What is a mortgage broker
A mortgage broker represents individuals or companies looking to broker mortgage loans. The purpose of mortgage brokers is to look for banks or direct lenders that will willingly provide the specific loan an individual would need. Working with a mortgage broker in Banstead will help you get the mortgage loan you require at a favourable deal, without any unnecessary stress. If you have a poor credit score or any other problems that could have an impact on your mortgage application, the right mortgage broker can increase your chances immeasurably.
With regulations in place to make sure professional mortgage brokers follow banking and finance laws in the relevant customer jurisdiction, you won’t have to worry about being in the wrong hands.
What Is A Mortgage?
A mortgage is in effect a loan. Quite unlike personal loans however, a mortgage is used as guarantee against a loan, because it is linked to a piece of property. Mortgage providers can rightfully take back (repossess) the property if you default on your payments.
Mortgages are usually set for a set period of 25 years, but can sometimes be set for longer or shorter terms. A repayment plan is set up as soon as you’re granted permission to borrow the money. Mortgages with monthly capital repayment structures are the most common, even though there are other options available.
You won’t only have to repay the capital (the money you borrowed), but also the interest on it. A mortgage is a debt instrument, secured by the collateral of a specified property that the borrower is obliged to pay back via a predetermined set of payments. Where mortgages are concerned, individuals and businesses don’t have to make one-time payments up front for large property purchases. The loan and interest attached needs to be paid back over some years before the borrower can own the property without a mortgage. The lender can repossess the property against which the mortgage is secured if the borrower does not keep up with mortgage payments.
If the home buyer does not keep up with mortgage payments, the lender can take the property back, as there are bank charges against it. The home’s tenants may be evicted by the bank, the property sold, and the equity used to clear the mortgage debt if there’s a repossession.
Mortgages come in various guises. Even though there are longer fixed rate mortgage terms available, the borrower would have to pay the same interest rate for the initial terms of two, three or five years. For fixed rate terms, the monthly payments remain the same throughout. An increase in interest rates in the market won’t change the payments of the borrower if they have a fixed rate. If market interest rates drop or increase, the borrower’s mortgage repayment remains the same if they are on a fixed rate.
After the fixed rate ends, your mortgage normally reverts to a ‘standard variable rate’, which is a rate set by the lender, bank or building society that’s lending you the money. The rate can increase or decrease as the lender decides, so with a good broker or diary system in place, do not forget to re-mortgage or call your existing lender, so you can adjust the rate sometime around three months before it’s increased to the variable rate. This will help you avoid paying higher monthly payments.
In fact, the initial interest rate is usually a low rate, which can make a mortgage appear less expensive than it is. If interest rates rise later on, the monthly rates may become too high for the borrower to pay. Variable rates after the initial term can be changed at any time, causing monthly payments to be rather unpredictable.
Other less common types of mortgages – such as interest-only mortgages, tracker rates, offset mortgages, buy to lets, bridging loans and secured loans – could also be available to you, so speak with an independent broker to determine your options. To match any needs and requirements you might have, our mortgage brokers in Banstead can help to find the best possible mortgage deal for you.
Handy Tools and Calculators
Knowing how much you can borrow – as well as the cost of the loan – will help make planning your future easier. Use this handy calculator to see just how much your mortgage repayments are going to be, based on your total loan amount and interest rate. 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?
Working with a mortgage broker for your mortgage application in Banstead can be beneficial in various ways. Some of the most obvious of these benefits are:
Save Money
The most visible benefit of choosing to work with a mortgage broker is that you will likely save money. You’ll just need to fill out some details and an experienced professional with your best interests in mind will deal with the hard work.
Some people are sceptical about this – especially with the concept of a mortgage broker not yet universally understood. There must be a catch somewhere, surely? 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. Exclusive mortgage deals not found on the high street can be unearthed by many mortgage brokers, which could potentially cut the cost of the entire loan for the client. Detailing the entire cost of the loan and letting you know how they get paid for their services is the duty of any reputable broker. A mortgage advisor company values ensuring a positive experience for their customers over padding the pocket of a broker.
Finds The Most Advantageous Deal
A mortgage broker will always be in favour of your own interests and not those of the lending institution. They should act not only as your agent, but also as a knowledgeable consultant and problem solver. With access to a wide range of mortgage products, a broker can offer you the greatest value in terms of interest rates, repayment amounts, and loan products. The mortgage broker will talk with you to get a clear picture of your needs, as well as short and long term goals. Sophisticated solutions and innovative mortgages are distinct advantages of working with experienced broker, because simple 15 or 30-year mortgages aren’t enough in some situations. These include mortgages to raise capital for debt repayment, money for your children, important home renovations or even the purchase of other properties like buy to lets.
Has Flexibility Expertise to Meet Your Needs
A mortgage broker will work with the client in any situation, as well as manage the process and take care of any bumps in the road that may occur. For example, borrowers with bad credit issues can find great products that will suit their needs through brokers who know lenders that offer such products. A broker will be beneficial in providing the necessary knowledge to source financing if a borrower requires a loan that’s larger than the bank would normally approve.
Save Time & Hassle
It’s not all about money. While it’s a good thing to save some extra money, your sanity and time matter just as much. Think of the amount of time you’d spend researching multiple loan types from multiple lenders. You would only have to fill out one application form, instead of one for every lender you have to work with. Your mortgage broker can provide a formal comparison of any loans recommended, as well as advise on the information which accurately portrays cost differences, reflecting current rates, points, and closing costs for each loan. To find the best deal in terms of lower rates and overall cost, your broker will make comparisons between popular and less popular lenders.
Outsourcing the work to someone who can provide an expert opinion is a great way to relieve yourself of the burden involved. 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. These features can include drawdown facilities, the option to make extra repayments and offset accounts to name a few. These types of features can make a significant difference to your mortgage cost and experience. 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 pass these deals on to the brokers, who are responsible for selling the products. Speaking to a broker unlocks these extra perks you would otherwise miss out on by going directly to a bank.
A bank can only sell their own deals – not those of the other banks as well – whereas a broker can search the whole market for the best deal.
Better chance of pre-approval success
If you’re knocked back after requesting an Agreement in principle/Decision in principle of a loan, this will leave a mark against your credit rating. Brokers have the knowledge and experience required to give you the best shot at being approved at the first attempt.
Access to expert knowledge
The job of a mortgage broker is to help people secure loans. Helpful information and exclusive deals you won’t find yourself are accessible to them. Loans come with certain subtleties you could miss if you’re not looking out for them. In fact, it is these small details that can make a difference to your mortgage in the long run. An experienced professional to point you in the right direction is extremely beneficial.
Instead of taking time out of your day to research thousands of loans and multiple lenders – and still potentially missing key subtleties – why not hand the work to someone who’s experienced in this industry? For home loan requirements, a mortgage broker is the best ways to go, just as a hairdresser is for replenishing damaged hair and a plumber for fixing leaking pipes.
About Mortgage Saving Experts
Mortgages and insurance are not as complex as they seem at first. That’s why finding honest advisers with invaluable experience and knowledge is so important. Our mortgage savings experts will make your task as easy and straightforward as possible. Why complicate things more than necessary, after all? Let us simplify everything for you and ensure we get the best deal possible.
Mortgage Saving Experts provide our clients with honest and transparent services that leave you feeling mortgages and insurance are less complicated than they first appear. All mortgage and insurance applications are handled like they’re our own at Mortgage Savings Experts. This is what we do. Mortgage Saving Experts are available whether you’re a first-time buyer, a landlord, moving on to a new phase or just re-mortgaging. Providing help is why we’re here! Basically “Find out about 1000s of mortgage deals by putting 15 minutes aside to talk to 1 adviser.”
Our Team of Brighton Mortgage Experts
Because we’re regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), we strive to get you the best possible deal on the market. We must justify to you and our regulators why we recommend the mortgages we do, so you know exactly why you have the mortgage you have.
Down to Earth Mortgage
We are an honest, enthusiastic and passionate team of mortgage insurance experts, with years of industry experience.
Your current and future goals will be identified by our mortgage insurance experts after talking with you. These goals will be achieved when we work with you intently.
Why chose Mortgage Saving Experts?
For the first couple of years, you’re allowed an initial rate after taking out a mortgage. The rate is raised to the lender’s variable rate after the initial rate ends. Before your monthly payment and rate are increased, our team will reach contact you to arrange a new deal roughly three months prior to the date of renewal. Other advantages of working with us are:
- You can save extra cash, because you’ll get a preferable deal to the bank variable rate.
- You don’t have to remember when your deal finishes, as we will do this for you.
- We can take care of the hard work for you while you relax.
- This is our area of expertise; you’ll always receive advice from a qualified mortgage expert.
- We undertake comparisons and then advise and arrange the best mortgage for you, choosing from thousands of deals.
- For the entire mortgage process, you will be expertly advised and supported.
Our Approach to Mortgage Advice
The services we offer are personalised and take into account your unique needs. 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:
What differentiates our services from those of other mortgage brokers in Banstead includes:
- Use fact-finding to properly understand your individual needs.
- Clarify the costs related to buying and selling.
- Ask for applicable documents necessary for the application.
- Recommend and explain the prospective mortgage.
- Respond to any questions you might have.
- Obtain an agreement in principle.
- Have your entire mortgage application sent in.
- Liaise with your estate agent, mortgage lender and solicitor to answer any question through to completion.
Mortgage Types We Provide Expert Advice On
We offer expert advice on a wide variety of mortgage products. By working with our team, you’ll have no trouble finding the perfect mortgage product to match your needs. Mortgage types that we’re frequently asked to handle 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.
Every lender has different rules and ideas about this. Normally, being a First Time Buyer is no issue. First Time Buyers must not have owned property anywhere in the world before to be eligible for stamp duty relief for stamp duty purposes.
The mortgaging process might appear to be challenging, but this isn’t necessarily so. It’s rather exciting to be buying your first home, so if you find a reputable broker to get the job done for you at a fair price, then do use one. 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, it is exactly the same. Mortgage brokers can save you time, effort and money, so why not use one? The initial consultation is free of charge.
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. Learn what to do when applying, within the application process and even how to use a mortgage after buying your home. If you can’t deal with all of that, talk to an adviser who will provide guidance accordingly.
Your credit is crucial.
A mortgage is a major issue. Banks put up a lot of money at their own risk. So much so, they’ve been very careful since the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008. To be eligible for a mortgage, good credit is useful but not absolutely essential. Depending on your present circumstances, we can be your guide on how much you can afford to pay for your new home and help set your cost limit. 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
Simply put, all you’re doing with this is changing from one lender to another to get a better rate or cheaper deal. They don’t necessarily have to be paired together. I’ll explain this clearly. If your mortgage is a small one, you might find that it isn’t profitable paying an arrangement fee to a lender to secure a lower rate. You may realise that it’s less expensive to go on a slightly higher rate than paying any lender an arrangement fee. It’s always best to speak with someone before deciding which deal to go for, as you don’t want to be caught out by being tied to a more expensive deal overall, even if the rate is much lower. Pay close attention.
One benefit of re-mortgaging is that you’ll not normally pay for any valuation or solicitors fees, although not everyone qualifies for this. Any reasoning depends solely on your circumstances at the time of re-mortgaging. So, please ask your adviser about it.
Performing a re-mortgage in time is a practical way to reduce your mortgage costs significantly. Depending on your circumstances, it might not be the ideal move for you – even though a re-mortgage arrangement certainly has its benefits.
Reasons for remortgaging your property
- Based on your individual circumstances, like…
- Mortgage debt is fairly minor.
- There has been a change in financial circumstances.
- Significant early repayment charge.
- Home value dropped.
- You have credit problems.
- Current rate is ideal.
- 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. You can purchase a buy to let property as a First Time Buyer, but you’ll be restricted to the number of available lenders, while extra checks will be made by the lender in such situations.
- There are some things you might want to know when purchasing a buy to let property.
- The amount of rental income you receive more or less affects how the loan amount you’re able to borrow.
- Other than your regular stamp duty, you will have to pay an extra 3% stamp duty on top.
- If the property is below the value at which stamp duty becomes liable, you will still have to pay the extra 3% of the purchase price.
- TIP: If you want to buy a second property, find out the amount you’ll be require pay from your conveyancer/solicitor.
- To find the best mortgage to match your requirements, a good adviser will know which questions you need to answer.
- Get in touch with our advisers to find out if you qualify.
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. While the figure varies widely, it is generally set at around 0.33%, depending on the type of mortgage you require. For example, this could be a residential mortgage or buy to let and would take into account whether you’ve had any credit troubles recently. 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. The should be totally transparent, disclosing the amount to be charged, as well as their available fee structure.
The fee structure we adopt is based upon charging the client £695 and deducting from that figure any commission paid by the mortgage lender. 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 takes into account many factors, such as how much you deposit, the amount you earn, the number of children you have and what debts (if any) you have in the background. The amount a lender would be willing to lend is dependent on a comprehensive affordability assessment that helps them understand your income, as well as any loan or credit card commitments you might have and everyday household expenses. A credit check will be undertaken for mortgage purposes to confirm you have sufficient credit rating.
To be sure of how much you can borrow, obtain a decision in principle, prior to completing a full application. Arrange to see one of our qualified mortgage experts today. Without the need for credit checks, we can at least provide an initial estimate.
The Latest Best Mortgage Rates
Whether you’re looking to re-mortgage, move home, find a first-time buyer mortgage or a buy-to-let, we can help. We compare thousands of the latest mortgage deals to help you find exactly what you need.
What Our clients say About us
The list of happy clients in Banstead is a lengthy and diverse one. If you still have doubts about our ability to professionally provide the best deal in Banstead at the cheapest price, see for yourself what some of our customers have said about their experience with us. For a personal experience to discover how effective our services are, contact us today.
Latest Mortgage News
The more information you have to hand in your search for the ideal mortgage arrangement, the greater advantage you’ll have. To provide insight and help you get started, find recent news on mortgages below.
Mortgage Regulatory Information
The majority of mortgages in the UK are made available by banks, building societies and specialised mortgage lenders. Although a big portion of the market share is owned by Lloyds Banking Group and Nationwide Building Society, all together there are 200 different financial institutions providing mortgages in Britain.
Even though UK banks and building societies have always been regulated closely, the FCA (formerly the Financial Services Authority) put a regulatory scheme in place for mortgages, because of the Financial Services Act 2000.
The FCA regulates the professional behaviour of mortgage providers. Strict rules exist that monitor the use of dishonest and misleading adverts and promotions, checking to ensure the terms of any contract for financial services are fair to the customer. The original regulations represented in the rules for Mortgage Conduct of Business (MCOB) were reconstructed due to the 2014 FCA Mortgage Market Review (MMR).
Regarding their financial conduct, organisations that take deposits in the UK fall under the FCA’s sister organisation’s jurisdiction, the Prudential Regulation Authority. They ensure firms have a sizeable enough capital to balance out their lending risks.
The first step in tackling any issue you have with regards your mortgage provider is to take it up with them. If you feel it hasn’t been dealt with to your complete satisfaction, there is a complaints procedure which can be referred 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
What To Ask Your Brighton Mortgage Broker?
This is a logical follow-up question. Again, insist on a specific reply.
And once you’ve received answers to these questions, ask if the broker would be willing to put both claims in writing. That will indicate how seriously those claims should be taken.
If a problem arises during the loan application process, you’ll want your broker to respond quickly – hence this question.
Again, demand a specific answer – “Within three hours”, say, rather than “Quickly”.
The reason for this question is so you can discover whether the broker will closely guide you through what is a complicated and stressful process – or expect you to figure it out for yourself.
Organising finance and purchasing property can be complicated and stressful, so you want to know you’re in safe hands. That’s why, before you settle on a particular broker, you should challenge the broker with this question.
Don’t let the broker get away with vague statements like “Because I’m the best” or “Because I provide great service”. Use follow-up questions to demand detail. “What specific things make you better than other brokers? What, specifically, do you do to deliver great service?”
Another important question to ask. That’s because while most brokers focus on ‘plain vanilla’ clients, others might focus on, say, sophisticated investors or borrowers with credit problems.
Hypothetically; Broker A might have done 450 vanilla loans and 50 bad-credit loans, while Broker B might have done 50 vanilla loans and 250 bad-credit loans. So if you were a borrower with credit problems, you might be better off with Broker B.
Next, probe them about their customer service standards
A great way to utilise the knowledge and experience of a broker is to get them to work out the true cost of your home loan. Based on whether you’re paying Repayment or interest only, how much of a deposit you have, the length of your loan term and the rates payable your broker will be able to obtain a mortgage illustration which will have the true cost on it. This is normally depicted by the Annual Percentage Rate (APR)
By maximising your deposit amount and minimising your loan term, you stand to significantly reduce the overall cost of your loan. However, there is much more to answering what the true cost of your home loan will be. Upfront fees such as valuation fees, conveyancing and legal fees need to be added to the total cost. Ongoing fees such as those you can incur for using a drawdown facility.
While it’s impossible to forecast the entire cost of your mortgage to the penny – and let’s not forget how life circumstances and changes can affect your ability to pay your loan too – a broker can can help clarify the big picture details. Mortgage Saving Experts can recommend any protection or insurances to protect you and your family to cover life unfortunate eventualities and our team of advisers can use this information to help you decide which loan is best for your circumstances.
The big question plaguing home buyers tends to be, ‘how much can I borrow?’ Each lender is massively different in this area so as a maximum depending on many factors. In the majority of cases, you can borrow up to around 5 times your gross annual salary but in some instances, you may borrow up to 5.5 times your gross annual income
Once you speak to us, however, we’ll be able to give you a much more accurate indication of your borrowing capacity. Brokers act as the go-between for you and the lender. Lenders will need to know your living expenses, debts, credit score and whether you have dependents. A broker can factor all these things into the right loan.
A broker can also explain home loan terms you’ll need to know, such as LTV, which is the initialism for Loan-to-Value and refers to the percentage of the total loan amount you seek to borrow as a percentage of the property purchase price or value. They can also explain things like the differences in interest rates and repayment types such as Interest Only and Repayment (Capital & Interest)
This is a good follow-up question to ask, as it will give you a better understanding of the mortgage broker’s experience.
For example, imagine two brokers joined the industry in 2013, but that Broker A had written 500 loans during that time and Broker B had written 300. In that case, even though both parties would be able to claim five years of industry experience, there would be a clear difference in hands-on experience.
This is a good place to start, because a more experienced broker will generally be more knowledgeable than a less experienced broker.
Press the broker to give you a specific answer, such as “Eighteen years” or “I’ve been a broker since 2007 and in the mortgage industry since 2001”, rather than something vague like “I’ve got a lot of experience”.
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Barry Webb
After nearly 20 years in the financial services industry, I started Mortgage Saving Experts. I thrive on helping people save money and come up with simple and clever little ideas which make massive savings to my clients. I want the company’s core focus to be great customer service. You don’t get good customer service anymore and this is about time that changed, It’s about taking responsibility and always going the extra mile.