Home Loans

Mobile: 027 552 6020 Phone: 07 577 1209 Fax: 07 577 1208
Business address: Suite 3, 120 Eleventh Avenue, Tauranga / PO Box 348 Tauranga New Zealand
Trading entity: Chris Rapson Mortgages & Finance Ltd

35 years experience in the financial services industry has provided me with the skills and knowledge to ensure the home loan and investment loan services I offer are prompt and efficient. I have worked in Senior Management in New Zealand mainstream banks and have owned my own finance and mortgage brokering business for many years.

I like to build strong relationships with clients and assist them with information, guidance, and the right mortgage or funding solution for their circumstances. Assisting clients with management of their credit profile is now even more critical following the world-wide credit crisis, in order to give clients the best possible opportunities to create wealth and build from that base.  I always strive to ensure that financial packages I am involved in are fair to all parties and sustainable. I have clients throughout New Zealand and in many overseas countries.

Loans for all situations – big and small

I am very comfortable dealing with people from all walks of life. I enjoy working with any type of loan, from multi million dollar deals down to small personal loans. For me it is about building the relationship, doing the business to the best of my ability, keeping in touch with clients and as a result gaining their trust and confidence so much so that they refer new clients to me.

Home loans for NZ expats, foreign buyers and new immigrants

Expatriates and offshore customers are often referred to me because of my experience and through using the internet and email and all forms of modern business communication.

I also work with many recent immigrants to New Zealand who I enjoy helping to settle into their new surroundings. New immigrants to New Zealand often face the same confusion as a new home buyer. Many immigrants are surprised to learn that mortgage and lending processes are vastly different here to what happens overseas. New borrowers need to be confident that they are in experienced hands and that what they want to do is valid in the local context and culture. Having spent some years overseas myself and being exposed to different processes and lending cultures has provided me with skills that I am able to use to assist new immigrant clients. Connecting these new Kiwis with the right professionals is really satisfying.

First home buyers

First home buyers can often be confused and concerned at what should be a great event in their lives; there being a wide range of home loan options and confusing signals from all the lenders clamouring for their business. My job is to simplify the process, work through any issues, get the right home loan to meet the needs and take away any confusion. Many people are unaware that the services of a mortgage broker are free to the borrower for residential lending.

I know the lending process from beginning to end and explain it in simple terms to first home buyers early on in the process so they can focus on achieving that first step on the property ladder. I am also able to advise on the numerous ways of getting the required deposit together and how their deal will work best for them.

Refinancing loans

Clients wishing to refinance their mortgage from one lender to another are often unsure of how to go about the process and do not want to be embroiled in drawn out discussions with their current lender. We have a simple process and take care of all the negotiation/refinance requirements allowing the client to maintain their normal daily life without having to justify their reasons for requesting change. I can advise on the appropriate timing, any costs involved, the current home loan options available and make the process painless.

Homeowners  seeking better interest rates or better borrowing structures
With busy 21st century lifestyles people are running short of time and do not challenge their lender to make sure that the best interest rate or loan structure is in place. Let me do this work for you. I have access to lender’s interest rate schedules and their various lending products and can  match client needs with the most appropriate home loans being offered in the market. Ensuring that the most relevant structure and interest rate regime is put in place can often benefit the client financially and proactively managing this for the client is a strength built up through many years experience.

Residential property investors

I am well practiced in working with clients and their professionals to find the right investment loan with the right lender. Through providing careful, well-researched information I have helped many people achieve significant growth in wealth through investment property ownership. As prudent property investors will attest to, it is critical to maintain the best practices possible in order to maximise profits and reduce costs.
I can complete an assessment of your current investment finance and after discussions with your other property professionals (accountant, financial planner, investment advisor, mentor, solicitor etc) work with you to maximise returns for the best outcome. I also enjoy connections with a wide group of specialists in investment property and I am happy to provide references to them wherever appropriate.

Commercial property investors and owners

Through my many years experience in business banking, I have built up a healthy knowledge of the industry and established strong networks of specialists, each of whom are experts in their own field. Sourcing the best funding to meet the needs of the client or in some cases a specific property is a strength.

I have access to banks and other competitive lenders and can find the right commercial finance package for you. Interest rate sensitivity is even more critical for commercial borrowers and I understand the risks that owners face. My knowledge and experience in dealing with financial reports and cash flow statements ensures that your deal is seen in the best possible light.

Self employed borrowers

Approximately 40% of my clients are self employed and I have extensive experience in placing their borrowing into the most appropriate lender and home or business loan product. There are special elements to provide for with self employed borrowers and the lenders need to know this at the outset, so that the right loan is written. Depending on the overall business funding I can usually achieve a better outcome for the client than had they gone directly to the bank themselves.

Rural property owners

Lending to the rural sector is somewhat specialised but I have many years experience across a wide range of farming and horticulture sectors. I am well connected with key lending personnel amongst banks and non bank lenders and can package rural loans appropriately, and then place the business with the right lender for the situation.

Lifestyle property owners

As a lifestyle block property owner myself I am aware of the issues faced and the funding requirements that go with these properties. Where there is any reliance placed upon the income that may be generated by the property then great care needs to be exercised to ensure that the income is sustainable over the long run.

Retirees

The ageing demographic of the New Zealand population means that more than ever before some of our senior citizens need to access some of the equity in their residential property. I have assisted many senior couples and individuals and I advocate strongly for my clients to use products that are endorsed by SHERPA (Safe Home Equity Release Plans Association) who are dedicated to the protection of equity release borrowers. I am an accredited adviser for the main lenders in this segment of the market.

Bridging loans

There are times when clients require bridging loans to cover purchase costs of a new property pending sale or settlement of another. I have handled many such transactions and clients can be confident that we will find the right deal for them.

Business borrowing

Business borrowers are a particular specialty of mine – I have empathy for business owners and how the borrowing is going to sit within their overall cash cycle. In New Zealand most businesses are financed in whole or in part by inclusion of their residential property in the security for their business financing. There are times when the lenders are not applying the best possible interest rates to this lending, and if you think that this is the case for your borrowing then I can help assess your unique circumstances and quickly advise you if you are being treated fairly. Following that if there needs to be a renegotiation with your current lender or a refinance of your requirements to another lender then I can also assist you with this.

Asset financing

Through my contacts in the finance industry I am able to source competitive and simple asset finance to arrange funding for vehicles of all types and for plant and equipment. The main players in this part of the market tend to pick and choose the assets they are prepared to fund, leaving good clients with few alternatives. We can help with all loan types and across numerous asset classes.

Accreditations

• SA Fin (Senior Associate FINSIA) – Financial Services Institute of Australasia
• OMEGA – Loans to Business Programme

Community Involvement

• Sunrise Tauranga Rotary Club
• Northern Districts’ Cricket Association
• Bay of Plenty Cricket Trust
• Tauranga Citizens’ Club

Business Community Involvement

• Tauranga Chamber of Commerce

Tauranga customers

I am based in the Tauranga region and have a strong focus on clients in Otumoetai, Brookfield, Bellevue, Bethlehem, Matua, The Avenues, Greerton, Pyes Pa, Maungatapu, Welcome Bay, Te Puna, Omokoroa, Katikati, Waihi Beach, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa and Te Puke.

I welcome clients from elsewhere in the Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Auckland area who would like to receive the care and attention I offer.