"Life is not a fairytale... if you lose your shoe at midnight, you're drunk!"
ANDREA PALELLA (O'SHEA)
Andrea has worked in the finance industry since 2008 and is a top performing mortgage broker and mum of 2 young kids. You may recognise Andrea from her previous roles as a Bank Manager at Bendigo Bank or Senior Finance Specialist with Coronis Mortgage & Finance (with a short stint at Yellow Brick Road in between). Andrea holds a Diploma in Finance and Mortgage Broking, a Bachelor of Business and is a Commissioner of Declarations. Andrea has also been honoured with being a finalist in the 2017 Connective Women’s Empowerment Award & the 2019 REB Women in Business – Residential Mortgage Broker of the Year Award for her contributions & commitments to her clients, as well as being an integral part of the multiple award winning Coronis Mortgage & Finance team.
Andrea has helped thousands of clients and settled over $200 million in lending during her time in the industry. She believes that her experience at Bendigo Bank assessing loan applications and working closely with the credit team has provided her with a comprehensive knowledge base & the ability to assess an application form the banks’ perspective, giving her clients confidence & peace of mind in getting their loan approved. Working alongside the rest of The Happy Finance Team has provided her with extensive knowledge and between them, there isn’t too much that they haven’t dealt with before!
I think my favourite food would be
Tough choice. I'm a gemini and apparently we're not good at making decisions. I love nonna's lasagne but I also really enjoy anything my husband slow cooks & smokes on the BBQ. No wait....tacos! Yep, I love tacos!
My favourite movie or tv series is
Bluey! If you know, you know. Pre-toddler life, I would watch Entourage any day of the week as it was fun, energetic and a quick & easy show to watch as I don't get much time in front of the TV!
Something people don't know about me is
I don't drink coffee!
My favourite ice-cream flavour is
Salted Caramel & Macadamia. However I could eat pretty much any ice-cream and did so through both of my pregnancies, including when it was about 12 degrees at 8am in Melbourne!
My favourite drink
Just a good old Aussie Lager! Or if I'm being fancy, a VLS (vodka, lime & soda)
Why did you become a broker
As a Branch Manager at the bank, I was only ever able to offer a cookie cutter solution and limited options to my clients. There was always the "bottom line" to worry about so I also had to be selective on who got better discounts on their home loan rates. I became a broker to offer more solutions to more clients, always get the best price from the bank, and help make it easier & less stressful for clients during the loan process.
What do you like most about being a broker
I really enjoy being able to discuss some of my passions all day with my clients - ie. real estate & making or saving money.
Some of the things that make me happy are
Sleeping through the night
I'm currently trying to improve upon
Sleeping through the night
I'm improving my health by
Eating less chocolate, drinking less beer & getting back to Crossfit after a few years off. When I became a broker I was coaching Crossfit before work and training 5-6 days a week. After having kids and becoming so busy with work, that was a sacrifice I had to make and my only form of exercise has been walking or riding the kids to daycare & back.
Something I love about my family is
Watching my young kids become best friends. They genuinely love being together and yes they push each other's buttons, but at the end of the day they are there for each other. I also love & value the support we all get from my husband - I couldn't do this job without him - he cooks, cleans and is an amazing dad!
ANDREA PALELLA (O'SHEA)
DAVID FRENCH
MATHEW CROSSLEY
MATTHEW GOODYEAR
