This is a tricky one, it would be very easy to say call us (we will get to that, but for the purposes of this post we will try to be unbiased).
How do you know whether a broker is good or not?
- You could ask friends and family? We get a lot of people coming to us after being recommended to them by their friends or relatives.
- You could read reviews online. Again, this is something that helps us. We actively promote what our customers say about us. Thankfully there has been nothing negative so far. Always check that you can verify the reviews are genuine. Are they on facebook/twitter, were 10 reviews done in one day and then nothing ever since or before?
- Pot luck? – I am sure we have clients who just called us because we were the first company they came across.
We consider ourselves good for a number of reasons. The first is that we do not take on every case that comes to us. We have and will turn business away if it we do not believe we are the best brokers for the job.
We have a chat with potential clients. We try to understand what they want from their Mortgage and from their broker. Can we provide that? If not, can we come to a happy medium?
We are as honest as we can be from the outset. That includes being upfront with any fees we charge, we discuss those before meeting up so as not to waste your time or put you in an awkward position in the meeting. We also try our best (based on the information you provide) to give you an idea of potential rates, both expected and worse case scenario where possible.
Lastly, we aim to set expectations from the outset. That includes rates, fees, timescales and the service we will offer. We are happy to work outside of 9-5, it is very much expected. However we will not answer calls at 11pm on a Friday night or on Christmas day (They are real examples of times we have had calls).
So, how do you find a good broker?
I think the answer is are they open, honest and reliable?
Are you able to verify it other than taking their word for it?
Do they sound knowledgable and do you get on with them?
As promised, give us a call you have nothing to lose 🙂