Monday
Monday starts as it often does with picking through the tranche of emails from the weekend that require action, then setting my task list for the day and prioritising what needs to be done.
Working through, it appears one client has secured an acceptable offer on a new house, so I confirm the deal we discussed at a meeting the previous week and look to confirm an application. Then I get confirmation to the agent that the client is serious about her new buy-to-let purchase. There is also a referral to catch up with, an old client making an enquiry and a flag raised to get in touch with a client whose current fixed rate mortgage is coming to an end.
Tuesday
The tragic event of the previous evening is all over the news and creates a sombre mood in the office. Manchester is on our doorstep and I have a lot of clients there. I had been there at the FSE Expo and recently had a client meeting just down from the Manchester Arena.
I would not normally be in the office on a Tuesday as I usually look after my daughter, spending the day at a baby group and soft play centres. However, today my in-laws are visiting and so I am in the office to tidy up a bit of admin, listen to a sales pitch from a foreign exchange services that wants me to refer clients and take a call from my new compliance officer to set up an introductory meeting next week.
Wednesday
Today starts with a trip to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, an all-too-regular occurrence. My son was born with a very rare eye condition and as a result has had more hospital visits in his first five years of life than I have had doctors’ appointments in my 35. Thankfully, this visit was more routine than some have been and I am back in the office by lunchtime.
I have got a query from an older gentleman in Doncaster who is looking to relocate to Oxford to buy a property with his daughter and her family so they can all live under one roof with their own space, and another from a factory owner looking to raise money to develop his business.
Thursday
My wife and I are currently renovating our home, so this morning I had meetings with the builder on site to discuss, among other things, the precise location of the toilet. When I have watched the Beeny does Grand Designing Renovation Nightmares, I have always been so dismissive of the moaning and stresses that people go through. I am now eating my words.
Once I get in to the office I need to speak to a client who has six months left on a Castle Trust deal and I need to make sure he has a plan in place to repay the loan.
It transpires that he wants to buy another property, so a mortgage is required on a buy-to-let and potentially refinancing the Castle Trust deal. I have also been referred to a potential client who is a professional dancer on a cruise ship. I wonder if the potential business would warrant a trip to the Caribbean.
Friday
Friday is normally more of an admin day, making sure files are as tidy as they can be for the weekend. However, as well as the usual admin, I have a couple of appointments. One is with a young couple who have been given the right to buy their council property, the other is with a couple who are refinancing their own renovation project in the Peak District.
The latter justifies one of the reasons I love living and working in this part of the world. The Peak District is 20 minutes away from my office in the centre of Sheffield and on a Friday afternoon, in basking sunshine, there are not many places better to be conducting a home visit.
Even better is that the sun is still shining when I get home and am are able to head out for a little rest and relaxation before dinner.
Paul Dorward is a principal at PAD Financial, based in Sheffield
