Shannon and Simon can pay for renos by switching to a better rate – with the help of loanScore

The Block winners Shannon and Simon Vos know a great deal about homes and renovating but admitted they weren’t so savvy when it came to home loans.

Brothers Shannon and Simon Vos won season nine of popular renovation show The Block:Glasshouse back in 2014. While the two know a great deal about homes and renovating, they recently admitted they weren’t so savvy when it came to home loans. (In case you missed their insta story and Facebook video about this, we’ve included them below). The painter (Shannon) and plumber (Simon) recently checked their home loan rates in Australia using UNO’s loanScoreTM tool and found the results pretty surprising. With Shannon moving into a new home, he has big plans to renovate. But as anyone who’s renovated their home before knows, the process can be time-consuming and extremely costly. “I hope you have an absolute mint of savings tucked away, cause renovating ain’t cheap,” his brother Simon quipped. Shannon, like 89% of homeowners, didn’t know the rate on his home loan. When he checked it using UNO’s loanScore tool, he found out that he was actually eligible for a better rate. The money he could save by refinancing could even be put towards his renovations. “I know you’re renovating your home, but you need to renovate your home loan before you start to make sure you’re getting the best deal possible,” said Shannon. We couldn’t have put it better ourselves. When you let us know your current home loan rate and details about your loan, loanScore gives you a score out of 100 to indicate how good your current loan is. The higher the score, the better your loan is. If you get a low score, UNO will search for better loans and can show you your potential net savings over 3 years if you choose to switch.

As an Active Home Loan Manager, UNO:

  1. helps you find the right home loan for your situation
  2. monitors your existing loan and let you know whether it’s still the best loan available to you (even if you didn’t get it through us)
  3. helps you renegotiate with your current bank or lender, if your current loan is no good
  4. helps you switch banks, if your current bank or lender won’t come to the party Check out UNO’s loanScore tool to see if you could be getting a better rate – and could be saving money you could be putting towards something else – like renovations. Book a call in with UNO
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December 5, 2025
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December 1, 2025
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Jake was fantastic when refinancing our home loan. The whole process was made so easy by Jake who had a lot of knowledge, was attentive and kept us well informed through the whole process. Such an easy and positive experience and I would recommend him and his services to anyone.
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My partner and I have just bought our first home and Jake de Ruyter helped us arrange our finance. Jake was an absolute pleasure to deal with. He made the process smooth, stress-free, and straight-forward. He displayed professionalism and open communication throughout the process and was quick to act on every piece of correspondence. We are so happy and will 100% be doing all our future finance through Jake.
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We chose Paul as our mortgage broker because, as fellow Kiwis, we wanted someone who truly understood us and how we work - and we’re so glad we did. His communication was exceptional from start to finish, always quick to respond (even to our many questions!) and incredibly clear throughout the entire process. Paul secured our loan super quickly and guided us through each step with confidence and ease. Buying a home in Australia can feel overwhelming, but he made everything feel straight forward and stress-free. We would recommend Paul all day long to anyone looking to purchase a home in Australia, and we will absolutely use him again when the time comes. Thank you, Paul - you’ve been amazing.
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When seeking for a loan for my unconventional lending requirements (via a trading trust), none of the Big 4 nor regular brokers could help. I'm glad I found Jesse who has a thorough understanding of my requirements and it has been a pleasant and seamless experience to have my loan organised by Jesse until settlement. A well deserved 5 stars review from me!!!
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