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The shopper has recently been left some inheritance and is thinking about investing in a place in Weymouth with a plan of renting it out and eventually moving there in the future. He has a deposit of £15,000, earns a salary of £25,000 and is wondering whether it would be possible to obtain mortgage financing.

Sands Associates incorporating The Mortgage Centre Ltd,

Weymouth, DT4 8EQ

www.sandsassociates.co.uk

Speed of response: Time of call: 14.15pm. The call was answered after just two rings by the adviser.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Telephone manner: Friendly and polite, the adviser was calm and clear when he spoke. He was generally eloquent and concise.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Qualifications: The adviser did not mention anything about his qualifications, although he did say without prompting that he was an IFA, covered the whole of market and was regulated by the FSA.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Payment method: The adviser voluntarily said he did not ask for fees but accepted commission from the lender.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Guidance: He asked the shopper a lot of questions about his finance and said buy-to-let lenders had tightened their criteria and the shopper would need a significant deposit of about 25 per cent. He did a few sums and told the shopper it was not looking promising. The adviser said the shopper should hold off as property prices were going down and he should save in an Isa for a year and then think again.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Knowledge: The adviser knew what he was talking about when it came to the mortgage market and this was demonstrated by the examples he gave the shopper.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Verdict: The adviser looked at the bigger picture and gave the shopper sound advice by recommending he saved and waited.

Rating: 23/30 stars

Eclipse Financial Services Ltd,

Weymouth, DT4 8EN

www.eclipsefs.co.uk

Speed of response: Time of call: 14.28pm. The call was answered after four rings by an adviser.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Telephone manner: The adviser was very friendly and chatted at a rate of knots. The speed with which he spoke had the shopper struggling to keep up.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Qualifications: When asked the adviser said he was independent and covered the whole of market however he did not specify any qualifications.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Payment method: Fees payable of £295 were payable on completion of the mortgage. He stressed there would be no payment up front.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Guidance: He said it would depend on the rental income, which would be established by a valuer. The rental would have to cover the interest-only mortgage payment, with an additional 15 to 25 per cent. He said the shopper would probably have better luck as a normal first-time buyer as the rates were less than for a buy-to-let mortgage. The adviser said the shopper could buy a house as a normal first-time buyer and later on approach the lender to rent it out. He reminded the shopper to consider other fees such as the costs of a solicitor.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Knowledge: It was clear the adviser was very knowledgeable.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Verdict: Chatty, friendly and polite, the adviser gave the shopper a huge amount of information to digest and at a very high speed. He was very welcoming and made the shopper feel at ease.

Rating: 18/30 stars

Independent Financial Solutions Limited,

Weymouth, DT4 9SS

www.my-moneymatters.com

Speed of response: Time of call: 14.44pm. The adviser picked up the telephone after two rings.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Telephone manner: Calm and easy to talk to, the adviser was polite, professional and quite laid back.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Qualifications: The adviser did not mention anything about his qualifications but at the end of the conversation he said he was independent and covered the whole of the market.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Payment method: When asked the adviser said he accepted a procuration fee from the lender but did not at the moment charge a fee.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Guidance: He asked about the deposit and said the shopper's chances were limited. He suggested the shopper might be better off buying a house as a first-time buyer and later approaching the lender about letting it out. He did say this should not be advised. He said buy-to-let was based on rental income and it had to match at least 125 per cent of the mortgage payment. He said there were quite a few factors to consider.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Knowledge: The conversation was short but the shopper felt the adviser understood this area.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Verdict: The adviser was extremely friendly and very professional. He was not that eager to give much information over the telephone but he was very accommodating about arranging a meeting.

Rating: 19/30 stars