InterestRateComment

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$1m SuperWindow ofOpportunity

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InsuranceCheck

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Tips forchoosing aReal EstateAgent

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in this edi t ion...

Court Financial Services isdelighted to announce that we received The AFG MasterAgent Award 2006,acknowledging our positionas one of the most reputablemortgage brokers in the country. The AFG Master Broker Award was themost coveted Award presented at theAFG Annual Power Broking Conferencein November 06. Court Financial Serviceswas selected to receive it out of a groupof over 100 AFG accredited brokers. The Award’s broad selection criteriacovered many aspects of businessincluding customer service, businessprocesses and business growth.

“Court Financial Services is one of ourmost expert and diligent brokers.Their high standards and proactiveapproach made them the stand out

ISSUE 05 - APRIL 2007

2007, Steaming Ahead2007, Steaming Ahead

candidate for the Master AgentAward,” said Carl Taylor AFG’sVictorian State Manager.

The CFS Team is thrilled to receive sucha prestigious award. “We are very dedicated to our customers and it is anadded bonus to be recognised for ourefforts.” said Kris Court, CFS Director.

CFS WINS AFG MASTERAGENT AWARD!

Quick and easy family pasta...Tuna and Salsa Verde.

Welcome to theAutumn edition of CFSNews. We have a lotto talk about includingthe announcement

that for the second year runningCourt Financial Services collectedtwo significant business Awards; TheAFG Master Agent Award and 4thplace in the MPA Top 100 Broker List.

It is a great honour to be recognisedamong our peers in this manner andwe are proud of the achievement.Read about it in the lead stories onpage 1 and 2.

As well as our regular comment on interest rates, this edition covers avery hot topic - the $1m window of opportunity for super contributions. Plus, if you’re thinking of selling yourhome, we provide our tips on choosing an estate agent. We alsoask all of our clients to consider avery serious question - are you adequately insured? Finally, we provide another delicious pastarecipe that is both easy and economicalto prepare. The family will love it.

Once again, enjoy the newsletter,and please do not hesitate to callme if you have any questions at all.

Kris CourtDirector

Kris receiving the AFG Master Award.

For the second year running, CourtFinancial Services has been recognisedas one of the industry’s top performingmortgage brokers.

The Mortgage Professional Australiamagazine recently published their Top 100 Brokers List 2006.

Court Financial Servicesranked at number 4 nationally

- a significant climb from our ranking of 32nd in 2005.

The odds are once again in favour of another interest raterise. Following the Reserve Bank’s April decision to keeprates on hold, economists are tipping that a rise will occur inMay or June.

Our message continues to be: keep the purse strings tight and contact us immediately if you are at all concerned aboutthe level of your loan repayments, or if you would like to discuss fixing your rate.

interest rate comment...

“MPA’s Top 100 Brokers List identifies the

industry’s hardworking brokers,”

explained Simon Parker, MPA’s Editor.

The top 100 list is based on the amountof loans brokers settle each year. TheMPA invite brokers to enter the Awardsand before the list is published, the MPAcarefully scrutinise entries to ensurebusiness figures submitted are authentic.

Could the information in thisnewsletter be useful to one ofyour friends or family?

Email or call us and we’ll gladly send them a copy alongwith an invitation to be on ourmail list.

Are you aware of the $1m super

window of opportunity?

Did you know that Australians canmake after tax contributions of up to $1m to their super funds beforethe end of this financial year. It’san incredibly significant opportunityif you are close to retirementand/or if you have assets that youcould potentially sell. If you wantto take advantage of this windowof opportunity, time is running outso don’t delay in getting yourfunds organised. It is importantthat you understand the opportunityclearly. Please do not hesitate tocall our office if you would like moreinformation.

Help a Friend

Play it safe, check the level of your insurance today.Consider the following 4 reasons why many Australiansare underinsured.

Many people skimp on their level and type of cover to reduce premiums. This approach leaves you exposed if the unfortunate occurs.

Property values and the cost of building have increased significantly

over recent years, howevermany people have not increased theirlevel of building insurance cover toreflect this.

Many people believe they don’t need lifeinsurance because their superannuationpolicy provides “some sort of compulsory life insurance payment”. In many cases, this cover is not adequate.

Many people fail to consider theirincome as their most important asset.

As your mortgage broker, we are notobliged by law to check that you haveadequate insurance policies in place when we assist you with your mortgage,however we do feel a duty of care to discuss it with you and remind you tokeep all policies up to date.

Please do not hesitate to contact ouroffice if you would like to discuss thestatus of your insurance cover.

COURT FINANCIAL SERVICESROCKET AHEAD IN THE MPA TOP 100 BROKERS LIST

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We are in constant contact with peoplewho are buying and selling real estateso it’s logical that many of our customerslook to us for guidance on the stepsinvolved. Over the past few months we have added a lot more information

on this topic to our website and in this newsletter we provide tips for “choosing a real estate agent”. Of course, please continue to call us to ask any questions you may have.

CFS Client Richard Buchananrecently sold his property.Richard interviewed 3 agentsthat were active in his suburbbefore making a choice about the right one to manage his sale.

Buying & Selling your home.

A Court Financial Services’ Client Experience:

Tips for choosing a real estate agent 1. Research the estate agents that are active in your area. Attend auctions and

collect their promotional material. Become familiar with the personal style of staff managing home inspections and auction days.

2. Speak with neighbours who have sold their homes recently.

3. Ring the agents that appeal to you as a result of your preliminary research and organise a time for them to view your home.

4. Collect the following information from prospective agents:- Their knowledge of the market in your area and homes that have sold recently- Their estimated selling price for your property- Their commission and how willing they are to negotiate- The staff that would be working on your sale- Their marketing plan for your property (ie. Target market, where/when

should the property be advertised, style of advertising, inspection times,the auction date/time and the total costs for all advertising).

5. Do not choose an agent just because they have quoted the highest estimatedselling price. Ensure that all the agents back up their quotes by giving youinformation on comparable sales in recent times.

6. Compare all of the above information to identify the agent that you feel mostconfident with. Remember that commissions and advertising costs are alwaysnegotiable.

7. Once an agent is chosen, you will be given a “Written Sales Authority” to sign.This is a legally binding document which provides details of the estimatedselling price, commission and advertising costs. Make sure you understand allof the terms in this agreement, including the period of time for which theAgreement is valid. Do not sign the Sales Authority without reading it thoroughly.Ensure you retain a copy of it as proof of what is agreed.

“The agent I selected stood out as the most driven towardmeeting my expectations. Their answers to my questionswere more dynamic than the other agents and they were able to offer me more value for the commission I would be paying. Their style of operation - which seemedmore boutique in approach, gave me reassurance that a ‘better-than-the nominated’ outcome would be achieved.”

Tell a Friend Is someone you know house hunting?Why not let them know that CFS canorganise a home loan pre-approval so that they can feel confident andprepared.

We’ll look after them as well as welook after you.

www.courtfs.com.au

Want to visit us at Court FinancialServices?This map will lead you straight to ourdoor. To see a larger version of thismap, visit www.courtfs.com.au

Ingredients• 400g rigatoni• 1 425g can of tuna in oil (we like to

use the Sirena Italian Style Tuna)• Squeeze of lemon juice from half of

a small lemon.

Salsa Verde• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and

chopped• 1 or 2 cloves of crushed garlic

(depending how much garlic you like)• 3/4 cup of chopped dill• 3/4 cup of chopped basil• 1/2 cup chopped parsley• 1/4 cup olive oil.

Method

1. Combine all of the ingredients for theSalsa Verde in a bowl and mix well.

2. Drain the oil from the tuna and keepa couple of tablespoons.

3. Cook the pasta until al dente.

4. Drain the pasta and quickly return it to the pan. Reduce the heat.

5. Quickly add the tuna and the tunaoil to the pasta, squeeze over thelemon juice and stir through for aminute or two.

6. Add the Salsa Verde and thoroughlystir through over low heat.

Serve with cracked black pepper andshaved parmesan.

Like all CFS recipes, Tunapasta with Salsa Verde meetsall our essential criteria -

Absolutely delicious

Easy and quick to prepare

Extremely Economical

A delicious meal, prepared in minutes...

Tuna Pastawith Salsa Verde

2007, Steaming Ahead

Contact Us: Office phone: 03 9429 9775Fax: 03 9429 9778Address: 132 Walnut Street, Richmond 3121kris@courtfs.com.audaniel@courtfs.com.auingrid@courtfs.com.au

Courtesy Note: if you do not wish to receive future editions of CFS News or other information from Court FinancialServices in the future, please let us know by emailing ingrid@courtfs.com.au, or by calling the office on 03 9429 9775