Marko Paunovic, the broker behind Avala Finance.

Marko founded Avala Finance on a simple idea: borrowers deserve to deal directly with the person actually shopping their loan, not a call centre and a loan-status portal. He has six years of experience building exactly that kind of practice, working with clients across Sydney and Australia-wide, settling loans across scenarios ranging from straightforward refinances to complex, self-employed applications other brokers had already turned down.

He's a people person first. Marko takes the time to understand a client's whole financial picture (not just the loan in front of him, but where they're actually trying to get to) and aims to make the process as fast and effortless as it can be without cutting corners. A particular focus for him is first-home buyers: walking them through what can feel like a confusing, daunting process until it's simply done.

In a lending environment where the straightforward answer doesn't always work, Marko leans on a structured, outside-the-box approach: understanding how a given lender actually assesses a file, and building the application to fit it. That track record shows up in the reviews on the homepage: sixteen of them, every one five stars.

Outside the office, he's usually at the gym, out for a game of football, or spending time with family and close friends.