What is a mortgage broker?
A mortgage broker acts as an intermediary who brokers mortgage loans on behalf of individuals or businesses. Mortgage brokers exist to find a bank or direct lender that will be willing to make the specific loan an individual requires.
Finding a good deal for a mortgage loan in St-James’s will be easier if you work with a mortgage broker. The right broker will also improve your chances of getting a mortgage, even if you have a poor credit score or are subject to any other circumstances that could complicate your mortgage application.
There are regulations in place to guide professional mortgage brokers and make sure they adhere to banking and finance laws in the jurisdiction of customers, so you can be sure you’re in good hands.
Handy Tools and Calculators
You can easily plan your future once you have an idea of the maximum you can borrow and how much the loan will cost. Find out just how much your mortgage repayments are going to be, dependent on your interest rate and full loan amount, using this handy calculator. To immediately determine how much you’ll have to repay each month, simply enter the values and your term before pressing ‘Click to calculate’.
Why Use A Mortgage Broker?
There are a wide range of benefits to be enjoyed from working with a mortgage broker in St-James’s with regards your mortgage application. Some of the most prominent benefits are:
Save Money
The possibility of saving money is the most obvious advantage of working with a mortgage broker. You don’t have to handle the hard work, as this can be managed by an expert with ample experience, who will make sure your best interests are addressed. All you’ll need to do is fill out some details.
With limited understanding on the concept of mortgage brokers, some people don’t fully trust this, believing there must be a catch at some point. While this train of thought is understandable, be assured that most mortgage brokers don’t have an incentive to work against your best interests.
If the broker cannot provide genuine reasons for recommending the mortgage they have (to you, their regulators, the Financial Conduct Authority or the Prudential Regulation Authority), then they could be in serious trouble. To potentially reduce the cost of the entire loan, there are some mortgage brokers who can secure exclusive mortgages deals not available on the high street. Reputable mortgage brokers communicate how they expect to be paid for their services, as well as outline the details of the entire loan. Filing the pockets of a broker is of little value to a mortgage advisor company when compared to making sure customers have a positive experience.
Finds The Most Advantageous Deal
Your interests – and not those of the lending institution – will be represented by the mortgage broker. They shouldn’t just play the role of your agent, but also those of problem solver and knowledgeable consultant. You can get the best value as per interest rates, loan products and repayment amounts thanks to the wide range of mortgage products to which a broker has access. You will be interviewed by the mortgage brokers to determine your needs and goals – both in the short and long term. Simple 30 or 15-year mortgages are not sufficient in many cases, which is why innovative mortgages and sophisticated solutions are distinct benefits of working with experienced brokers. These include mortgages to raise capital for repaying debts, money for marital needs or children, home renovations or the purchase of other properties such as buy to lets.
Has Flexibility Expertise to Meet Your Needs
A mortgage broker navigates the client through any situation, handling the process and smoothing any bumps in the road along the way. For instance, brokers would know the lenders that can make available the best products for clients with credit issues. If a borrower requires a loan too large for the bank to approve, a broker can be of benefit by providing the knowledge and ability to successfully source financing.
Save Time & Hassle
It’s never just about money. Saving some extra cash is great, but so is your time and sanity. Consider how much time it would take you to research multiple loan types from multiple lenders. You’d only need to complete one application with a mortgage broker, instead of filling out forms for every individual lender. Your mortgage broker can make available a formal comparison of the loans recommended to advise on the information which completely illustrates cost differences, along with present rates, points and closing costs for every loan shown. Your broker compares loans from major and less popular lenders to find you the best deal with the lowest rates and overall cost.
Reduce the workload for yourself and outsource it to someone who can provide professional advice. Mortgage brokers do the legwork for you by supporting you throughout the application and pre-approval process. This includes completing all paperwork, answering questions, helping you apply for government schemes and shedding light on options and loan features you may not have considered or even known about. Drawdown facilities, offset accounts and extra repayments (to name a few) are just some of the features involved. Your general mortgage experience and overall expenses can be largely affected by these features. If you don’t know much about these concepts and how they can work for you, reach out to your broker over the phone for clarification and answers.
Access to exclusive non-advertised deals
There are exclusive deals not made public by the banks that brokers have access to. The banks push these deals on to brokers, who are in charge of selling the products. Contacting a broker will unlock these extra benefits you would miss out on if you were to approach the bank yourself.
Brokers can search the whole market for the finest deal, whereas individual banks can only offer their own deals and not those of other banks.
Better chance of pre-approval success
If your request for an Agreement in principle/Decision in principle of a loan is turned down, a mark is left on your credit rating. Brokers are knowledgeable and have the much-needed experience to give you a better shot at approval the first time you apply.
Access to expert knowledge
The job of a mortgage broker is to help people secure loans. They have access to helpful information and exclusive deals you’d otherwise not find. If you’re not on the lookout for them, you might not notice the subtleties that accompany loans. The difference to your mortgage could ultimately be made by these subtleties. Having the services of an experienced professional who can point these out for you is a huge benefit.
Rather than putting time aside to research thousands of loans and several lenders – and still possibly miss important subtleties – why not let someone else who has industry experience handle the work? The same way you would contact a plumber to fix a leaking pipe or a hairdresser to work on damaged hair, contacting a mortgage broker is an ideal option for your home loan needs.
Contact the Mortgage Saving Experts in Horsell. You can reach us by dialling 01273 738 072 today for a friendly chat.
About Mortgage Saving Experts
Mortgages and insurance are not as complex as they seem at first. This is why it’s very important to find honest advisers, who are knowledgeable and experienced. Our mortgage savings experts will ease the process for you and make it as simple as possible. Besides, why complicate things more than necessary? Allow us to ease the entire process and obtain the best deals available for you.
With the honest and transparent services customers receive at Mortgage Saving Experts, they will come to realise that mortgages and insurance are not as challenging as they seem. At Mortgage Saving Experts, we handle every single mortgage and insurance application like they belong to us. This is what we do. No matter the circumstances – whether this is your first time buying, you’re a landlord, moving onto a new chapter or even re-mortgaging, Mortgage Saving Experts are here to help. We are here to assist! Essentially “Take 15 minutes to talk to 1 adviser and find out about 1000s of mortgage deals.”
Our Team of St-James’s Mortgage Experts
We make it our duty to get you the best deal the market has to offer, as we are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We must justify to our customers and regulators why we make the mortgage recommendations we do, so you know just why you have that mortgage.
“Down to Earth Mortgage”
We are an honest, enthusiastic and passionate team of mortgage insurance experts, with years of industry experience.
Our mortgage and insurance experts pride themselves on listening to what your current and future objectives are. These goals will be achieved when we work with you intently.
Why chose Mortgage Saving Experts?
After taking out a mortgage, you’ll get an initial rate for the first couple of years. After the initial rate period, the rate is then raised to the lender’s variable rate. You will be contacted by our team approximately three months prior to the renewal time to agree a new deal, before the monthly payment and rate are increased. Included below are the plus points of working with us:
- You’ll get a better deal than the bank variable rate and subsequently save money.
- We will help you keep abreast of the expiry dates for deals, so you won’t have to worry.
- You can take time to relax, while we handle the stress for you.
- We know our business, so you’ll only be advised by qualified mortgage experts.
- We compare thousands of deals, so can advise you accordingly and arrange the very best.
- For the entire mortgage process, you will be expertly advised and supported.
Our Approach to Mortgage Advice
Your individual needs will be duly considered, as we provide fully personalised services. Our approach to mortgage advice involves three simple steps:
- Let’s have an Initial Chat, so we can get to know You and What Your Requirements Are
- We Search the Entire Market to Find the Best Deal for You
- We’ll Present you with the Cheapest and best Deals Available for Both Mortgages and Insurance Cover
How Mortgage Saving Expert Brokers Can Help you:
The reasons our services are better than those of other mortgage services in St-James’s include:
- Find out what your needs and circumstances are through fact-finding.
- Explain what costs buying and selling involve.
- Request relevant documents to assist with the application.
- Propose and explain the likely mortgage.
- Respond to any questions you might have.
- Get an agreement in principle.
- Have your full mortgage application submitted.
- Liaise with your estate agent, mortgage lender and solicitor to answer any question through to completion.
Mortgage Types We Provide Expert Advice On
We advise expertly on a vast selection of mortgage products. In collaboration with our team, you won’t have any trouble finding the best mortgage products to match your specific requirements. Some of the most commonly requested mortgage types we help with include:
First time buyers
First Time Buyers are classed by most mortgage lenders as people who have either:
- Never owned a property or
- People who have owned a property in the past, but not owned one for six months or more.
For each lender, the rules and ideas about this differ. There usually are no issues in being a First Time Buyer. In order to qualify for stamp duty relief, it’s necessary for First time Buyers to have never been property owners before; this applies anywhere in the world.
Mortgage processes may look tough to negotiate, but they really don’t need to be. Buying your first home is one of the most exciting things ever, so if you find a reasonably priced, reputable broker to manage the process for you, do hire their services. The purpose of using one is straightforward enough. After all, if you don’t know a thing about cars and yours breaks down, you would rather call a mechanic than fix it yourself. With mortgages, the same principle applies. Mortgage brokers can save you time, effort and money, so why not use one? The initial consultation will cost you nothing.
Buying a home
If you’re thinking of a home purchase any time soon – or even within a couple of years – you should familiarise yourself with everything involved with mortgages. Study what you should do before the application, during the process of application, and how to utilise the mortgage after buying your property. If you’d prefer a different approach, then speak to an adviser who can guide you through it.
Your credit is a necessity.
A mortgage is of major importance. A lot of money has been risked by banks over the years; notably, they have been more and more cautious since the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008. To qualify for a mortgage, good credit is helpful, but not essential. We can also offer guidance regarding how much you can afford to pay for your new home and how to set your limit, depending on your ongoing situation. We won’t just facilitate the purchase your dream home, we will also help you fund it with the lowest cost and most favourable mortgage deal on offer.
Re-mortgage your home
Effectively, all you’d be doing with this is changing to a different lender to find a better or more affordable deal. The two do not necessarily go hand in hand. Let me make it clearer. It may seem unwise to pay an arrangement fee to another lender to get on a lower rate if you have a small mortgage. You might find it cheaper by going on a slightly higher rate and paying no arrangement fee to the lender at all. Even with a lower rate, you could end up having a costlier deal in total, which is why it’s always prudent to talk to someone before you make any decisions.
Tread carefully. One upside to re-mortgaging is that your usually not required to pay for valuation or solicitors fees, although some people don’t qualify for this. The reason is that it is based on your disposition alone at the time of re-mortgaging. So, please check with your adviser.
A smart way to significantly minimise the cost of your mortgage bills is to undertake a re-mortgage on time. Depending on your circumstances, it might not be the ideal move for you – even though a re-mortgage arrangement certainly has its benefits.
- Based on your specific needs, such as…
- Mortgage debt isn’t considerable.
- There has been a change in financial circumstances.
- Early repayment charge is on the high side.
- Home value reduced.
- You have credit problems.
- Present rate is just fine.
- We will guide you when deciding to re-mortgage or not.
Buy to Let
A property purchased in order to be rented to tenants is a ‘buy to let’. You aren’t allowed to live in the property by law. If you’re a First Time Buyer, you can purchase a buy to let property, but the number of lenders available is restricted. There are also extra checks made by the lender in these circumstances.
- There are a few things you may need to be aware of when purchasing a buy to let property.
- The loan amount you can borrow is mostly based on the total rental income you receive.
- Other than your regular stamp duty, you will have to pay an extra 3% stamp duty on top.
- You’ll still have to pay the extra 3% of the purchase price, even if the property isn’t valued as it should be for the stamp duty to be liable.
TIP: If you’re purchasing a second property, ask your conveyancer/solicitor about the figure you’ll have to pay. To find the best mortgage to match your requirements, a good adviser will know which questions you need to answer. To find out if you qualify, contact our advisers today.
How Much Do Mortgage Brokers Charge?
The majority of mortgage brokers receive commission from lenders, which is a percentage of the mortgage loan you secure. Depending on the type of mortgage you need – whether buy to let or residential mortgage for instance – and whether you’ve had any credit problems of late. The figure is often set at around 0.33%, although this varies widely. A flat fee of roughly £500 is usually charged by the majority of independent brokers. Be sure to find out from brokers how you pay them. They should be honest and up front, telling you the amount owed and the fee structure they have in place.
Our fee structure is based upon charging the client £695; any commission which is received from the mortgage lender is deducted from that figure If the commission we receive is less than £695, we then ask the client to make up the difference between what we have been paid in commission up to £695. If we receive a mortgage commission of £495 for example, we would ask our clients to pay us the difference of £200 after the mortgage offer is produced, so we are only paid on results.
How Much Can I Borrow?
This is based on a number of factors, such as the amount you deposit, your income, the number of children you have, and any current debts you might have. How much a lender is willing to lend is based upon a full affordability assessment, whereby they will look to understand your income, as well as any loan or credit card commitments and regular essential household expenditure. For mortgage purposes, they will also perform a credit check to be sure you have an adequate credit rating.
To get an idea of the amount you can loan, get a decision in principle before applying for a mortgage in full. Make plans to meet with one of our experienced mortgage experts now. At the initial stage, we can give you an estimate, without needing to perform any credit checks.
The Latest Best Mortgage Rates
Whether you want a re-mortgage, move home, find a mortgage for a first-time buyer or purchase a buy to let, we can help. We compare thousands of the latest mortgage deals to help you find exactly what you need.
Request a free quote from Mortgage Saving Experts, your St-James’s Expert Mortgage Broker
What Our clients say About us
The list of happy clients in St-James’s is a lengthy and diverse one. If you still have doubts about our ability to professionally provide the best deal in St-James’s at the cheapest price, see for yourself what some of our customers have said about their experience with us. Contact us today to get a first-hand experience of the excellent services we provide.
Latest Mortgage News
The more information you have at your disposal when seeking the best mortgage deal, the better the position you’ll be in. The latest mortgage news below will provide the insight you need to properly get started.
Mortgage Regulatory Information
Building societies, specialised mortgage lenders and banks provide the most mortgages across the UK. There is a total of 200 different financial institutions which offer mortgages in Britain, although Lloyds Banking Group and Nationwide Building Society owns the market’s largest share.
Although banks and building societies have always been closely regulated in the UK, the former Financial Services Authority (now the FCA) implemented a regulatory scheme specifically for mortgages as a result of the Financial Services Act of 2000.
The FCA monitors the professional conduct of mortgage providers. There are strict rules regarding the use of unfair, misleading adverts and promotions, as well as checks to make sure the terms of any contract for financial services are fair for the consumer. The original regulations represented in the rules for Mortgage Conduct of Business (MCOB) were reconstructed due to the 2014 FCA Mortgage Market Review (MMR).
Deposit-taking organisations in the UK are under the jurisdiction of the Prudential Regulation Authority (a sister organisation to the FCA) for their financial conduct.
They ensure firms have adequate capital levels to balance out their lending risks. For lodging complaints about your mortgage provider, the first step is to take it up with them. If you don’t like how the issue has been dealt with, you can take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Some mortgages are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority such as moist Buy to Let mortgages and if you make a complaint about these you are unable to take these to the Financial Ombudsman Service Reach out to the Mortgage Saving Experts in St-James’s. For a brief and informal chat, call us now on 01273 738 072.
What to Ask Your St-James's Mortgage Broker?
What happens if you don’t respond to my messages within that timeframe?
How quickly will you respond to my messages?
How much hand-holding is involved during the buying process?
Why should I choose you rather than another broker?
- “Why exactly are you the best?”
- “In what way do you deliver great service?”
What sort of clients do you specialise in?
What will the true cost of my home loan be?
How much can I borrow?
How many loans have you written during that time?
How much experience do you have?
Get in contact with the Mortgage Saving Experts in Horsell. You can reach them by dialling 01273 738 072 today for a friendly chat.
Other Areas We Cover
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