Top Auckland mortgage brokers

A mortgage broker is your link to the bank. They’re the person who will give you your best shot at getting a mortgage.

Because mortgage brokers are free and offer similar services, it can be hard to choose the right one for you.

So, here is our honest review of the top 5 mortgage brokers in Auckland – in no particular order.

If you have any questions or thoughts, please leave them in the comments section below.

Broker #1 – Pete Norris from Opes Mortgages

First up is Pete from Opes Mortgages.

Now, let’s be clear, Peter works for Opes. That’s us, the people writing this article (and the website you’re on).

And we agonised about whether to put ourselves on this list or not … because it does seem a bit biased, but hear us out.

We spend a lot of time writing recommendation lists like this. People often come to us after they’ve already tried other mortgage brokers. They say things like, “I wish I had known about you sooner.”

So, instead of burying ourselves further down the list, we want to make sure you know that we (and Peter) are an option. That doesn’t mean that Peter, or Opes Mortgages, is definitely the right fit for you. We specialise in working with property investors, and we really specialise in New Build investment properties.

And while we will help all borrowers, our bread and butter is working with investors.

One other difference with Opes is that we provide many different services for property investors. We have Opes Property Management and Opes Accounting too. That means if you choose Opes Mortgages, your:

• financial adviser,
• mortgage adviser,
• property manager,
• insurance adviser, and
• accountant

... can all work from the same company.

Some people like this. Some people prefer to have all their professionals working for different companies. Either way, the choice is up to you.

Broker #2 – Adam Clarke from Squirrel 

Squirrel mortgages are one of the largest mortgage brokers in the country.

The team of 28 are some of the only mortgage brokers that get paid a salary, rather than commission. This means the team don’t have a financial incentive to writing more mortgages. You can be sure they're doing the right thing by you, with no other intentions.

Squirrel has 5 Chinese and 4 Indian-speaking brokers. This makes Squirrel an attractive choice for the diverse communities of Auckland, especially for those more comfortable conversing in their first language.

One Squirrel broker we know well is senior adviser Adam Clarke. He’s a certified financial adviser and has been with the company for several years. He made this year’s Top Advisers in New Zealand list.

Broker #3 – Blandon Leung from Mortgage HQ Mortgage

Mortgage HQ is owned by senior mortgage adviser Blandon Leung, and has been around since 2015. 

He and his team of 7 have an excellent reputation and customers rave about them in reviews.

Mortgage HQ offers a lot of educational tools and advice on all aspects of property investing.

On the website, Blandon says he believes mortgages should not be a burden to families. Rather, they should be harnessed as a tool to create financial freedom.

The company offers three reasonably-priced courses:

• 3-stage masterclass (of 60-minute videos), which is available online. All 3 are $37
• 7-day property accelerator course for $699
• Online property formula workshop at $3,997

There is a considerable amount of information available on Mortgage HQ’s YouTube channel for free.

At the time of writing, Mortgage HQ - Andrew and Blandon have 14k subscribers on YouTube. The short videos have thousands of views and offer short nuggets on mortgage tips, hacks and tax tips.

More from Opes:

• Don't forget to tell your mortgage broker these 8 things (Article)
• Opes Mortgages vs other mortgage brokers - What's the difference? (Article)
• Top 10 mortgage brokers in New Zealand (Article)

Broker #4 – Johnny Ang from Mortgage Lab

Mortgage Lab is a nationwide company, with a team of 8 based in Auckland.

What we like most about Mortgage Lab is how much information the website gives on its advisers.

Each has their own page, filled to the brim with information about themselves. Some have a question and answer format and those questions are as personal as: “What inspired you to become a Mortgage Broker?”

As a potential customer, you can pick and choose who you want to work with, judged by their personalities. It’s a very human-friendly approach, and the answers are fun to read.

Financial adviser Johnny Ang is based on Auckland’s North Shore and is fluent in Indonesian, English and Mandarin.

Before becoming a broker, he worked for 20 years in the bank credit department. That means Johnny knows what the banks are looking for when assessing your mortgage ... he’s been on the other side.

Broker #5 Cameron Marcroft from Loan Market

Another nationwide company, Loan Market, has 130-something advisers based all around New Zealand.

Cameron Marcroft runs the Auckland Central branch for Loan Market. His team of 7 work out of his Remuera offices. He is a very well-decorated broker, ranked amongst the top mortgage brokers in the country.

His name is well respected on the Property Investors’ Chat Group on Facebook. Users praise Cameron and his team for their service. All Google reviews mention he is a punctual and a good communicator.

Loan Market is a sponsor of MoneyTime, which is a finance learning course for 10 to 14-year-olds.

Broker #6 – Kris Pedersen of Kris Pedersen Mortgages

Last on the list is Kris Pedersen from Kris Pedersen Mortgages.

Kris is an active member of the property investment community and his brokerage is the principal sponsor of the Auckland Property Investors’ Association.

The company specialises in property investment. He is associated with other businesses that focus on an active renovations strategy.

This gives us the confidence he really understands property investment. He can give well-rounded advice for investors who are just starting out or looking to expand.

Which mortgage broker should I choose?

The best way to find the right mortgage broker for you is to phone them and have a chat.

Yes, recommendations are a great way to start, but you might like to interview a couple before you make your mind up.

There are very few “no-brainers” in buying property … but for us, using a mortgage broker is one of them for most people. Not only is your lending more likely to be approved, but the service is often offered at no cost.

Your broker will take on the donkey work of your mortgage application, which means you’re free to do other things.

Not only is your lending more likely to be approved, since you’ve prepped the mortgage application properly, but the service is often offered at no cost.

And the broker will take on the donkey work of getting your mortgage application pushed through, freeing up your time to do other things.

Write your questions or thoughts in the comments section below.