money you could be putting towards something else – like renovations. Book a call in with UNO

5 stars for our service reviews from clients

Book Call Now

UNO home loans

Try Plans, by UNO

Mortgage calculators completely reimagined

Get Started

Considering a purchase or refinance?

Try Plans by UNO

Mortgage calculators completely reimagined

Get Started

☎️ 🚫 No cold call promise

SMSF Loans: How to Use Your Super to Invest in Property

If you’re looking to take control of your superannuation and invest in property, Self Managed Super Funds (SMSFs) might be the perfect vehicle. SMSF loans enable you to leverage your super balance to purchase property, but they come with specific rules and considerations. Financial expert Werner Jansen from Financial Purpose recently shared his insights on the UNO Home Loans podcast. Let’s explore what you need to know about SMSF loans and how to get started.

Rental Yield: Everything you need to know in one article

Learn what it is, how to calculate it why it matters, what good looks like and how to improve it (and what you can't do!)

Stamp Duty

You’ve no doubt heard of stamp duty – but how much is it going to cost you? We’ve compiled a comprehensive list of answers to your stamp duty questions.

TESTIMONIALS

What our customers are saying

Philip Smith

December 20, 2024

Mike Parsons provided my wife and I outstanding service for our home loan. I have never dealt with someone who is so helpful and goes the extra mile and provides such excellent service the way Mike did. Highly recommend Mike as your broker for all investment/home loans you won’t be disappointed.

Neil Venkataramiah

December 20, 2024

Mike Parsons: Working with Mike was amazing. My wife and I were a couple from Sydney that had a 7 year stint overseas. On moving back, our loan had gone from Interest Only to Principal and Interest. The challenge: to get 2 recently re-patriated Aussies on an Interest Only loan. With only 1 year of Oz financials. And with income from an overseas company. We had equity in our property, but the ability to service was the issue. A very tough brief. Step in Mike. He contacted all his lenders, knowing that this was a unique situation. He never let up and followed through with calls and whatsapps at every stage of the process. We simply could not have got our Interest Only loan if it wasn’t for Mike. I highly recommend Mike for any loan or re-finance that you’re looking at. His attention to detail and ability to find creative solutions is second to none. And most importantly - he's a good guy that will guide you through the whole process in what can be a stressful time. Steph and Neil

Stéphane Aumont

December 19, 2024

Highly recommend Mike - great service, very responsive and helped us through the whole process from product selection, approval all the way to settlement. Mike is supported by a great team at UNO

Gemma Smith

December 19, 2024

Mike Parsons was truly amazing when he organized our home loan. He offered service that far exceeded my expectations. He was on top of everything and was very organised. He has a true “do it now” attitude and ensured everything ran smoothly. He went above and beyond to make sure everything was in place. He was always contactable (even when he was on holidays!). Keeping us up to date at every step and his communication was great! Would VERY HIGHLY RECOMMEND Mike!

David Thorn

December 17, 2024

I had a fantastic experience with UNO Home Loans. I want to personally recognise the work of Mike Parsons from UNO. Mike went above and beyond in helping me navigate and select a lender his attention to detail, knowledge of the Market, Excellent Communication skills matched by a patient and friendly personality made the whole process simple and painless. Thanks Mike and thanks UNO

Kathryn Cretney

November 14, 2024

Paul helped us from day one before we even arrived in Australia so we knew exactly what we needed to prepare. He’s got a tonne of knowledge and was really lovely and supportive to deal with. Helpful and easy going. Would highly recommend - now in our first Aussie home and Paul made the process all very easy!

Sean O'Neill

November 14, 2024

We received excellent service and a tailored solution to our home loan requirements from Uno. Paul kept us informed at all milestone stages and throughout the process he demonstrated a ‘can do’ attitude that ultimately allowed us to get over the line and meet our deadline. We’re most grateful and very impressed. Highly recommend

Crush Huston

November 8, 2024

Paul is an amazing broker. Communicative, responsive and knows his stuff! Highly recommend

Amanda Pearce

November 7, 2024

After just four months in Australia, our New Zealand home sold, prompting us to stop renting and invest locally. We found Paul through a Kiwi Facebook group, and his exceptional service exceeded our expectations. From initial contact, Paul provided clear explanations, friendly communication, and prompt responses to our queries, making our mortgage process remarkably smooth. We highly recommend him.

Dom Saric

November 3, 2024

Mike Parsons went above and beyond to ensure that our refinancing journey was painless and successful. He was communicative, accessible (even working while on holidays!), and his knowledge of the systems at play meant that he picked up on things that other brokers missed. Would 100% recommend Mike, and will definitely be back next time we need a broker.

Ashleigh Breaden

October 31, 2024

Mike Parsons handled our refinance of our home loan with ease and a depth of knowledge that ensured we got the best deal possible for our situation. We didn't have an easy one to solve for with my husband being self employed and we were consolidating finances as well for a car loan. But Mike handled it all for us and once we had provided him with all the documents we literally didn't have to do a thing after that, it was so easy and so quick we are super happy with the experience! Top notch! Highly recommend!!

Kyle Richards

October 10, 2024

Absolute legend, helped me through the first home buyers scheme, explained everything in a way that made sense, was very knowledgeable and a joy to work with.

Shannon and Simon can pay for renos by switching to a better rate – with the help of loanScore

As an Active Home Loan Manager, UNO:

UNO home loans

Try Plans by UNO

Related Articles

SMSF Loans: How to Use Your Super to Invest in Property

Rental Yield: Everything you need to know in one article

Stamp Duty

What our customers are saying