What is a mortgage broker
A mortgage broker acts as an intermediary who brokers mortgage loans on behalf of individuals or businesses. The job of a mortgage broker is to identify banks or direct lenders that would make the actual loan an individual seeks. With a mortgage broker in Guildford, you’ll have an easier time procuring the mortgage loan you need at the best possible terms. Even with complicated circumstances or a poor credit score, the ideal mortgage broker will boost your chances of getting a mortgage.
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?
In simple terms, a mortgage is a loan. A mortgage is specifically linked to a piece of property so that it acts as security against the loan, which makes it different from personal loans. If you default on your payments, your mortgage provider has the right to take back (repossess) the property.
While shorter or longer terms are available, mortgages are usually set for a 25-year period. A plan for you to make repayments is drawn up once you’ve borrowed the money. While there are various mortgage options, the most popular one requires a monthly capital repayment plan.
Aside from repaying the money you borrowed initially, you will be charged interest on the amount you’ve been loaned (the ‘capital’). 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. Mortgages are a vehicle for individuals and businesses to make large property purchases, without paying the entire value of the purchase up front. Over a period of many years, the borrower repays the loan (plus interest) until they eventually own the property outright, without any mortgage. If the borrower defaults in making mortgage payments, the property on which the mortgage is secured can be repossessed by the lender.
The bank will have a charge on the property, so the lender may repossess it if the home buyer does not make the mortgage payments. If there is a repossession, the tenants can be evicted by the bank and the property sold to repay the mortgage debt.
There are many forms of mortgages. With a fixed rate mortgage, even though there is provision for longer fixed rate terms, borrowers are expected to pay the same interest rate for the initial terms (being two, three or five years). The monthly payment never changes during the fixed rate term. The borrower’s payments will not be affected by any increase in the market interest rates if they are on a fixed rate. The borrower’s mortgage repayments do not change if the market interest rates rise or fall if they have a fixed rate.
When the fixed rate is over, your mortgage return to a ‘standard variable rate’, which is usually set by the bank or lender from whom you borrow 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.
A mortgage can seem less costly than it really is, with the initial interest rate often being a low rate. If interest rates increase at a later date, the borrower may not be able to afford the higher monthly payments. Variable rates after the initial term can be changed at any time, causing monthly payments to be rather unpredictable.
Other types of mortgages exist that are not so common. However, they may be available to you, so talk to an independent broker about such options, which include offset mortgages, interest-only mortgages, buy to lets, secured loans, tracker rates and bridging loans. Our mortgage brokers in Guildford can provide help for getting the best mortgage deal to suit your personal specifications and requirements.
Handy Tools and Calculators
With an estimate in mind – in terms of how much you can borrow and cost of the loan – you’ll be able to plan your future more easily. 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. Find out how much you’ll have to repay every month instantly by simply entering those values with your term and pressing ‘Click to calculate’.
Why Use A Mortgage Broker?
Working on your mortgage application with a mortgage broker in Guildford comes with many different benefits. 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 only need to provide a few details, before an experienced professional committed to protecting your interests handles the hard work.
Some people worry about how true this is, considering the entire idea of mortgage brokers is still misunderstood somewhat around the globe. So, where is the catch? Although such reservations are not entirely invalid, you should be aware that there is no benefit for mortgage brokers who do not work in 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 will usually inform you how they get paid for their services, as well as disclose the details of the entire cost of the loan. A positive user experience is more important to a mortgage advisor company than just filling the pocket of an individual broker.
Finds The Most Advantageous Deal
A mortgage broker represents your interests, rather than those of a lending institution. Acting as your agent isn’t all they should do, but also problem solvers and knowledgeable consultants too. For terms like interest rates, repayment value and loan products, you can get the best possible value from a broker, who has access to a wide array of mortgage 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 guide the client throughout the whole process and sort out any issues that might arise. 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 isn’t only about money. Your time and sanity are just as important as saving some extra money. Take into consideration the time you would need to research different kinds of loans from multiple lenders. You’d only need to complete one application with a mortgage broker, instead of filling out forms for every individual lender. The loans recommended can be formally compared for you buy your mortgage broker. This will serve as a guide to the information which correctly shows cost differences, with present rates, points and closing costs for each loan illustrated. Major lenders and those not so popular will be compared by your broker to seek out the most suitable deal for you, in terms of lower rates and total 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. These features can include drawdown facilities, the option to make extra repayments and offset accounts to name a few. A noticeable difference can be made to your overall experience and the cost of your mortgage. Better still, if you’re not well versed with these concepts and how they could affect you, your broker can clarify answer questions you may have over the phone.
Access to exclusive non-advertised deals
There are exclusive deals not made public by the banks that brokers have access to. The deals are pushed by the banks on to the brokers, who are then charged with overseeing the sale of products. Going to the bank directly could cause you to miss out on added benefits such as these, which you can procure by speaking to a broker.
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
When you request an Agreement in principle/Decision in principle of a loan and are refused approval, this shows up on 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
A mortgage broker’s job is to help people obtain loans. There’s much information and numerous exclusive deals available to them that you won’t find by yourself. If you’re not on the lookout for them, you might not notice the subtleties that accompany loans. In fact, it is these small details that can make a difference to your mortgage in the long run. It’s beneficial to have an experienced professional to point out these things for you.
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 aren’t as difficult as they first appear. Finding an adviser who is reliable, knowledgeable and has significant experience is very important for this reason. Making the process as straightforward and seamless as it can be is something our mortgage experts will do for you. Why make things harder than necessary, after all? Let us make things easy for you and make sure we find you the most suitable deal.
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. At Mortgage Saving Experts, we treat each mortgage and insurance application as if it were our own. We’re all about this. At Mortgage Saving Experts, our services are available regardless of circumstances, whether you’re a landlord, a first-time buyer, moving onto a new chapter or simply re-mortgaging. Assisting you is the reason 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
Due to regulations by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), we must do all we can to get you the most suitable deal on the market. We are required to justify our reasons for making the mortgage recommendations we do to both you and our regulators, so you can understand why you have the mortgage you have.
Down to Earth Mortgage
We are a team of experienced mortgage insurance experts, driven by honesty, passion and enthusiasm.
Our mortgage and insurance experts are particularly good at listening to your current and future goals. These goals will be achieved when we work with you intently.
Why chose Mortgage Saving Experts?
You’ll get an initial rate for the first few years after taking out a mortgage. The lender’s variable rate is implemented after the initial rate is complete. 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. Other benefits of working with us include:
- You can save extra cash, because you’ll get a preferable deal to the bank variable rate.
- We can provide updates relating to the end of your deal, so you need not worry.
- You can take a breather, while we do the bulk of the work.
- We know our business, so you’ll only be advised by qualified mortgage experts.
- We compare, advise and arrange the best mortgage for you from thousands of available deals.
- You’ll be provided expert advice and support right through the mortgage process.
Our Approach to Mortgage Advice
We provide personalised services and pay attention to all your specific 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:
The things that make our services the best amongst mortgage brokers in Guildford include:
- Find out what your needs and circumstances are through fact-finding.
- Spell out the costs buying and selling involves.
- 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.
- Send in your entire mortgage application.
- Communicate with your solicitor, mortgage lender and estate agent to respond to any questions through to completion.
Mortgage Types We Provide Expert Advice On
We offer expert advice on a wide variety of mortgage products. Working together with us, finding the most suitable mortgage product to suit your needs won’t be difficult at all. Amongst the mortgage types we’re commonly asked to handle are:
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.
The rules and ideas on this are different across various lenders. There usually are no issues in being a First Time Buyer. First Time Buyers must not have owned property anywhere in the world before to be eligible for stamp duty relief for stamp duty purposes.
Mortgage processes may look tough to negotiate, but they really don’t need to be. 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. It is abundantly clear why you should use one. After all, if your car broke down and you knew nothing about cars, you wouldn’t try to fix it yourself. Instead, you would take it to a mechanic. The same applies to mortgages. You can cut down on cost, effort and time with mortgage brokers, so why not use one? The initial consultation comes at no cost at all.
Buying a home
If you’re considering buying a home in the near future or further down the line, you should get to know mortgages a lot better in the meantime. Get to know what to do before your mortgage application, during the application process itself and the way in which to use it after buying the 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 a major issue. 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 guide you with regards how much you can afford to pay for your new home and what should be your price ceiling, based on your current situation. In addition to assisting you with the purchase of your dream home, we will also help with financing at minimum cost and the most agreeable mortgage available.
Re-mortgage your home
Basically, what you’re doing here is changing lenders to get a more suitable rate or cheaper deal. The two of them don’t have to go hand in hand. Let me clarify this. If you’ve got a small mortgage, paying the arrangement fee to a new lender to go on a lower rate might not seem practical to you. You may find it’s more practical to go on a slightly higher rate, without paying arrangement fees to any lender. 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. Be careful.
One advantage of re-mortgaging is that you won’t have to pay any valuation or solicitors fees. That said, not everyone is eligible for this exemption. Any reasoning depends solely on your circumstances at the time of re-mortgaging. So, please check with your adviser.
A brilliant way to ensure you cut down on your mortgage bills is to re-mortgage on time. Although it can be a good thing – depending on your individual needs – a re-mortgage deal might not be the most suitable choice.
Reasons for remortgaging your property
- Based on your individual circumstances, like…
- Mortgage debt is relatively small.
- The financial situation is no longer the same.
- Significant early repayment charge.
- Home value dropped.
- You have credit problems.
- Present rate is very agreeable.
- We will advise you whether or not to pursue a re-mortgage.
Buy to Let
A ‘buy to let’ property is one you want to purchase in order to rent out to tenants. Legally, you cannot live in the property. If you’re purchasing a buy to let as a First Time Buyer, the number of lenders available will be restricted and there will be extra checks carried out by the lender in such cases.
- You may need to know certain things when purchasing a buy to let property.
- The loan amount you can borrow is mostly based on the total rental income you receive.
- You will have to pay 3% stamp in addition to your normal stamp duty.
- Even if the value of the property isn’t enough to be liable for stamp duty, you are still required to pay an extra 3% of the purchase price.
- TIP: If you’re looking to buy a second property, you should ask your solicitor/conveyancer to work out the amount you have to pay.
- A knowledgeable adviser will help find the right mortgage to suit your requirements by asking you the relevant questions.
- To see if you’re eligible, reach out now to our advisers.
How Much Do Mortgage Brokers Charge?
A percentage of your mortgage loan is paid as commission to many mortgage brokers by lenders. This is often about 0.33%, even though it largely varies, based on your mortgage needs. For example, a residential mortgage or buy to let and if you’ve had any credit issues recently. Many independent brokers charge flat fees, usually around £500. Remember to ask brokers how they want to be paid. The should be totally transparent, disclosing the amount to be charged, as well as their available fee structure.
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. For example, if we received a commission of £495, we would then ask you for a fee of £200 which is payable on production of your mortgage offer, 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. What determines the amount a lender will agree to lend is a full affordability assessment. This will help them understand your loan or credit commitments, as well as income and everyday household expenses. A credit check will be undertaken for mortgage purposes to confirm you have sufficient credit rating.
Prior to applying for a mortgage in full, obtain a decision in principle to form a clear picture with regards the amount you can borrow. Make plans today for an appointment with one of our capable mortgage experts. We can provide an initial estimate, without the need for any credit checks to begin with.
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, so you can find the one you’re after.
What Our clients say About us
Our list of satisfied clients in Guildford is lengthy and diversified. If you doubt that we are the professionals most capable of finding you the best mortgage deal in Guildford at the lowest price, check out what some of our customers have to say about their experience with us. Reach out to us today for a personal experience of how effective our services are.
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. 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. 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.
Even with regulations in the UK that closely guide banks and building societies, a regulatory scheme was set up just for mortgages (as a result of the Financial Services Act 2000) by the FCA (the former Financial Services Authority).
The professional conduct of mortgage providers is regulated by the FCA. Tough rules are in place concerning checks that ensure customers are fairly treated in terms of contracts for financial services, as well as misleading and unfair adverts and promotions. Regulations were originally set out in the rules for Mortgage Conduct of Business (MCOB), but these were overhauled as a result of the FCA Mortgage Market Review (MMR) in 2014.
In terms of their financial conduct, organisations collecting deposits in the UK fall under the Prudential Regulation Authority, the FCA’s sister organisation. They make sure firms have capital large enough to cancel out their lending risks.
Taking up the matter with your mortgage provider is the first step to take if you have any complaints about them. You utilise a complaint procedure via the FCA if you don’t think it has been suitably dealt with. In turn, this can be referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service if deemed necessary. 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.