So you want to find the best mortgage deal for you – naturally. Who wouldn't? But how do you go about doing that, particularly in these tough market conditions? What is the most effective process to take, and should you trust a mortgage broker or a mortgage banker?
A Mortgage Banker is a mortgage consultant who works for a specific mortgage lender, and who can and will only advise on products that are offered by that specific institution. They will not be able to advice on products that are offered by other 'competing' mortgage lenders. Their role is to persuade you to take out a mortgage with the mortgage lender who employs them. Yes it must be the most suitable deal they have to offer you from their internal mortgage product portfolio, but it may or may not be the most suitable or cost effective deal available to you across the wider market.
A Mortgage Broker, meanwhile, is more impartial and can offer you a wider range of choice. Some mortgage brokers work with a panel of lenders, whilst others offer whole of market advice. Either way, you are widening your horizons and far more mortgage deals are likely to be taken into consideration for you before you are offered any recommendations.
So on the face of it, opting for a Mortgage Broker is usually likely to lead to more impartial advice and a more cost effective end result. Or is it...? This certainly used to be the case, but some mortgage lenders now only offer deals direct to the public, and therefore these deals may or may not be considered by a mortgage broker in their research for you. In fact, something called 'dual pricing' has crept into the market in recent times, whereby lenders offer cheaper deals direct than those offered via mortgage broker intermediaries. Therefore, it is not always the case in the current market that opting for more choice via a mortgage broker will necessarily lead to a better end result in the way of a cheaper mortgage product.
Although some banks and building societies will offer very competitive mortgage deals, they often try to make their money back by up-selling associated insurance products. If you do end up getting your mortgage direct via a Mortgage Banker, do not feel pressured into taking out your associated insurances with the same. Mortgage Brokers usually offer advice on mortgage related insurance products such as buildings and contents, life insurance, income protection and critical illness cover. They are usually able to undercut the insurance premiums that you will be quoted by a bank or building society, often by a significant margin.
So in conclusion, spend some time shopping around first of all, visit your current bank or building society and look online to try and identify which mortgage lenders are offering market leading deals and contact them. But at the same time meet with a mortgage broker and see what they have to offer as an overall package. Even if you do decide to apply for your mortgage direct, your mortgage broker may often be able to save you some money on your associated insurances and also be available as a point of contact should you have any mortgage or insurance related questions in the future.
Author Resource:
Jon Dale is principal of Economic Financial Solutions a whole of market Mortgage Broker and Insurance Advice specialist helping serve up quality Mortgage Advice to people throughout the UK.