Diary of an adviser: Amit Patel

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Diary of an adviser: Amit Patel

Monday

The alarm beeps at 5.30am – old habits die hard, I guess. 

After dropping the kids off to school it is only a short drive to the office. First things first, a nice brew of coffee to kick-start the day ahead.

Once the laptop has fired up, I review my diary to see what appointments I have scheduled for the week ahead.

At 11.15am my first appointment begins, the first-time buyers who wish to purchase their property with a gifted deposit, from – you guessed it – the ‘bank of mum and dad’, arrive. 

After lunch I call a lender to get a case update, I hope it’s the answer that I want: a definite date for completion – it has been three months since the application was submitted. It is good news and I immediately call the client.

I spend the afternoon keying in an application for clients that I met on Saturday.

A client calls to say they have been held up in traffic and will be an hour late for their appointment. They have no existing will and are very concerned of dying intestate. 

Tuesday 

By 8am I manage to navigate the dreaded Blackwall Tunnel on my way to Plaistow: a home visit to meet a client who is unable to come to the office for health reasons. What strikes me when I arrive at their residence is the neglect and poor condition of the block of flats where they live.

The lift is broken and they live on the fifth floor. Its been broken for more than six weeks and there’s been no date from the local authority on when it will be fixed. Needles are strewn across all the floors as I make my way up floor by floor. 

After the meeting concludes I head back to Welling with a quick detour to Costa Coffee.

Wednesday

An existing client arrives unexpectedly at 9.30am and asks if I would help her to complete a form to change the details held at the Land Registry, which I humbly complete for her – all part of the service we provide to our clients.

I receive a call from a client who wishes to reschedule the appointment we have booked for the afternoon to Saturday. 

I spend the free slot catching up with some administration finalising my mortgage record of suitability letters to clients.

Thursday 

A walk-in client wishes to enquire whether we could capital raise on her existing buy-to-let properties to fund a couple of onward purchases, and whether it would be beneficial to set up a limited company for the new properties as she will be buying more properties going forward. 

My daughter calls me to remind me that I need to collect her after school; no problem, I say. “Dad, you were meant to be here half an hour ago.” D’oh.

Friday

I receive a LinkedIn message from a connection who wants mortgage advice. The power of social media is second to none.

He managed to get himself into debt in excess of £50,000 after being made redundant from his job, and he wants to explore his options.

I make contact and arrange to call him back at a convenient time to get a better understanding of his situation.

I make a few calls to lenders to get case updates – I like to keep my clients updated once a week on the progression of their application. 

Amit Patel is mortgage and protection consultant at Trinity Finance 

If you would like to write a week in your life as a financial adviser, please contact: melanie.tringham@ft.com