Mortgage Broker Belfast
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We will work with you to understand your situation and needs, then develop personalised advice to help you achieve your goals.
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Meet your Mortgage Broker Belfast
Ben Hobson, Mortgage & Protection Adviser at Mint Mortgages and Protection introduces your local broker in Belfast and explains the role of a mortgage broker.
What is the role of a mortgage broker?
Quite simply, we assess mortgage deals for our clients. We compare mortgage options that will suit each individual client, looking at the traditional high street banks as well as some specific, specialised lenders.
We talk to each person about their needs, their property goals and look at their individual eligibility, and seek out the most appropriate – and ideally cheapest – mortgage for them.
What’s the difference between going to a mortgage broker and your local high street bank?
The main difference is that a bank can only talk to you about their own products, while we can compare dozens of providers and deals. And we can be as involved as a client wants.
First Time Buyers often ask us for lots of guidance – not just about the mortgage, but the whole homebuying process. We’re always happy to help and can even support by chasing up solicitors, estate agents and anyone else to keep things moving.
What services do you offer as a mortgage broker?
A lot of people come to a mortgage broker thinking that all we do is get them a good deal on their mortgage. But at Mint we make sure that we do the best job we can: getting the clients the most suitable deal that they’re eligible for, and supporting them all the way through.
A really important part of that is mortgage protection, to make sure you’re looked after if something goes wrong. Everyone knows the caveat to every mortgage product: that you may lose your home if you do not keep up the repayments on your mortgage. And no one wants that to happen.
That’s where income protection, life and critical illness insurance can be invaluable. If you lose your income for a year through an accident, injury or a serious illness, your home really is at risk. By taking out a few insurance policies, you’re protected.
When should I see a mortgage broker – at what stage in the process?
We suggest that you have a chat with us as soon as you start thinking seriously about buying a home. We’re here for you and are very used to speaking to clients who are thinking about buying a property in 12 months to two years’ time.
Even this far out we can assess your eligibility and your circumstances. We can put you on the right path. We’ll explain how much you could borrow and how much to allow for fees and other costs.
It’s much better to come to us early as it means everyone is as prepared as possible and ready to apply for a mortgage when the time comes.
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Expert Mortgage Advisers
We work with dozens of lenders
Access to competitive rates
We will work with you to understand your situation and needs, then develop personalised advice to help you achieve your goals.
You’re based in Belfast, but do you help people from elsewhere?
Absolutely, we work all over now and can deal with the whole of the UK because it’s so easy to talk to people remotely with Zoom and FaceTime.
It’s much better to see people ‘face to face’ rather than on the telephone. I can see their reactions when we’re talking about budgets and other key things. It’s really important as it helps me recognise whether a client needs extra support, and if they understand the mortgage process and products fully.
Why is Belfast a popular location to buy property?
I lived in central Belfast for ten years and it’s a fantastic city that’s getting even better every year. It’s growing culturally. It’s growing opportunistically. And it’s Northern Ireland’s capital city. Buying property in the city means you’re close to every amenity, you’re close to the widest work opportunities and lifestyle options too.
Property prices in Northern Ireland, in comparison to some other large cities in the UK, are very reasonable. It’s not like London or Dublin, where you literally have to be a millionaire to own a decent property. Here you can get a property within the city limits on a very reasonable budget.
Now that we’ve all been cooped up for a year due to the pandemic, city life is very sought after – we want to be able to go out and about. And Belfast has a good live music scene with lots of places to visit and great options for nights out.
Tell us a little bit about Mint Mortgages & Protection
We set up the company in October 2017, and the directors had worked together at different firms previously, and then decided to set up a business on their own.
Once the company was established, we brought in administrative staff and drove good, steady company growth, and then started bringing in other advisers. We might be a relatively new company, but we have a lot of experience across our team – and a financial services company is only as experienced as its advisers.
I personally got into this business as an administrator and decided to get my qualifications to become a broker. I went through the Chartered Institute of Insurance for my qualification in financial protection and mortgage advice and achieved full adviser status in early 2016.
Will it cost anything to have an initial chat with Mint Mortgages & Protection?
No, we don’t charge for an initial conversation. We welcome people calling up for an idea of what they might be able to borrow and to understand the services we provide.
We’re here to develop long lasting relationships with our clients. We’ll get to know you, provide lots of advice and support and if you do decide to use our services for a mortgage or other financial products, we’ll explain exactly what the costs will be so that you can decide.
If you’re unsure, just give us a call and see what you think. We look forward to hearing from you.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other debt secured on it.
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Access to 1000s of mortgage products
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Expert knowledge at getting you the best deals
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