Tackling the tentacles of technical talk

Three years ago my husband and I became proud first homeowners of a property on Wellington’s

south coast. As anyone else who has been through this process will know, it is a time of high (and mixed) emotions. 

On one hand, you’ve finally got your own nest, to personalise in whatever way you desire. On the other, you nearly die of fright every time you log in to your online banking and see the 6-digit home loan figure glaring back at you.

Buying a home is often the biggest investment a person will make in their entire life. It’s a very serious matter.

A second wave of shock

We had our home loan approved by a well-known bank, offering the best interest rate at the time. They were quick to sign us up, once we’d proved our worth, and soon enough the screeds of home loan documents arrived.

I’m neither a lawyer nor a financial expert, and so the thick wad of complex pages sent to us by the bank was – to be frank – overwhelming. The fact that this loan document was tying us to an enormous financial commitment didn’t help either.

It’s natural to want to fully comprehend what you’re getting yourself into in these circumstances. But with heavily loaded words such as conveyance, insolvency, liability, and execution all littered about the contract, I quickly got the feeling that I was out of my depth.

If only we’d known

My husband and I spent considerable time painstakingly picking our way through those documents. We eventually felt we’d got a decent grasp of our responsibilities. It was clear to both of us, however, that a simple (plain language) explanation of some of the more technical terms would have been worth its weight in gold.

If only we’d known about Write’s free ebook, Unravelling Financial Jargon. This tool gives definitions of, and plain alternatives to, many common financial terms. It’s the ultimate financial jargon buster!

Get yourself a free copy of Unravelling Financial Jargon here. And let us know if you’ve got any jargon you want busted – we’d love to add it to an update of our ebook!

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