Prepare for the worst and hope you are wrong. Plan for a recession and if it does not happen, at least you have an excellent contingency plan in place. And hey, a lot of the tips below are worthwhile to keep in place on an ongoing basis, these will improve your overall financial position and get you mortgage free, or into another property sooner!!
Please we urge you before it is too late, to get yourself into a position where financially you can withstand whatever gets thrown at you – whether that is reduced income from you or your partner, or loss of rental income due to a tenant now finding themselves unable to rent for one of the properties in your portfolio.
Now is the time to ‘top-up’ your mortgage(s) to consolidate those high interest debts and provide a cash flow buffer with a Flexi or Revolving Credit arrangement. Remember you don’t pay a cent in interest for any undrawn balances. But there will be ‘cash’ available should you need it, much like an overdraft, and all at the new (lower) floating interest rates just announced.
Refinancing back to a 25 or 30 Year Loan Term may be a wise option in many situations to reduce weekly/monthly cash going out on mortgage payments as well. This will provide you with more ‘in the hand’ so you can redirect it to other vital areas of concern. When the ‘storm is over’ you simply increase your payments back to normal when you have the capacity to do so.
Additionally, cut down on non-essential purchases. Reduce your weekly expenditure. Treat the repayments of your Mortgage with the utmost priority. Even if this means going without for a while! Your ability to refinance at a later date, even to a non-bank lender, is severely restricted if any loan payments are missed!
Remember ultimately it is the mortgage (and your ability to service this) at the end of the day that is putting the roof over your heads.
COVID-19.
I don’t want to speak at length about COVID-19 there are a lot of experts better placed to talk about this. We have been offering phone and online-based mortgages (+ insurance, KiwiSaver and finance) for 5 years. We are 100% ready, and able, to work remotely and are currently following government guidelines.
If you are in self-isolation, you need not worry, as you are still able to access our systems through the client ‘portal’ which is customised to service clients remotely and allow us to gather the necessary information and documents from you. Keep healthy!!
Income Protection & Life Insurances
Without taking advantage of ‘scare tactics’ my existing clients know I’m always a big believer in Life, Mortgage & Income protection type insurances.
All we will say is; We have had a notable increased uptake in policies for clients who were previously ‘sitting on the fence’. Coincidence? It is always better to get insurance in place before you need it!
A review and top-up of your personal risk insurances now is a very wise thing to do.
Reach out for help before it’s too late!
E: matt@mattwilloughby.co.nz
M: 02102217130
See what our clients have to say
Nick Turner-Wright
9/17/2025
Has been a great experience working with Matt and his team. Have managed to get us better than the desired results so far
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Matt and has team were wonderful to work with when buying our first home. Made the process a lot less daunting than it otherwise would have been. His team were very friendly and kept us up to date. And Matt has awesome knowledge to teach us which you could see his passion. Would highly recommend to anyone.
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Matt and his team are the best around ! We had a tricky deal that was hard to make happen and they went above and beyond for us ! 100 percent would recommend and will be using again!!!
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We first worked with Matt Willoughby and the team at OneStop a couple of years ago as first home buyers, and they were absolutely fantastic. They made what felt like the impossible happen and helped get my partner and me over the line.
Since then, we've continued working with them including taking the plunge into "adulting" by sorting out both life insurance and health insurance. Matt and the team made the whole process simple and easy to understand, walking us through every step.
We've now used them for all our insurance needs over the years, and they’ve always gone above and beyond. Such a great team and genuinely helpful, professional, and always with your best interest at heart. Couldn't recommend them more highly!
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Matt was absolutely fantastic to work with! He made the whole mortgage process smooth, stress-free, and easy to understand. His communication was prompt, clear, and professional every step of the way, and he truly went above and beyond to get us the best possible outcome. We felt supported and informed throughout the entire process. We can’t recommend Matt highly enough—thank you for all your help!
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Matt and the team at OneStop made purchasing our house easy and stress free for my family and I. Would definitely recommend getting in touch with Matt for your next/first house purchase.
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Lavinia Akauola
4/07/2025
Matt is super easy to talk to and really kind. He takes the time to understand where we're coming from and gives helpful feedback and advice that actually fits our situation.
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Great friendly service, highly recommend them.
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We achieved results by getting the loan amount we wanted and expert advice on interest rates and how to add value to the investments. Always be working with Matt and the team.
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Thanks team. OneStop did a great job guiding us through the process of getting our home loan sorted out. The financial advice and support through the process were spot on.
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Brilliant advice and help from Matt. Was a massive help for us in our journey to buying our first home. Will definitely recommend for anyone.
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Best service from smart people
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Matt and Rue saw our vision and heart from the start. We were never left wondering about the next step as they explained things so simply. They were professional yet personable and always available, night or day:) We could not have bought our dream home without them. I would highly recommend this incredible team.
We're so grateful for them.
Belinda and Christopher Beukes, Manawatu New Zealand
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Matt and his team were brilliant. They helped out, and answered every question I had every step of the way. And with their help and knowledge, I was ultimately able to make "what previously seemed to only be a dream" turn into a reality! And that was to purchase my first property! At the ripe age of 47 I may add 🙂. Thanks again for everything guys! Yous rock!
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Matt has stuck with me after some ups and downs,a couple of banks and we got there, I was great full for the let's try again, try another bank and I got there. Fully recommend 🙂
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Matt and his team are amazing! Would recommend them to everyone.
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Matt and his team were absolutely amazing. We highly recommend them. Communication was amazing, we couldn't have bought our house without them.
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Excellent service. I highly recommend Matt and his team A+
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