Aussie pivots to become ‘fully integrated property ecosystem’

It has now also launched an in-house buyer’s agents service (Aussie Buyer’s Agents) and set up referral partnerships with real estate agents (Aussie for Agents) to help borrowers find appropriate property.

Lendi Group today (25 March) launched a new property and listings search platform, Aussie Homes (integrated into the Aussie App), which includes pre-market listings and reportedly covers around 11 million properties.

Customers can access free property reports, suburb profiles, and insights via the app, as well as digital tools that support Aussie brokers in their client meetings. Real estate agents will also be able to connect their listings to Aussie Homes.

According to the group, the move will provide borrowers with a ‘one-stop shop’ for their home buying needs:

• FIND - Aussie Buyer’s Agents and Aussie Homes will help borrowers look for property, supported by listings from referral partner real estate agents using Aussie for Agents.
• BUY - Aussie Brokers will provide financing, white label lending (a new bridging loan solution is reportedly about to be launched to help clients sell property before they buy), and insurance services.
• OWN - Aussie Conveyancing will provide legal support in property transactions and customers will be able to access products such as Live Equity and Seller Assist (where brokers can offer a free comparison service connecting the customer with agents to match their needs. These leads are then distributed to agents via the Aussie for Agents platform, allowing for direct agent-customer interactions for property appraisals).

As part of the evolution for Aussie, stores will evolve from a linear broking experience to “property hubs” that will integrate core mortgage broker expertise with Aussie Buyer’s Agents and Conveyancing.

New technology has also been developed to accelerate the process, including through a new data collaboration with PEXA that offers brokers an end-to-end view of application statuses, reducing lender costs and improving efficiency.

Announcing the Aussie evolution at Lendi Group’s Thrive25 conference in the Sydney ICC on Tuesday (25 March), Lendi Group CEO and co-founder David Hyman said the vision was for Aussie to provide “an unprecedented range of new products and services” that position the brand at every touchpoint in the customer’s property journey.

“From today, Aussie is more than a mortgage broker. We’re unlocking new possibilities for Australians to Find, Buy, and Own property, with Aussie by their side at every step,” he said.

“By combining the strength of our broker network, trusted brand, and cutting-edge technology, we’re delivering what’s been missing – a truly buyer-centric experience at transformational scale.”

Hyman said that in the age of digital transformation: “If we don’t adapt, we don’t just fall behind, we actually become irrelevant.”

He said he hoped the Aussie evolution would marry people and harness technology to simplify the home buying journey.

“AI is not here to replace brokers, or any of the people in your business. It’s here to supercharge you,” he said.

“If you think about the current landscape, the experience from starting your property search through to conveyancing, settlement and beyond – it’s not a simple journey.

“Customers get bounced between service providers, re-entering the same information, filling out duplicate forms, and dealing with unnecessary complexity. Our Find, Buy and Own journey is fully integrated, and enhanced with AI.”

Open banking technology is also being rolled out to the group to accelerate the property buying process.

Hyman said: “Amid a housing affordability crisis, more Australians than ever before are turning to brokers for trusted advice. Now, AI, data and technology allow us to deliver more for customers. We are at the forefront of a major shift.”

In the coming quarter, the group will also launch a live equity tracker – powered by open banking – that will enable borrowers and brokers to track the equity borrowers have in their property.

This aims to not only provide borrowers with the ability to track their home, loan, and equity position but also provide brokers with a real-time overview of them.

Lendi Group said it will be the first broking business to use open banking at this scale and its upcoming“always on” financial health tracker” will be a first for Australian brokers.

What does each element do?

• Aussie Homes: The data-led search platform integrated into the Aussie App, includes pre-market listings, free property reports, suburb profiles, and insights, as well as digital tools that drive valuable conversations with Aussie brokers.
• Aussie Buyer’s Agents: Aiming to become “the country’s largest buyer’s agent service”, Aussie’s Buyer’s Agents will provide in-house support to help customers find and secure the right property, providing access to off-market listings and helping negotiate.
• Aussie Conveyancing: Aussie Conveyancing integrates conveyancing into the broking process, with real-time visibility and tracking for customers. It will soon expand to include ‘sell-side’ conveyancing for customers (such as downsizers and upgraders).
• Aussie for Agents: A two-way platform to refer and connect Aussie customers who need to sell their property with local agents, while enabling agents to win and launch high-value property listings.

“We are uniquely positioned to champion the customer and we’re doing it at the perfect time. We’re home to two of Australia’s top four brokerages, we have the most advanced digital platform, and we’re more laser-focused on the buyer than we have ever been. That’s a trifecta no one else can match,” Hyman said.

More to come.

[Related: Aussie becomes Lendi Group’s primary broking brand]