Carl Mann
Lead Lending Specialist
Twenty-six years reading applications. Fourteen years writing them.
Carl spent 16 years at ANZ and 10 at Westpac before becoming a lending adviser in 2011. That is an unusual background in this industry, and it is the whole point of Harbourstone.
Most advisers learn lending from the outside. They learn which lender says yes, which forms are needed, and what the criteria appear to be. It is a real skill and it takes years to acquire. Carl learned it from the other side of the desk. He was inside the institutions writing the credit policy, reading the applications, and making the decisions. He knows what an assessor is looking at, which is frequently not what the criteria say, and he knows what makes an application fail before it is submitted.
How that background helps you
Most of the work happens before anything reaches a lender. The application that is going to be declined is usually identifiable in advance. Often it is fixable. Sometimes the answer is that the position needs six months of work first, or that the deal should not proceed at all, and Carl will say so plainly.
He will also tell you when your existing arrangement is fine and you should leave it alone. That conversation earns nothing and it is the one that builds the relationship.
Four areas Carl specialises in.
Complex income
Self-employed borrowers, contractors, and anyone whose income is real but does not present the way a credit assessor expects.
Structure
Trusts, entities, portfolios, and the arrangements that decide what you can do next, as well as what you can do now.
Commercial and development
Deals that have to be understood before they can be funded.
Applications the bank declined
Some declines cannot be turned around. Many can, because the real reason is often not the one the letter gave.
How Carl works with you.
The first conversation is about understanding the position rather than presenting products. The structure gets designed before a rate is discussed. The lender is chosen deliberately. The application is built properly, and it is submitted once.
Then he stays. At the refix, at the review, at the next purchase, and at the point where something changes and you need to know what it means.
What clients say about working with Carl.
Carl was an absolute pleasure to work with. His knowledge, professionalism and prompt communication gave us confidence throughout our first home purchase. He secured us an excellent deal with Westpac and made the entire process seamless. We highly recommend Carl to anyone looking for a mortgage broker.
Three of us, all self employed, wanted to get a home loan for a shared house. Without the expertise, help and the precise instructions to fill in the various documents or organise specific items we would not have had a chance to get the mortgage over the finish line. Carl was extraordinarily helpful and always found a way to continue this not so easy application. I can highly recommend Carl. Very grateful for his assistance.
Carl was fantastic to work with. Our mortgage application was not straightforward as we were multiple people, all self employed with new businesses. We had tried using other brokers but they weren't able to get our approval across the line. Carl was tenacious with the banks, and had so much knowledge he was able to guide us through all the information we required and how to present it. After a difficult process he was able to secure us a mortgage with very favourable terms. I couldn't recommend him enough, the effort and work he puts in is second to none!
Carl Mann is a fantastic mortgage broker. He is knowledgeable, professional, and has excellent communication. Carl kept us updated along the way and provided sound advice. I would definitely recommend Carl to anyone needing assistance with mortgage finance or refinancing.
Carl helped us work through the finance for our next investment property without losing sight of our existing lending. He understood what we were trying to build over the longer term and worked through the different options with us before we made an offer. That preparation made the purchase much smoother.
Development finance was very different from arranging a normal mortgage. Carl understood the feasibility, valuations, build costs and timing the lender needed to see, and helped us get everything organised before it went to credit. Having someone who understood the development side of the deal saved a lot of back and forth.
We were purchasing premises for our business and needed someone who could look at both the property and the strength of the business behind it. Carl worked through the numbers with us, explained what the lenders would focus on and helped structure the application properly from the start.
Talk to Carl.
Thirty minutes, no cost, no obligation.
Every conversation is confidential.
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