Getting involved and building trust with her regional community has been key for this broker, who joined the industry following a positive experience using a broker herself.
With an early interest in numbers, Western Australian broker Christine Dunkerton, Loan Market Busselton and Northam, worked for her accountant father after high school.
“I enjoyed seeing things balance and the end result of the completed tax return. Given his background and dabbling in real estate I was always asking questions and keen to take on projects etc.
“Years later I utilised the services of a mortgage broker personally when building our family home after being told by our current bank that we didn’t have capacity to borrow any additional funds – when I was fairly certain we did,” said Christine.
It was a casual comment from her broker that eventually turned into a new career as a broker herself.
“Through the application and settlement process, as a throwaway line, this broker told me if I ever wanted a job to let her know.
“We laughed about it until three years later. I was made redundant with my current employer, so I contacted her and asked her how serious she was,” explains Christine.
Christine’s mortgage broker went on to mentor her when she entered the industry back in 2015, with Christine stating how grateful she is to her for the opportunity.
“I do genuinely like to help people achieve their financial goals and the thrill of the approval is still certainly alive.
“I enjoy the education piece surrounding buying a home, especially for my first home buyers who are coming to me chasing direction,” she said.
Going the distance in regional broking
The distance and time involved in seeing clients costs Christine a few days out of the office each month, but she incorporates other activities around her travel and uses technology to connect with colleagues.
“I always incorporate trips with catch ups with my parents and girlfriends, so it’s something I actually really look forward to.
“Working as a solo broker it can feel like a bit of a lonely gig at times which is further amplified when working regionally as it’s an effort to catch up for a coffee with colleagues for example.
“But luckily my aggregator is really good at connecting us all on Zoom, and other various technologies, and we are so supportive of each other, so if I need to bounce a scenario off someone else, I know it’s only a quick call away,” she said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted ways of working which has meant that being a regional broker has had less of an impact on the service her business offers to valued clients, according to Christine.
She cites the ability to identify clients over other means of technology, such as IDYou, as an example.
When it comes to advice for brokers working in, or thinking of working in, regional areas, Christine is enthusiastic about getting involved with the community.
“Sponsor sporting clubs or donate your time and expertise on committees.
“Regional people are fantastic. They genuinely want to support local business and see you thrive, but they need to know what you have to offer, and you need to build that trust and network. Once you have a few positive experiences, it’ll spread like wildfire,” she said
Finding balance
Recently, Christine has made some changes to her business to ensure she has balance in her life.
“In the early days, the flexibility of broking was also good around the needs of my large family. However, as the years have gone by and my client (referrer) base has increased this is actually something I am trying to address at the moment as it can take over all facets of your life pretty quickly.
“As a result, I have just taken on a loan writer as well as a part-time client service manager as I’m desperate to get that balance back and be present with my friends and family again,” said Christine.
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