Dan Bailey is a mortgage adviser with LifeDirect Mortgages, based at Level 1/10 Hutt Rd in Petone, Wellington, where he works alongside Bridie McKendry. His focus is making the financing of a new home, business, commercial or investment property as easy as possible, with the best deal and terms on offer in the marketplace.
Dan's background spans 14 years with New Zealand banks and six years as a mortgage adviser with Loan Market. As a Financial Adviser (FSP738551), the advice he provides is required to be in his clients' best interests and suited to their goals. He works with clients and their other professionals so the process feels enjoyable and stays in the client's control — and, in his own words, he loves seeing his clients succeed.
Client reviews on the page are consistently five stars, with a strong theme of clear communication, patience and trustworthy advice, especially among first-home buyers. Reviewers describe a team that goes out of its way to make financing easy, explains each step carefully, and treats clients as though they were the most important person in their day.
Through the wider LifeDirect platform, clients can also compare life, health, income protection, house & contents, trauma, mortgage, car and pet insurance, along with KiwiSaver schemes, and use tools such as a mortgage calculator and current mortgage rates.
Level 1/10 Hutt Rd in Petone is where mortgage adviser Dan Bailey works alongside Bridie McKendry as part of the LifeDirect Mortgages team. Dan's remit is broad: financing for new homes, business and commercial property, investment properties, and refinancing existing home loans. His own summary of the job is refreshingly plain — to make the process as easy as possible, with the best deal and terms on offer in the marketplace, delivered in a way that feels enjoyable and leaves you in control.
Dan's route into advice ran through the banks. He spent 14 years with New Zealand banks before six years as a mortgage adviser with Loan Market, then joined LifeDirect Mortgages — close to two decades spent on the lending side of property. That time shows up in how he describes his role: securing the best deal and terms available in the market, and coordinating with the other professionals around a transaction so nothing falls between the cracks. As a Financial Adviser registered under FSP738551, his advice is required to be in your best interests and suited to your goals, and his disclosure statement is published alongside his profile. He adds, simply: 'I love seeing my clients succeed.'
The enquiry form on his profile maps to real life: 'Buy my first home', 'Buy a property to live in (but not first time)', 'Buy an investment property', 'Refinance my mortgage', or 'Other'. Behind those options sits the full range of property lending he describes — new homes, business and commercial property, and investment purchases — plus guidance for buyers who want to understand their position before they commit. The tone he aims for is calm and collaborative: an 'enjoyable experience where you feel in control', with Dan working alongside your solicitor, agent and anyone else in your corner.
The testimonials on the page are all five stars, and a pattern runs through them: communication, patience and care. First-home buyers feature prominently. Rachel Y thanks 'Dan and Bridie and the team at LifeDirect Mortgages' for helping navigate the purchase of her first home, appreciating 'the communication and care taken to explain the process, and also their trustworthy advice and patience throughout'. Everton Fragoso credits the pair with rescuing his first-home search from 'a very unprofessional individual' and exceeding expectations, 'from just advice to a complete loan transaction'. Helen Barker writes that the team went 'out of their way to make financing as easy as possible' and 'made you feel like the most important person in their day'. Reviews like these are why 'highly recommend' appears in nearly every one.
Being part of LifeDirect means clients get more than one adviser's view on a loan. The platform publishes current mortgage rates and an online mortgage calculator, and runs comparison services for life, health, income protection, house & contents, trauma, mortgage, car and pet insurance, as well as KiwiSaver schemes. For anyone buying a house — and lining up the insurance and retirement savings that come with it — that puts a lot of the puzzle under one roof, with the Petone office as the starting point.
The office is at Level 1/10 Hutt Rd, Petone, Wellington. Dan can be reached directly on 027 534 8052 or by email at [email protected], and there's a message form on his profile if you'd rather write first. Whether you're weeks from settlement or years from your first deposit, the team invites the conversation — and going by the reviews, past clients are glad they made the call.