Richard Wright might have been born in the United Kingdom, but he is completely and utterly a true blue Western Australian. With his lovely wife and three children, one boy and twin girls, Richard really is just your typical, genuine, life-loving, larrikin.
Describing himself in three words: passionate, determined and as much as his kids might argue with him, hilarious. Three things I can agree, ring very true after meeting and learning more about Richard.
A passion for finance
Richard has always felt as though the finance industry is where he wanted to be. When he began working for one of the big four banks, the valuation sector was still in-house and not being outsourced and this was an area which he could see himself in.
“The plan was to join the bank and work my way into the valuation sector – which wasn’t something you could just join, you needed to work your way up to it. As I progressed and became reasonably close, I joined the lending sector as a support officer. Still, I had my eye on the valuation sector but then the bank decided to close the valuation sector and completely outsource – so my plan went kaput. That’s when I realised, I quite enjoyed the lending side of the business and helping people, so I stayed on for a long time as a branch lender and a mobile lender”.
Banks, Babies and Brokers
After a successful career as a lender in the one of the big four banks, Richard decided to take a hiatus from work and focus on being a stay at home Dad after the arrival of his twin girls just over 10 years ago.
“Babies are a handful but when you’ve got twins, it is literally two handfuls. Being a stay at home Dad was an experience in itself. Eventually, over time, as the kids got older, I really did miss the finance industry and being able to help people”.
Just over 5 years ago, an opportunity came up for Richard to join a business as a mortgage broker. Feeling confident to try something new, Richard gave it a shot and reports he has never looked back, as he has truly found his passion in life.
“Being a mortgage broker gives you the opportunity to help each client you meet. It’s different from the banks because you can be limited as to what you can do and what you can offer. Helping people is something I am so passionate about – especially first home buyers”.
V Homeloans
Joining the V Homeloans team right at their inception, almost three years ago, Richard was only one of a couple of other people who made up the small business. Fast-forward to 2019 and they’ve had exceptional growth as a small business, now with eight mortgage brokers, a general manager, and two broker support staff.
Richard says it has become a great big team of people who love working together, bouncing ideas off each other and helping each other.
“Our general philosophy at V Homeloans is really about assisting first home buyers’ because they are the core part of our business, so our main goal is to make the process as easy and seamless as it can be for them”.
Buying a dream, not just a house
Helping clients, especially first home buyers, is something Richard has been focusing on for the past few years now and is something he says is his favourite part about the job.
“I’ve realised I’m quite good with first home buyers’ and it’s definitely an area of my job where I tend to get the most enjoyment. Being able to help those clients who can be worried or even afraid of making that big step and helping them through the end to end process is something I find really fulfilling”.
Richard recalls a young couple who were recent clients of his, who came to him with absolutely no hope of ever owning their own home, due to a bad credit rating from some prior credit issues.
“They came to me thinking they would never be able to own their own home, at least not for 5 or more years. We ended up getting them a loan through a lender who took them on even with the credit issues, admittedly it was a higher rate but something they could handle. It was one of the most rewarding moments of my career to date. They sent me photos when they moved in and continue to stay in touch with me. Seeing what owning a home has meant for this young couple starting their lives, just really brings it home as this job is so special”.
Richard is a firm believer in owning property and helping others buy what is more than a house, it’s a dream.
Putting yourself in the clients' shoes
Richard believes himself to be an empathetic and relatable individual. Possessing the ability to throw himself in other people’s shoes quickly and really finding that level of understanding with clients.
“I had a bad experience when I bought my first home and now it’s something, I want to make sure, no one else has to go through. I want to ensure my clients have the best possible experience through the entire process”.
When dealing with client’s the first thing Richard likes to establish is trust and he does this through showing them the person on the other side of the table is a human being, with their best interests at heart.
“I give clients personal stories about myself and I really make sure the lines of communication are kept open and honest. I find this really helps build trust with the clients and they can see for themselves that I am genuinely here to help them”.
Protecting clients is important
When Richard first started broking, and even before when he was working in the bank, protecting clients was not part of his overall offering or process. Then, four years ago a close friend of Richard’s had a stroke and throughout the time he was sick, he was at serious risk of losing his house.
“When my friend had the stroke and was at risk of losing his home, a GoFundMe page had to be created in order to generate some funding, just to keep the roof over him and his family’s heads. Unfortunately, he and his wife ended up having to sell their family home during a time when the WA market wasn’t at its best, so even with selling it, the result wasn’t good. This was the moment where I realised, there is such a huge need for protection when people are taking out a loan or mortgage”.
When Richard came across ALI Group and My Protection Plan (MPP) through V Homeloans, he said it just clicked and became an absolute ‘no brainer’ for him to at least have the discussion with his clients and it continued from there.
Richard's ethos to life
Richard certainly has a zest for life and a passion for helping people. On a final note, Richard said his key to life is to really be able to have a laugh at yourself and to try and see the positive side of things, instead of always focusing on the negatives.
If you would like to know more about how you can become an authorised broker like Richard, click here.