Taking out a mortgage is probably the biggest financial commitment you will ever choose to make. The term of the loan will probably last until you are near to retirement age and in many cases the loan amount will become larger as you move up the property ladder.

So, as a mortgage seeker, what is the most important factor to consider when researching all of the different mortgage options? For most people it is to simply find the best interest rate on the market but if it really was that simple then everyone would always get the best mortgage products available!

Many homebuyers first stop is their current bank. In some cases they find that their own personal circumstances do not match the lending criteria of their bank and may leave feeling disillusioned with the whole process.

It is also true that many people who do fit their banks criteria accept the first rate the bank offers them, without researching the whole of the mortgage market and never realising that there may be far better products on the market that would suit their own personal needs.

There are often many different obstacles in the way to make it very difficult and confusing for you to choose the correct mortgage option, and this is where a mortgage adviser can come in very handy.

A mortgage adviser is a qualified professional who either offers mortgages from the whole of the market, is tied to one particular lender or offers advice from a panel of lenders.

What are the different types of Mortgage Advisor?

There are mainly three different types of mortgage adviser. These being: -

1. An adviser who has access to the whole of the mortgage market. 2. An adviser who is tied to a panel of lenders. 3. An adviser who is tied to a single lender.

It may be beneficial to use a mortgage adviser who has access to the whole of the mortgage market as they can match your needs to the best mortgage product from the whole mortgage market that fits your own personal circumstances.

Many of the products available to the adviser will not be accessible to the average person on the high street, again allowing them to give you the choice of a better mortgage product. This gives a mortgage adviser offering whole of market advice a distinct advantage over many individual lenders’ as they are not tied to any one product or lender. Always check with your adviser to confirm if they source mortgages from the whole of the market!

Another big advantage of using an adviser is the amount of time they can save you! Firstly they will take your initial details by way of a fact find i.e. salary, credit history, property value, deposits etc.

An adviser will research the products available to find a mortgage, which is suitable for your circumstances. A key part of the adviser’s job is to match your details with the lenders criteria. For example, if you had a poor credit history and were self employed with only two years accounts the adviser would research the products available to them to find you a company that can provide a suitable mortgage based on these circumstances.

Once a mortgage has been sourced and you are happy to proceed, an adviser can also save you valuable amounts of time and effort by working with your mortgage lender and solicitor to ensure that you complete your mortgage or remortgage as quickly as possible.

When you have a busy life it is often difficult to find the time to chase the lender or solicitor, in many cases you end up speaking to a variety of people, not understanding the jargon that they use and ending up feeling frustrated and stressed. An adviser can help alleviate some of this stress by doing the chase ups on your behalf, saving you valuable time.

Things to be aware of when choosing an adviser

The Financial Services Authority regulates most mortgage sales taken out on or after 31 October 2004. This means that mortgage advisers have to adhere to the guidelines and regulations issued by the Financial Services Authority. Advisers have a duty to take reasonable steps to ensure that you can afford a mortgage that is recommended. There are also minimum qualifications that are required to become a mortgage adviser.

It is also important to find out if the adviser charges you any fees. Advisers are paid by the lender on completion of the mortgage. However there are many advisers who will charge their clients a broker fee so not only are they being paid by the lender they are being paid by you too! This does not mean that the adviser is a disreputable broker, but you may want to make sure you are totally comfortable with any fees they charge.

In conclusion if you are unsure of whether you are going to be able to find the best mortgage yourself then using an adviser might be a good option for you. It is important you use someone you can trust to do their best to offer you the most suitable mortgage deal based on the information you have provided them.

Samantha Dorn has achieved her certificate in mortgage advice and practice. She has been working in the mortgage industry since 1996 and has experience within all aspects of the business from underwriting for lenders to working with packagers giving her vast amounts of knowledge of the mortgage industry. Samantha now runs her own business - Dorn Mortgage Services.