“When we’re talking about the brokers that go out and deal
with external partners, external conveyancers,
external agents, we get a range of different communication efficiencies from our external partners”
Danny Blair, Aussie
“It’s a very supportive environment, but it’s still hard work. You still need to apply commitment in order to succeed”
Ruth Van Eekelen, Aussie
“The efficiencies we have in the business model, if you’ve embraced it, the scalability is like nowhere else in the industry”
Justin Kinsey, Aussie
“You need to partner with someone who’s going to give you the tools and products to give a superior experience to other brokers”
Sam Hyman,
Aussie
In Partnership with
Aussie’s service model pays off for brokers
Aussie’s whole-of-journey approach is giving franchisees more ways to grow – solving frustrations, tapping into new customer segments, driving cross-selling, and building more sustainable businesses
Read on
Sam Hyman
Aussie Home Loans
Danny Blair
Aussie Home Loans
Justin Kinsey
Aussie Home Loans
Ruth Van Eekelen
Aussie Home Loans
Industry experts
FOR MANY Australians, buying a home is meant to be exciting – but the reality often feels like chasing paperwork, waiting on callbacks and dealing with miscommunication between agents, lenders and brokers.
It’s a frustration that Ruth Van Eekelen, Aussie Home Loans franchisee at Bellarine and Corio in Victoria, hears regularly. “I was talking to a client this morning who’s purchasing a property, and there’s been some hiccups along the way,” she told Australian Broker during a recent lunch with colleagues. “His words to me were, ‘you’ve been great, and the lender’s been great, but the agent dropped the ball, and there’s a couple of other people along the way who’ve dropped the ball’, so the overall experience has been affected.”
Van Eekelen was among three Aussie franchisees who joined Sam Hyman, Aussie’s general manager of national sales, for lunch at Cafe Sydney to share how the company’s new service model is tackling these frustrations head-on.
Aussie is betting that the answer to these problems lies in integration. Once focused purely on broking, the company is repositioning itself as a complete property hub – helping customers from property search to settlement, all under one digital roof. With mortgage brokers accounting for nearly 80% of new home loans, Aussie’s expanded model – combining buyers’ agents, property listings, conveyancing and finance – aims to simplify the process and reduce the friction that still frustrates buyers.
The transformation represents a significant shift from the traditional mortgage broking model. Where once customers arrived seeking finance for properties they had already identified, Aussie now aims to capture them earlier in the journey with its ‘find buy own’ strategy.
“We’re now going to help customers find [properties],” said Hyman. “We’ve incorporated listings and over 11 million properties and suburb insights into the Aussie app platform, and that’ll act as the ecosystem for customers to start their journey with Aussie, as opposed to before they would be coming for the finance.”
The expanded service offering includes buyers’ agents, conveyancing and property listings, all integrated through the company’s mobile app platform. This integration addresses a common pain point in property transactions: customers traditionally have to navigate multiple service providers and deal with varying levels of communication and coordination.
The expanded service model gives franchisees access to customer segments previously beyond their reach. Justin Kinsey, who operates the Aussie Surry Hills franchise in NSW, sees particular opportunity in traditionally underserved markets.
“The Eastern Suburbs area is probably not an area [where] the Aussie brand has traditionally got as much market share as it should, but with these new offerings we’re getting new customers coming through,” Kinsey said. “The buyers’ agents, which are really prevalent in the Eastern Suburbs – that new offering is going to give us an opportunity in a different market segment that we haven’t had before.”
The buyer’s agent service appears to resonate particularly well in higher-value markets. Kinsey shared feedback from a corporate lawyer friend who used a buyer’s agent for his property purchase: “His words exactly were, ‘I would never buy a home without a buyer’s agent again’.”
The integrated model also enables cross-selling opportunities where customers engaging one service can be introduced to others. This is particularly valuable for capturing cash buyers who traditionally wouldn’t require mortgage services.
“Not every purchase requires a loan, so there’s a whole group of people that might not need lending to purchase a property,” Van Eekelen said. “We’re still able to assist people who don’t necessarily need lending.”
Aussie’s integrated approach aims to eliminate these coordination failures by bringing all services under unified management. Danny Blair, who operates Aussie franchises across Queensland locations including Ipswich, Mount Ommaney, Kenmore, Forest Lake and Paddington, emphasised the communication benefits.
“When we’re talking about the brokers that go out and deal with external partners, external conveyancers, external agents, we get a range of different communication efficiencies from our external partners,” he said.
The technology platform serves as what Hyman describes as “connective tissue” between all stakeholders in the transaction. The Aussie app connects brokers, buyers’ agents, conveyancers and every other party involved in the property purchase.
The expanded service offering addresses a key business challenge for mortgage brokers: over-reliance on commission income from home loans. Blair sees diversification as essential for long-term business sustainability.
“From a franchisee and business owner perspective, we’re looking at different revenue streams and broadening our base of income beyond mortgages,” Blair said. “I’d certainly love to see sometime in the future when we’ve got a much broader base of income stream than just 98–99% coming from mortgages.”
The buyer’s agent market presents significant growth potential. Blair noted that buyers’ agents currently represent around 3% of property transactions in Australia, compared to 90–95% utilisation in markets like the US, Canada and the UK.
The national footprint provides Aussie with a competitive advantage in the buyer’s agent space, which has traditionally been limited by geographical constraints. “The biggest issue with buyers’ agents historically has been they’ve been very boutique, because they have to operate in their small little patch of expertise,” Blair said. “Because we’ve got a footprint across Australia, different stores can refer to different buyers’ agents throughout Australia.”
The service expansion builds on significant technology investments, particularly in mobile app functionality and artificial intelligence. Hyman outlined Aussie’s ambition to become an “AI native business” rather than simply adopting AI tools for specific use cases.
The company has implemented AI across multiple areas. For almost 12 months, a tool has been transcribing and summarising all business calls, providing quality assurance scoring and automated notes for brokers. The recently launched ‘servicing sandbox’ also uses AI to calculate serviceability across all lenders in real time without manual input.
“It will then provide notes and summaries to our brokers, so that when they make appointments, they’ve got a fully AI summarised update of what’s happened with the customer,” Hyman said.
The technology enables more efficient broker interactions while maintaining the human element that customers value. Blair emphasised that the goal is to free brokers from administrative tasks to focus on relationship building.
“The biggest thing that excites me is it’s allowed our brokers to spend more quality time with the customer, actually getting to know them, coming up with the right solution, as opposed to doing some of the admin tasks,” Blair said.
Customer adoption of the digital platform has been strong, with Van Eekelen noting increased preference for online interactions. “I’ve noticed a real uptake in customers finding me online rather than coming to the store or calling the landline,” she said. “There’s a sense that the platform we provide is secure for the information, and customers are really looking for that security.”
The technology platform enables significant scalability for franchise operations. Blair’s business exemplifies this potential, growing from seven or eight brokers three years ago to 21 brokers currently across several locations.
“Being able to scale, I remember three years ago I had seven or eight physical admin staff. I’ve now got three admin across my group that can provide a more consistent service proposition to the brokers,” Blair said.
The supported store model, utilised by over 70% of Aussie’s retail network, provides centralised services, including client solutions for packaging and administration, plus an associates team for appointment booking and customer re-engagement.
The results have been substantial. Hyman reported that retail network volumes are up 30% year-on-year, with top-quartile stores generating over $1 million in revenue.
Kinsey, who transitioned from head office to franchise ownership four months ago, praised the scalability potential. “The efficiencies we have in the business model, if you’ve embraced it, the scalability is like nowhere else in the industry,” he said.
The expanding service model creates multiple entry points for newcomers to the industry. Hyman noted that almost 400 new brokers had started in the last 12 months, and 16 brokers had become store owners.
“For new brokers looking to enter the industry, broking share is now approaching 80%, which means you need to partner with someone who’s going to give you the tools and products to give a superior experience to other brokers,” Hyman said.
The franchise model provides clear progression pathways from entry-level positions through to multisite ownership. Blair outlined the progression: “You can start off as a home loan specialist or a broker in a retail store, then there’s a pathway up to management, sales manager or a franchisee and then multi-franchise.”
Van Eekelen emphasised the supportive network culture while noting that success still requires significant personal commitment. “It’s a very supportive environment, but it’s still hard work. You still need to apply commitment in order to succeed.”
She identified key personality traits for success in the industry: “You need to be adaptable, problem-solving, be able to multitask, relate to people and empathise with a customer’s needs and what they’re looking for.”
The transformation positions Aussie to capture customers earlier in their property journey while providing franchisees with diversified revenue streams and competitive advantages. The integration of technology, expanded services and scalable business models creates a platform for sustained growth in an increasingly competitive market.
Kinsey reflected on the strategic positioning: “There’s nobody else doing what we’re doing. There’s nobody even close. You strip it back to a practical level – there’s good operators out there that would really thrive in this environment because their current aggregators aren’t offering what we’re doing.”
For brokers and customers, the benefits extend beyond convenience. Blair, who operates Aussie franchises across Queensland, says the integrated model improves communication for all involved. “Having all of the services under the one roof makes it easy, not just for the customer but also for the brokers,” he says.
And by starting the journey earlier – helping customers find a property, not just finance one – Aussie hopes to stay alongside them every step of the way.
Aussie is one of Australia’s most iconic and trusted home loan brands, supporting customers at every stage of their property journey. Backed by a powerful AI-driven platform and a national network of over 1,300 brokers and 215 retail stores, Aussie offers end-to-end support to help Australians find, buy and own property with confidence. From property search and specialist buyer’s agents to expert mortgage broking and integrated conveyancing, Aussie delivers a seamless experience under one roof. With over 30 years of market leadership, Aussie continues to redefine what’s possible for home buyers, home owners, and brokers across the country.
Find out more
Sam Hyman joined Lendi at its inception in 2013 and has since held a range of sales leadership roles across the business. Following the Aussie-Lendi merger in 2021, he stepped into senior leadership positions and now serves as general manager, national sales. In this role, Hyman oversees the performance of the Aussie broker network, leads the national sales leadership team and drives strategic alignment across channels. Passionate about innovation and customer experience, he is focused on embedding an AI-enabled, human-led culture, using technology and data to optimise sales performance, enhance broker engagement and deliver sustainable growth across the Aussie network.
Aussie Home Loans
Sam Hyman
Danny Blair joined Aussie in 2012 following a successful career in hospitality management. His first role at Aussie was as a store broker at its foundation store, Aussie Sunnybank. Blair ventured into franchising for the first time at Aussie Ipswich in 2013. He has since established a prominent retail presence in the west Brisbane corridor with the opening of greenfield sites in Mount Ommaney in 2020 and Forest Lake in 2023, and the purchase of existing stores in Kenmore in 2021 and Paddington in 2024. As his store footprint has grown, Blair has become the CEO of his own business and now focuses most of his time on scaling and nurturing his team of more than 20 brokers, and the recent addition of an in-house buyer’s agent.
Aussie Home Loans
Darren McLeod
Justin Kinsey joined Lendi in 2016 following a successful career in banking and played a pivotal role in growing the broker team from just 15 to nearly 300. After the merger of Aussie and Lendi in 2021, Kinsey stepped into the role of general manager of broker sales and operations, where he led the successful migration of over 400 Aussie mobile brokers onto Lendi Group’s proprietary platform. Aligned with the long-term vision of the Aussie brand, Kinsey saw the opportunity to build a scalable brokerage and, in 2024, acquired Aussie Surry Hills. He is now focused on growing his team and building on the strong legacy of the business.
Aussie Home Loans
Justin Kinsey
Ruth Van Eekelen joined Aussie in 2012 and is now a proud multisite franchisee, leading Aussie Bellarine and Aussie Corio alongside her husband Joedy and business partner Jo Goldsborough. A recognised leader in the network, Van Eekelen is a Signature Diamond broker – an elite honour awarded to the top 20 brokers across Aussie’s national network of 1,350. Passionate about local engagement, Van Eekelen is a true local area marketing champion, regularly representing the brand within the community and building strong connections. Her drive, professionalism and commitment to client outcomes have firmly positioned her as a standout performer within the Aussie network.
Aussie Home Loans
Ruth Van Eekelen
In Partnership with
Aussie’s service model pays off for brokers
Aussie’s whole-of-journey approach is giving franchisees more ways to grow – solving frustrations, tapping into new customer segments, driving cross-selling, and building more sustainable businesses
Read on
Ruth Van Eekelen
Aussie Home Loans
Justin Kinsey
Aussie Home Loans
Danny Blair
Aussie Home Loans
Sam Hyman
Aussie Home Loans
Industry experts
Sam Hyman joined Lendi at its inception in 2013 and has since held a range of sales leadership roles across the business. Following the Aussie-Lendi merger in 2021, he stepped into senior leadership positions and now serves as general manager, national sales. In this role, Hyman oversees the performance of the Aussie broker network, leads the national sales leadership team and drives strategic alignment across channels. Passionate about innovation and customer experience, he is focused on embedding an AI-enabled, human-led culture, using technology and data to optimise sales performance, enhance broker engagement and deliver sustainable growth across the Aussie network.
Aussie Home Loans
Sam Hyman
Danny Blair joined Aussie in 2012 following a successful career in hospitality management. His first role at Aussie was as a store broker at its foundation store, Aussie Sunnybank. Blair ventured into franchising for the first time at Aussie Ipswich in 2013. He has since established a prominent retail presence in the west Brisbane corridor with the opening of greenfield sites in Mount Ommaney in 2020 and Forest Lake in 2023, and the purchase of existing stores in Kenmore in 2021 and Paddington in 2024. As his store footprint has grown, Blair has become the CEO of his own business and now focuses most of his time on scaling and nurturing his team of more than 20 brokers, and the recent addition of an in-house buyer’s agent.
Aussie Home Loans
Danny Blair
Justin Kinsey joined Lendi in 2016 following a successful career in banking and played a pivotal role in growing the broker team from just 15 to nearly 300. After the merger of Aussie and Lendi in 2021, Kinsey stepped into the role of general manager of broker sales and operations, where he led the successful migration of over 400 Aussie mobile brokers onto Lendi Group’s proprietary platform. Aligned with the long-term vision of the Aussie brand, Kinsey saw the opportunity to build a scalable brokerage and, in 2024, acquired Aussie Surry Hills. He is now focused on growing his team and building on the strong legacy of the business.
Aussie Home Loans
Justin Kinsey
Ruth Van Eekelen joined Aussie in 2012 and is now a proud multisite franchisee, leading Aussie Bellarine and Aussie Corio alongside her husband Joedy and business partner Jo Goldsborough. A recognised leader in the network, Van Eekelen is a Signature Diamond broker – an elite honour awarded to the top 20 brokers across Aussie’s national network of 1,350. Passionate about local engagement, Van Eekelen is a true local area marketing champion, regularly representing the brand within the community and building strong connections. Her drive, professionalism and commitment to client outcomes have firmly positioned her as a standout performer within the Aussie network.
Aussie Home Loans
Ruth Van Eekelen
In Partnership with
Aussie’s service model pays off for brokers
Aussie’s whole-of-journey approach is giving franchisees more ways to grow – solving frustrations, tapping into new customer segments, driving cross-selling, and building more sustainable businesses
Read on
Ruth Van Eekelen
Aussie Home Loans
Justin Kinsey
Aussie Home Loans
Danny Blair
Aussie Home Loans
Sam Hyman
Aussie Home Loans
Industry experts
Danny Blair joined Aussie in 2012 following a successful career in hospitality management. His first role at Aussie was as a store broker at its foundation store, Aussie Sunnybank. Blair ventured into franchising for the first time at Aussie Ipswich in 2013. He has since established a prominent retail presence in the west Brisbane corridor with the opening of greenfield sites in Mount Ommaney in 2020 and Forest Lake in 2023, and the purchase of existing stores in Kenmore in 2021 and Paddington in 2024. As his store footprint has grown, Blair has become the CEO of his own business and now focuses most of his time on scaling and nurturing his team of more than 20 brokers, and the recent addition of an in-house buyer’s agent.
Aussie Home Loans
Danny Blair
Justin Kinsey joined Lendi in 2016 following a successful career in banking and played a pivotal role in growing the broker team from just 15 to nearly 300. After the merger of Aussie and Lendi in 2021, Kinsey stepped into the role of general manager of broker sales and operations, where he led the successful migration of over 400 Aussie mobile brokers onto Lendi Group’s proprietary platform. Aligned with the long-term vision of the Aussie brand, Kinsey saw the opportunity to build a scalable brokerage and, in 2024, acquired Aussie Surry Hills. He is now focused on growing his team and building on the strong legacy of the business.
Aussie Home Loans
Justin Kinsey
Ruth Van Eekelen joined Aussie in 2012 and is now a proud multisite franchisee, leading Aussie Bellarine and Aussie Corio alongside her husband Joedy and business partner Jo Goldsborough. A recognised leader in the network, Van Eekelen is a Signature Diamond broker – an elite honour awarded to the top 20 brokers across Aussie’s national network of 1,350. Passionate about local engagement, Van Eekelen is a true local area marketing champion, regularly representing the brand within the community and building strong connections. Her drive, professionalism and commitment to client outcomes have firmly positioned her as a standout performer within the Aussie network.
Aussie Home Loans
Ruth Van Eekelen
Share
Share
Share
Sam Hyman joined Lendi at its inception in 2013 and has since held a range of sales leadership roles across the business. Following the Aussie-Lendi merger in 2021, he stepped into senior leadership positions and now serves as general manager, national sales. In this role, Hyman oversees the performance of the Aussie broker network, leads the national sales leadership team and drives strategic alignment across channels. Passionate about innovation and customer experience, he is focused on embedding an AI-enabled, human-led culture, using technology and data to optimise sales performance, enhance broker engagement and deliver sustainable growth across the Aussie network.
Aussie Home Loans
Sam Hyman
Addressing transaction complexity
Published 28 Jul 2025
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Contact Us
Contact Us
Australian Mortgage Awards
Events
White papers
Webinar
Australian Broker Talk
Resources
TV
Sector Focus
Power Panel
Independent Feature
Executive Team Profile
Exclusive Leader Profile
Business Update
Business Focus
Big Deal
Premium Content
Technology
Reverse Mortgages
Investment Loans
Specialist Lending
SME
Commercial
Speciality
Best In Mortgage
News
News
Copyright © 2025 KM Business Information Australia Pty Ltd
RSS
Sitemap
About us
Conditions of Use
Cookie Policy
Privacy policy
Terms & conditions
People
Firms
Advertising
Authors
E-newsletter
Contact Us
Contact Us
Australian Mortgage Awards
Events
White papers
Webinar
Australian Broker Talk
Resources
TV
Sector Focus
Power Panel
Independent Feature
Executive Team Profile
Exclusive Leader Profile
Business Update
Business Focus
Big Deal
Premium Content
Technology
Reverse Mortgages
Investment Loans
Specialist Lending
SME
Commercial
Speciality
Best In Mortgage
News
News
Copyright © 2025 KM Business Information Australia Pty Ltd
RSS
Sitemap
About us
Conditions of Use
Privacy policy
Terms & conditions
People
Firms
RSS
Sitemap
About us
Conditions of Use
Cookie Policy
Privacy policy
Terms & conditions
People
Firms
Market access and competitive positioning
Services brokers can offer via Aussie property hub
Property search support
Buyer's agent guidance
Finance arrangement
Conveyancing coordination
Settlement management
Ongoing
property ownership support
Source: Aussie
Revenue diversification for franchisees
Technology integration and AI implementation
From left: Ruth Van Eekelen, Justin Kinsey, Sam Hyman, Danny Blair
Franchise model scalability
Source: Aussie
The end-to-end property journey seamlessly integrated
Industry entry and career pathways
Looking forward
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