Navigating the tough housing market: Opportunities and responsibilities for financial advisers

By Kip Hanna

While we can't control the market, we can focus on the controllable - our businesses and how we run them. Here are some things we should be doing now:

Go back to basics: Customer service has never been more important. As it's becoming more complex to navigate obtaining finance and banks are pulling back from providing personalised advice, the need for qualified advisors has never been higher. Ensure your customer experience is exceptional and ask for referrals and recommendations from satisfied clients.

Use the quiet time to do your housekeeping: Make sure you're up to date with compliance requirements. With the expiry of the safe harbour for advisors to be qualified, we're now operating in a fully regulated environment where credibility to clients is recognised by a license. Maintaining professionalism backed up by qualifications and high-quality record-keeping is important.

Our industry is becoming a profession that is gaining credibility backed by qualifications and regulations. I’m a chartered accountant which is an industry where for many years credibility has been established with qualifications and professional advice. I think it’s great to see this come through to financial advisors.

The current market differs from previous high-rate environments in terms of affordability. Driven by inflation, it's harder for people to take out a loan or refinance under the assessment criteria of CCCFA. While affordability is essential for accessing a loan, there needs to be some flexibility for commercial judgment in providing credit. We need an assessment guide rather than hard fast rules. The requirement for advisors to be qualified gives a new level of safety and comfort for borrowers, reducing the need to be governed by strict test criteria, and making now an appropriate time to reconsider how the CCCFA is applied in a practical sense.

However, more than assisting New Zealanders to get their home loan, the role of a financial advisor is to coach their clients in financial management. Financial independence is really important and should be embedded from a young age, the results of which are powerful – it’s why I joined NZHL. There can be life-changing benefits for people who achieve financial freedom, not only mentally with the weight of their loan lifted off their shoulders but also in terms of wealth creation. Interest cost savings can be used to invest in income generators, lifestyle, or retirement savings, offering more financial freedom.

As we embrace market and industry changes and our responsibilities as qualified advisors, we should consider how we can assist in easing the pains of this economic climate for our clients and guide them in creating a better financial future. While we continue to navigate operating our businesses in this extremely challenging environment, we should remember that this cycle won't last forever. There are undoubtedly more challenges to come, but as inflation and interest rates begin to ease, the housing market will start to unlock creating additional growth opportunities again.

About NZHL

NZHL is a passionately Kiwi, passionately local home loan and insurance network currently helping more than 50,000 New Zealanders collectively save millions of dollars in interest costs every year.

Part of Kiwi Group Capital Ltd (KGC) which are 100% Government owned, NZHL operates with an Independent Board and 70 local business owners nationwide.  NZHL believes in helping Kiwis achieve financial freedom, faster and takes a structured, personalised approach to bring this to life.

* Please note – Kip Hanna is the CEO at NZHL and has written this opinion piece based on his experience. This article is intended to be general in nature and should not replace personalised business or career advice.