Relationship focus drives mortgage advisor’s approach

Barwon Mortgages is led by mortgage advisor and local mum, Sarah Daly.

With extensive experience in lending and finance management roles at Australia’s major banks, Sarah began Barwon Mortgages in 2020 with one clear principle: creating a personal connection with each client ensures a deeper understanding of their needs, resulting in achieving the best possible home loan option for their circumstance.

While starting a mortgage business in a pandemic took a leap of faith, Sarah was determined that she could assist people to navigate their home loan options in such an uncertain time.

“As it turned out, while a lot of people realised they needed more space to work from home, others had a really tough time and needed to refinance,” Sarah said.

“It was wonderful to be in a position to help people achieve the outcomes they needed.”

Sarah says Barwon Mortgages’ success over the past two years is demonstrated by the strong relationships and high level of trust that she has developed with her clients.

“My measure of success is not only their trust and happiness, but the fact that they refer me to their friends, or their sister, or their mum.

“We’re growing Barwon Mortgages largely through word of mouth, and that’s something I’m really proud of – it means I’m doing my job well.”

Sarah’s favourite recent success story was helping a client who thought they had no option but to sell their home.

With her help, they not only kept the house, but refinanced their loan and consolidated their debt, leading to a saving of more than $1,000 a month.

“That’s what I love about my job. I get to learn about people’s individual needs and then find the best home loan option for them personally.”

Barwon Mortgages is a woman-led organisation with three out of four team members being female.

Sarah says: “This International Women’s Day I am celebrating starting and running my own business. While it’s not always easy, I really encourage other women to give it a go. It’s important to nurture those interests and dreams, especially in traditionally male-orientated sectors like finance and mortgage broking”.

Sarah’s advice for women wanting to get involved in the finance industry is to “align yourself with people who inspire you, set personal and professional goals, review them regularly and be passionate about your clients’ financial goals”.

Barwon Mortgages offers specialised services for first home buyers, refinancing and property investment.

Learn more at barwonmortgages.com.au.