Natalja, the face of LHV: A home loan manager must have a good heart

When Natalja Shvets, home loan manager and team leader at LHV, saw a larger-than-life-size advertisement of herself from the window while working out at a sports club, she was proud to be the face of LHV. Although as a helpful and listening communicator for her clients, she has already been that for quite some time.

Natalja has worked at LHV for five years. During this time, she has issued hundreds of home loans, led a team of five managers, and gone to work every day with a desire to support people in purchasing their homes. ‘I like to make people happy, to witness the emotion people feel when they buy their first home, their dream home,’ describes Natalja.

This year has been a very busy one for LHV Pank’s home loans team. Natalja calls it the most exciting of the last five years, as the bank has managed to attract many new satisfied home loan clients. Natalja believes she has ended up in the best team, where everyone has a common goal. Everyone is a ‘people person’, very friendly and helpful. ‘We want to offer the best service to our home loan clients,’ she says.

‘I always say to myself: communicate with your clients the way you want to be communicated with. You have to listen to the client, you have to understand the whole picture of what the client wants,’ Natalja says. According to her, a home loan manager must be very knowledgeable in their field, as clients expect expert advice.

Natalja always tries to be there for her team. She supports her teammates, but also does the work of a loan manager herself. In working relationships, she emphasises honesty and listening to each other. The same is true when dealing with clients. Natalja believes that a home loan manager should be kind-hearted, helpful, supportive, available, and also have a good sense of humour, which is sometimes particularly helpful.

Suggests saving up and keeping a budget

But what does a manager who deals with the day-to-day concerns and joys of clients recommend to clients? Firstly, she says that it is always the right time to buy your own home, and it is never too early to start saving up for one. ‘I would recommend that everyone, from their very first job, starts to save up for the self-financing of their home. Having a habit is very important in saving up; for example, setting aside 10% of your income. This gives you the knowledge that when the time is right, you will be able to handle it,’ Natalja says. She says there are some good clients who are no strangers to saving up, but in general, it seems to be quite difficult in Estonia.

It is also important to be able to count money. Natalja suggests that everyone should make a budget and plan how much money they spend on food, utilities, travelling, partying, and so on. ‘I always advise people to think through their financial decisions so they know how much they can spend. They should leave room for a plan B, in case something does not go as planned,’ she says.

For home buyers, Natalja recommends that they consider their choice carefully – they should have an honest look at their needs and possibilities. ‘What kind of property are you buying? Where is it located? Does the property require renovation or can you just move in and start living your life?’ says the loan manager. She provides an example of a young man who wanted to buy a very expensive 4-bedroom apartment and had to be told, also because of his solvency, that it would be better to buy a 2- or 3-bedroom apartment. ‘So that the client does not just repay the loan, but can also live their life – to see the world, not just their monthly payment obligation,’
Natalja says. Loan managers need to make sure that every client can manage with their monthly payments, and that there is still some wiggle room.

In addition, Natalja advises homeseekers to communicate more with the bank. You can apply for a loan well ahead of time to find out more about your solvency or possible loan amount. That way, the manager can see the whole picture and can give better advice. ‘You can always get in touch with us and ask, no need to be afraid,’ she says.

While some interested people today have more time to communicate with the bank, loan managers are still expected to act quickly. ‘Once an apartment has been chosen, the client is in a hurry. Our advantage at LHV is that we make an offer within 24 hours, already. It is not uncommon for a client to apply on Monday, get a contract already on Friday, and visit a notary the following week,’ praises Natalja.

Starting out an attendant helps to understand people

Natalja started in banking 16 years ago, already. She has worked as a teller, a financial advisor, and a relationship manager in private banking. Natalja finds that starting out in the service sector gives you a good understanding of different people and the necessary communication skills. In terms of her education, the home loan manager of today is a paralegal instead, but she has also studied Estonian language and culture extensively at Tallinn University.

According to Natalja, Russian-speaking clients are sometimes pleasantly surprised that they can do business in Russian in an Estonian bank. However, this is necessary because Russian-speaking clients are often more demanding in their communication, wishing to discuss the loan terms clause by clause. For example, clients who have arrived from Ukraine have to be explained the home loan rules in Estonia from start to finish, while Estonians tend to be more aware of the services available here.

Natalja is delighted when clients recognise her from the advertising photos this autumn. According to the home loan manager, clients are already like family members with whom she stays together until the transactions are notarised. And sometimes, the client concludes by emailing: ‘Thank you, I’m in my new home now, it feels so good.’
Natalja says that positive feedback is really cool to hear: ‘Then, I understand why I like this job. I am happy to have been able to help clients buy their dream home.’

Natalja’s own dream home could even be outside the city, like a house in the woods. But also not too far from Tallinn, because instead of working from home, she likes to be in the office every day. When a long day at work is behind her and she wants to exercise, Natalja can be found boxing with her colleagues. Nothing violent, though – exercises with a punching bag. In her free time, she likes to walk in the woods or by the sea. ‘I still admire how beautiful is our nature, our Estonia. We have it all: rivers, lakes, bogs, and the sea. The sea calms me, the forest calms me and gives me energy and motivation,’ describes home loan manager Natalja.