Four surprising factors that could be ruining your credit score
If you’re planning on applying for a mortgage, your broker or lender will use your credit score (among other things) to determine whether or not to give you that all-important, life-changing loan.
Generally speaking, a good credit score increases your chances of being accepted for a mortgage. It can also give you access to better deals at better rates, so it’s worth being as prepared as possible for that day when it arrives.
Maintaining a healthy credit file is something you can always be aware of. Simple things like checking your personal details are correct, registering to vote, staying within your credit limit and making payments on time can all help raise your score.
How to buy your first home – the new interactive tool from First Mortgage?
Buying a home for the first time can be a daunting and complicated process. With so much information to take in and so many details to be aware of, it’s often difficult to know where to begin.
With that in mind, we have come up with a simple and interactive new tool which ‘walks’ you through the process step by step in an easy-to-understand and straightforward way.
The new First Mortgage infographic, called ‘How to buy your first home’ is perfect for those at the very start of their home-buying journey and sets out everything you need to know in one user-friendly place.
The first of its kind in the UK, the colourful and interactive infographic follows a couple on a visual representation of the First Mortgage advisory process, detailing what you need to be aware of and when. With Melissa, your ‘virtual’ mortgage advisor guiding the way, it also answers a lot of the initial questions you may have, so you can have some idea of what to expect before making an appointment with a real advisor or lender.
Thinking of remortgaging? Don’t make this mistake
Homeowners remortgage for all sorts of reasons. It could be you’re coming up to the end of your current deal and want to see if you can get a better rate or reduce your term, or maybe you want to borrow extra cash for home improvements or to consolidate other debts. Whatever the reason, remortgaging is another of those financial decisions which has to be carefully considered and researched.
Some of the points to consider are fairly obvious and straightforward. These include checking for early repayment fees if you haven’t reached the end of your mortgage deal, comparing the market for interest rates and available schemes and calculating all the various fees and charges that will accompany a new mortgage application (hint: we can do all of this for you for free).
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Company News
It’s been a while since our last update, and a lot has happened! Here’s a short rundown:
Mobeen was shortlisted finalist for the Broker – New Build category in the 2016 British Mortgage Awards. Spoiler alert: she won! Congratulations Mobeen!
Our brand new infographic, “How to buy your first home” was launched – check it out here: /mortgage-advice/buying-a-house/
Our new office down in Manchester is steadily growing as more and more clients discover just how easy our service is to use. Positive reviews are already starting to flow in, which is fantastic to see!
We have also opened a brand new office in Elgin at the Park House Business Centre, to help meet demand for our services up north.
We had our annual First Mortgage family day out in September, held at Edinburgh Zoo for the second year running. It was a fantastic day for all involved, with the penguin parade proving to be a huge hit. A huge thank you to everyone who came out for the day!
First Mortgage Awards Night
We’re doing something a little bit different this year, and hosting our very own inaugural First Mortgage Awards dinner! This event is to celebrate and recognise the individuals and teams within our company and their performance throughout the year.
This black tie event will be held at the Hilton Grosvenor in Edinburgh, with award categories such as best for mortgage, best overall advisor, best sales manager, and outstanding contribution to community. We are very fortunate to have a range of sponsors for these categories from some of our most valued partners, including Halifax, L&G, Uinsure, Clydesdale, TSB, and many more!
It is shaping up to be a spectacular night – hope to see you there!
What do you do here?
It’s baaaack!
This time around we’ve interviewed Lynne Dyer, Retention Sales Manager and all-round mortgage ninja based in our Glasgow branch. I accosted her a short while ago and forced her to spill the beans on her life at First Mortgage and her super secret celebrity crush…
Tell us about your job and what’s involved on a typical day?
My day starts at 6.45am (although my hubby wakes me at 4.30am every morning to tell me he is away to work!) I get myself ready before my princess wakes up and it’s time to get her ready for school – 8am out the door for breakfast club drop off and then I start my 45 min drive to work. M74 roadworks make it an hour at present but this lets me de-stress from the school run! Once I am in the office my day consists of general management duties, having 1:1 meetings, listening into calls for the team, checking our existing client bank and always planning ahead.
What previous roles and experiences led you to your current position?
I have 17 years’ experience in the industry, always been a broker – corporate life was not for me. Started my career as a case manager then worked through to mortgage advisor and then into management. I have worked with mainstream lenders, secured loans, adverse lenders and managed a team of commercial underwriters. I have always worked with non-face to face clients, over the telephone and covered the whole UK – so with this experience behind me it led me to First Mortgage, I joined the company Jan 2015 and started the retention department which services all the existing client bank for FM – the department has grown to 8 advisors and 3 sales support, it’s been a challenge but one I LOVE!
What do you like most about working for First Mortgage?
The people! I get to speak with everyone from Aberdeen down to Manchester and everyone is great.
What do you consider the key challenges for the mortgage industry this year?
Key challenges this year was the MCD and the lenders getting their systems ready for this. We all thought Brexit would be a factor but I think that’s been more political than economic. The recent base rate drop has sparked further thoughts with our existing customers regarding tracker vs fixed rates.
If you could be anyone for a day, who would you be?
Marilyn Monroe
What’s on your desk?
I don’t have a desk! Wherever I park myself you will find a laptop, pad, pen & earphones…to listen to calls 🙂
What advice would you give your younger self?
To not sweat the small things in life, doesn’t change anything but definitely gives you frown lines!
If you could pick any super power to have, which one would it be?
Strength – always liked Wonder Woman and I do have a costume.. Ha!
What did you want to be when you were a child?
Teacher
What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve been given?
To get a full body Thai massage on the beach in Pattaya…never experienced pain like it.
Who was your first celebrity crush?
Never had one but David Beckham just gets better with age 🙂
And finally, who is your current mortgage with?
Halifax