Episode #161
How To Buy A House In Australia | Reece Sacino #161
Send us Fan Mail Reece Sacino calls himself a finance psychologist, and after an hour with him you understand why. He’ll tell you that the numbers are the easy part of the job. It's the fear sitting across the desk that takes the real work. For most people, taking on a mortgage is the biggest financial decision they'll ever make, and it usually arrives with a knot in the stomach and a head full of advice picked up at a barbecue or at 1am on their phone. Reece's real skill isn't the maths (although he’s pretty good at that too). It's untangling the stress and the misinformation, and handing people a grounded plan they can actually carry. He reckons 80% of his job is managing emotions, and only the last 20% is delivering the information. I know this firsthand, because he's helped me through it more than once - including a refinance while my marriage was ending, a big decision landing at the exact moment you're least equipped to make it. He was kind, patient, and he spoke a language that made sense in the chaos. So I wanted to get him in the studio and find out where a man learns to do that. In this conversation, we get into why he'll tell a first-home buyer they're not ready even though he only gets paid when a loan settles, why the lowest interest rate isn’t necessarily the best deal, and the circumstances where renting genuinely beats buying. We also go well off the property script into meditation and stoicism, whether we actually have free will, the moment hiring his first staff changed everything, and his admission that hitting $160 million wasn't the finish line he thought it would be. His business is Equitas Mortgage and Finance, and the philosophy behind it is simple: focus on the client outcome, and the money follows. This episode shows you the person behind that and why, after all of it, the thing he most wants you to remember is not to take life too seriously. In this episode: 5:22 From wanting to be a stockbroker to broking mortgages 9:57 The finance psychologist: why 80% of the job is emotion 12:06 Why he'll tell you not to buy 14:23 The barbecue advice that's costing you money 17:19 When renting actually beats buying 19:12 The government schemes helping buyers in 25:19 Why social media does more harm than good 28:14 The 1,600 phone calls and learning to let go 36:58 Meditation, stoicism, and taming a hyperactive mind 44:37 $160 million, and the goal that vanished overnight About Reece Sacino: Reece Sacino is a Perth-based mortgage broker and the founder of Equitas Mortgage and Finance. Born and raised in Perth, he studied commerce at Curtin University with a double major in accounting and finance, and trained under some of the state's best brokers before starting his own business in 2018 at just 21. He built it under his father's Equitas Accounting name, and to this day runs entirely on word-of-mouth referrals, having never spent a dollar on advertising. In 2025 he settled a record $160 million in loans, ranking among the top 10 brokers in Western Australia. He describes himself as a finance psychologist, spending most of his time coaching clients through the stress and misinformation around the biggest financial decisions of their lives. His approach is shaped as much by meditation, mindfulness, and stoicism as by the numbers. Outside of work, he's focused on family, friends, and finding a better balance than the one that built the business. Connect with Reece: Website LinkedIn With thanks: This episode is proudly sponsored by Cuppa Cartel To celebrate, our listeners and the Cuppa Familia can enjoy a special rate on all coffee beans using code TRBLC at checkout. Discover your brand's potential with a free Brand Discovery session at http://designstudioperth.com.au/brand-discovery About Tracy: Tracy Fryer is the Director of Design Studio Perth, a branding and marketing agency dedicated to helping clients grow with confidence through brand strategy, identity, websites and marketing. As the host of The Real Biz Life Chronicles, Tracy brings raw, insightful conversations that push entrepreneurs to embrace bold growth, develop strategic branding, and lead with unapologetic confidence. Her approach is refreshingly real, blending deep expertise with a passion for authenticity, creative excellence, and business success. Connect with Tracy Fryer: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok | Design Studio Perth Follow The Real Biz Life Chronicles: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube Email us at info@therealbizlifchronicles.com
