Speaker 1: 0:28

Hello and welcome, Dario. So good to have you on my show. Thank you so much for coming along today, my friend.

Speaker 2: 0:36

Good morning Sabonisa. How are you doing?

Speaker 1: 0:39

Bien, very, very good. Thank you so much. How are you?

Speaker 2: 0:43

I'm very well, very well, very happy to be here. This is a new experience for me.

Speaker 1: 0:50

I'm glad that we're doing something fun with you, because we got to know each other not that long ago, maybe about a year ago, I think.

Speaker 2: 1:01

Maybe less yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:04

Yeah, and this is why you're here today to share your story and to tell our listeners about you know what they should be learning on the journey when they're buying their first home. So take it away, my friend, Tell us who you are and talk about your journey.

Speaker 2: 1:20

Right, my name is Dario. I'm originally from Argentina, came to New Zealand 12 years ago and since I came, I'm always seeing people buying houses and I always dream having my own house. I'm, by nature, a gardener. That's a passion of mine, and I always wanted to have a garden that I don't have to let go when I finish a lease, a place where I could grow trees and have my, my vegetables and do my experiments like garden experiments, and so I'm I tried for for a few years, unsuccessfully, until I met Saboniso.

Speaker 1: 2:09

Oh, hold on, hold on, let's step back. So you've tried unsuccessfully, before you met me to buy a house yeah, so how was that?

Speaker 2: 2:18

I'm maybe five years ago I started seriously trying, before I was just in the space of of dreaming about it. But, um, um, yeah, five years ago I started to try and I had some savings and I got together with my partner and we thought, ok, let's buy a house. And we got a mortgage broker. We're living in another neighborhood with Lower had, wellington at the time, with lower hat, wellington, um, at that time, and we got another mortgage broker and he, um, well, we did the whole process and we just didn't get them. We just didn't get a loan. The band wouldn't give us money why is that?

Speaker 1: 3:05

did they give you a reason? Do you remember the reason?

Speaker 2: 3:07

yeah, basically our family income is of diverse nature. It's not the the straightforward and we have two regular jobs with regular payouts and, um, and yeah, that situation just got in the way the fact that our income is of diverse nature non-conventional intervention. Non-conventional? Yeah, so the expenditure will be linked to our income, but if your income is not fully recognized by the bank as a secure, and stable income, then you're in a problem because they are unsure that the money is coming in.

Speaker 2: 3:51

But they see the money coming out and they go. Well, that looks not as good for us. Well, we got rejected. So we tried to work out a few strategies. We even tried to work with the banks straight. We got rid of the mortgage broker and tried to work it out with the banks, but we couldn't do it. Sad to say that we couldn't do it. So at the end we ended up moving, renting in the Capitico's. And then the dream after the dip on the property market, the dream came back alive when we started seeing the prices going up and we thought it has to be possible. So I asked around in the friends in the area and somebody gave me your name.

Speaker 1: 4:48

And you put me through the grill.

Speaker 2: 4:50

Yeah, I went and I met Soriso.

Speaker 1: 4:52

I think you were the hardest client I had, Dario, you know, to interview me.

Speaker 2: 4:58

Because I lost my faith in mortgage brokers. So I kind of went a little bit reluctant. When you go to like, I had a feeling like imagine that you are going to somebody to divinate your future, read your hand and look into the coffee to see I was really not a believer in mortgage brokers at that point. You were not a believer at all, not a believer.

Speaker 2: 5:23

But this friend told me, oh, go to Sovenish, she's real good. And I'm like, yeah, mortgage brokers. And so I went and I kind of interviewed Seboniso rather than telling him Remember our first conversation.

Speaker 1: 5:37

I think it lasted for over an hour. I don't think my conversations last that long without even closing the sale.

Speaker 2: 5:44

Yeah, I had a good feeling after that. I kind of ended up thinking, well, this might even be possible. I'm not sure how we're going to do it, but it might be possible. And then Sebu Niso. Well, she was very responsive and reassuring and the fact that I could just give her a call and she would just clear my anxiety away and give me feedback of don't you worry, this is how we're going to do this, this is how we're going to do that, and I will go back into anxiety mode over and over and she will tackle those anxieties one after the other.

Speaker 1: 6:27

I love how you're talking about she. Like she's not in the room.

Speaker 2: 6:30

Oh yes, it's because I'm thinking in the in the that is listening.

Speaker 1: 6:34

I'm with you so.

Speaker 2: 6:37

So. So when he's uh, so it is a yeah, she was uh.

Speaker 2: 6:40

Yeah, you are very responsive, thank you and uh and uh, and that I think that kind of my hopes were kindled back and and then, um, we found the right house. And and um, I would say that you did more than what a mortgage broker would normally do, because I would even call you to go like I'm thinking, in offering this price, what do you think she will? She will, and she will give me all her analysis, rather than telling me do this or do that. She will help me do the analysis well she sounds like a good person she.

Speaker 2: 7:20

She sounds it uh and um and yeah, that was great. Uh, even even when I had, um like doubts about how to do things in terms of the paperwork, that was on my side. You would just give me advice in those things, even the legal things that are really not your job to do, but you were just using your experience in this space to guide me even your personal experience and yeah, so my experience was really good. At the end, we got the house. It was the first one that we put an offer for, the first one in this round that we put an offer for.

Speaker 1: 8:05

It was moving really fast. I remember the data because we met At that point. We were just talking about pre-approval right you didn't have a particular house in mind, I think, and I think a week later you came back to me and you said I found the house.

Speaker 2: 8:16

well, we actually had options. We were thinking, oh, maybe we'll buy something of this way, of this shape, maybe something of this shape, something small, for this purposes. I just wanted to invest because I was seeing the the prices of houses. After they went, I was seeing the prices going up again and I was seeing the dream getting farther and farther every day. So I was like I really need to do this now. Wow, yeah because if you don't, yeah, and then later on I won't be able to get in again.

Speaker 2: 8:53

So it's funny because I had that situation going on and then I have friends around me that kind of had the same feeling and I ended up convincing them all to go to Cebu Niza. So they all came to you and they all 100% of them have their houses now.

Speaker 1: 9:17

Isn't that cool.

Speaker 2: 9:18

Yeah, it's 100% success.

Speaker 1: 9:20

But that's a huge risk for you, Dario. You're recommending someone to your friends.

Speaker 2: 9:24

Well, my experience was good and that's what you do when you recommend. You recommend from your own experience. I don't know how you are with all your cases, but I know how you were with me and you were awesome and um it's a huge pressure for me.

Speaker 1: 9:38

You know when people call me and they go oh, you just helped my friend, um, you got him into a house and I was really difficult. Can you help us? And I feel instant double pressure to do well yeah yeah, because I don't want to fail. I don't want to fail myself, I don't want to fail you.

Speaker 2: 9:52

They became a group. They became a group Like your reputation is not about that single experience with that person, it's about the experience with all the members of the group. Yeah, and they all came and they all had different experiences, but they were all first homebuyers, all of them experiences, but they were all first home buyers, all of them. We had the, the couple of internationals like me, and then the, the New Zealand born.

Speaker 2: 10:20

A young lady wanted to buy the thing the house for herself and she was in the lower end with a lower percentage. She actually, when this friend went, um, I can't really buy a house. And I was like you can, don't think you can just go and talk to saboniso and see if she finds a way for you? And she was very skeptical at the beginning and and but went talk to you and uh, came back something like I actually think I can do this and we're like yeah go for it and she's so happy now with the house.

Speaker 1: 10:55

Oh, that's so good to hear, because I remember talking to her and you know her experience. Actually would be really cool to get her in here. She lost a bit on one property, you know, and then she missed out on the other one and the other one fell through because of certain reports that weren't good. And I remember you were moving into your home and I remember talking to her and she's like how come Dario got you know the first house straight away? It was so fast and easy. And here we are, you know, three offers down and we're still trying. And I said to her don't give up. Everyone's journey is different and that's my message to the listeners that don't compare yourself to others. Just know that it's possible, but don't compare your journey to someone else's journey.

Speaker 2: 11:35

Yeah, yeah. Of my group of friends I would say mine had nothing to do with them. Just to give you a parameter the house that I ended up buying is a monolithic lighting house.

Speaker 1: 11:54

Yeah, and you've heard a lot from me about that house.

Speaker 2: 11:58

So, when you told me, well, she gave me the general knowledge about monolithic lighting houses, which, yet again, is not the job of a mortgage broker to give you technical details of how, of how houses are built, but she does everything she can to help you.

Speaker 2: 12:17

Well, you're still here, sorry you would do everything I'm going, I'm, I'm talking to them, so, but did all all she could to give me a hand on on understanding, because everything was new. I, I, I and I mean I would like to think that if I buy another house, I will not a lot, I will not have the feeling of newness, but every experience is so different that I'm, if I go again, I would think that it wouldn't repeat. Most of the things would not repeat. I was really afraid about that, and so when he said well, maybe you need somebody that actually knows about this. So I ended up getting these monolithic line specialists and they came and did an inspection and that ended up into me instead of discarding the house going. Well, I really love the house. This house has these issues. So if I tackle these issues, then I can have what I want, and I decided to well, take on the risks of having a house that is bonite cladding. So that was basically my journey.

Speaker 1: 13:33

It was really cool because I remember talking to you about it going Dario monolithic houses in New Zealand. They've got the reputation for it. You know you've got to watch out. Please get professional reports done, make educational decision. Don't just go yes or no, but make an educational, educated, educated.

Speaker 2: 13:55

Well, I got a massive 100 pages report for the house and it did found some areas of risk. And then I understood then why is that a house didn't solve quickly, even though it was looking so amazing and because people is afraid of this? But then when you learn, when you learn the details, and you and you and you start seeing, ok, yes, even though this is complex, I see the path to solve those issues.

Speaker 1: 14:28

Yeah, and then I made a plan. I remember you made a plan.

Speaker 2: 14:30

And then I made an offer, an offer that it was in consideration of those challenges and clearly the sellers saw the challenges as well because they decided to accept.

Speaker 1: 14:44

Yeah, that was a really cool journey. I think you also did something else with your offer. I think you also did something else, um, with your offer. I think you wrote a letter.

Speaker 2: 14:52

Oh, yeah, yeah, I wrote a letter because the, the, the house is as an crazy garden, the house with different spaces, and it has chickens and and other things going on there. So, um, I imagine that when you see the house, you see how much love went into that house. So I wrote a letter for the owners of the house, for them to see who, how the house was going to be taken care of. And I imagine myself, since I moving um a year or so ago, I'm I put already so much time, effort and love into the property. So think of it, after years of accumulated love for the house, for a few dollars more or less, you may choose the one that the, the buyer that is gonna love the house, and so I I'm. Yeah, I basically explain how would I feel and use the house and how we nurture it because I remember reading that letter.

Speaker 1: 16:03

I remember you sent it to me to check if that was okay. And again, you know, to me that makes me feel part of your journey, because for me it's not just a matter of here. Dario, you know, do the paperwork, here's your approval. See you later. It's, it's part of the journey. Now, look, we are now friends and you know we catch up regularly. We now dance together sometimes.

Speaker 2: 16:27

Yes, you go to the dance parties yeah, you were involved pretty much every day through the process, except for the days where nothing was going on and we were just waiting. Even in those days, if I had doubts, I would just text Seguiniso and she will instantly answer back with information.

Speaker 2: 16:50

I would say that it was a very very very stressful process where you don't know much about what you're doing and the thing that you're doing is extremely important and affects effort and, like your savings, that are the accumulated efforts of so much time, and you're just picking on stress. Picking on stress, just biting your nails to to the bone and and to have somebody that that that you can tell, that has experience, has gone through this dance a million times um, it really helps.

Speaker 1: 17:29

Uh, sometimes, with a single comment in 72, we'll just end it like calm down, it's all good, we just have to wait, and we're like okay, you know, I'll give you an analogy here, dario, because I remember when I first came to dance and you were there and you took me for this dance and I was all like anxious, and you're like this dance. And I was all like anxious and you're like just trust me, just breathe and trust me. And then you took me and then you just led. I have no idea how to dance, but you made me look good to people that were watching us. They said to me afterwards you know how to dance. I'm like no, it was all, dario, because you knew how to dance, I could just fully let go and you were just throwing me around and I just had to, you know, do a step it is pretty much the same.

Speaker 1: 18:14

And it's exactly the same. You know, in this journey where I lead, just trust me, I'll take your hand and we'll just go, you know.

Speaker 2: 18:24

Yeah, I remember going like so when you said I didn't get anything from the inter-Israel. I'm like, don't even think about that. Don't even think about that now. Just make sure the house is good and the paper is done. We're going to talk about interest later on. Just chill out about it. I'm going to get you the best interest that are possible to get. And we're like, write something out of my mind.

Speaker 1: 18:48

It's a step-by-step right. It's a step-by-step journey.

Speaker 2: 18:58

You can't go into the whole spin if you didn't lead to that spin yet. Yeah, so if I would give a message to the people that doesn't have a straightforward situation is is everything is every operation is different. If you don't have the 20 to a stable incomes and a, let's say, scheme picture, that is like the, the ideal, normal picture for the bank. If you don't despair, there's so many ways of make it. To make it happen, just bring it up to seven iso and and talk it through, and to Cebu Niso and talk it through. There will be something for you. It is do you have the 10%? Do you have the 12? Do you have the 7? Do you have one income? Do you have two incomes? There's so many variables.

Speaker 2: 19:43

You want to buy in this area you want to buy. It's your first house, your second house. Do you have other properties? Do you have other money coming from from? From a, let's say, from an inheritance? How money coming from profit from some company? Do you have like this? So many variables and it could be overwhelming. So just come to seven. So she does, over and over these things, one after the other. She has and the experience and she's a the experienced dancer that will be able to lead you so you know to step over your own feet actually, yeah, that's a good analogy, absolutely good analogy, daria.

Speaker 1: 20:27

Thank you so much, um, I've just got some fun questions to ask you before we wrap it up, if you like.

Speaker 2: 20:32

Yep.

Speaker 1: 20:34

I've been asking everyone this what gets you out of bed?

Speaker 2: 20:39

Well, normally it's my children. I knew that was coming, but I well to think about the normally, the things that I like and enjoy of life, and again, that's for everybody. I think, oh, today is sunny, let's water the plants before it gets hot. That gets me emotional. Or oh, today I get to go and dance in this place or to do this other cool thing, or, yeah, there's always something nice to be had in the in the day and I really enjoy the time with the children. This house that we bought it has a massive backyard that I've been super nurturing and, um, I I really look forward having activities in the backyard. I go back home and I'm thinking of just getting into a swing with the children, just doing a bubble party in the backyard, that kind of thing. All things that I managed to build because I have a house that is mine, rather than something.

Speaker 2: 21:47

I'm renting.

Speaker 1: 21:48

Because can I share my little memory about you when we first were getting to know each other? One time I came to your house for coffee to talk about you know the process and then you took me around your backyard. You were in your rental and I was blown away how much you were growing living in that rental, and I think you were there less than a year as well at that point and you were like, would you like some cucumber?

Speaker 1: 22:12

And it was like this whole array of cucumbers coming out. There was tomatoes, there was strawberries, there was just so much that you were growing yourself. You had a whole greenhouse going on. It just blew me away. Yeah, and there was a rental, yeah and there was a rental and I was like imagine what you can achieve in your own home.

Speaker 2: 22:31

Yeah, a rental. And I was like imagine what you can achieve in your own home. Yeah, now I have in the, in the, in the house, now I have.

Speaker 2: 22:35

I have chickens, I'm growing mushrooms, I have worm farms I have legal mushrooms, yes, legal mushrooms, or oyster mushrooms, and and and um and others that I'm trying to grow, or edibles, and, uh, legal edibles. And then I have vegetables, fruit trees, I build structures with bamboo, I even have a barbecue area. I'm constantly building things and trying to give an artistic twist to everything, and now I can invest. Instead of buying the bad, poor, cheap material because I'm going to just use it for a year, I can buy the good materials and make things that are going to last.

Speaker 2: 23:22

And I guess that's what is buying a house rather than renting it's something that's going to last.

Speaker 1: 23:27

Exactly. One final question for you, Dario. Can I hire you to come into all of my gardening?

Speaker 2: 23:36

I don't have time. My garden is too big.

Speaker 1: 23:37

I promise you good interest rates.

Speaker 2: 23:39

Good interest rates.

Speaker 1: 23:40

For life.

Speaker 2: 23:42

Yeah, there's a price for everything.

Speaker 1: 23:43

Okay, sounds good. Dario, thank you so much. It was an absolute pleasure to have you and I'm absolutely honored to be your friend as well.

Speaker 2: 23:50

Thank you so much for helping me to make the dream come true.