Monday
I go into the office for our weekly morning meeting. It is an opportunity to talk about what we did last week and focus on what we have planned for the coming one. Catching up with my team for an hour is always interesting and offers a little light-hearted banter to start the week.
After a quick update on new rates and products it is back to the desk for one of my favourite parts of the week. I love getting an email from a client who has been out viewing over the weekend and wants to make an offer or has done so. Mondays are crucial for being able to respond to weekend buyer activities. Then I make calls to my introducers to say "Hi", chat football and get feedback on any leads from the weekend.
Tuesday
I have a day full of appointments at my favourite estate agent introducer and even remember to make the tea at least once.
The good news is, three deals I helped on Sunday are all looking as though they passed the help-to-buy and lenders' checks. It is time to make recommendations and get the deals submitted to the lenders before they pull the rates.
Good news: we were able to get the buyer extra funds to assist with an offer on one of their properties. The estate agent and client are very happy.
Bad news: down valuation. I need to think on this before attempting an appeal. However, it is a market challenge we face every day in this business.
I then follow up on hot leads and calls to existing clients.
Wednesday
All clients are happy and are completing the Finance Planning Group's online application – in fact, I had one in at 11pm the previous night. We use technology to its fullest, which makes my life easy. Not long ago I would spend ages putting my clients through lengthy meetings and phone calls. In this case, the property developer is just as much the client and I need to get these offers out fast.
Grrr, last minute email from a lender who is withdrawing its rates. I need to make a few phone calls to clients I have quoted and sort the deals on my desk. Chances are the new rates will be lower, but that's not a chance I can take.
Thursday
I start the day checking in with my admin team, so a quick stop to pick up doughnuts gets a little office morale booster and also gets my cases dealt with before the other brokers! #MasterTactic
There is an interesting lead I have just placed. An introducer phoned me who was on the verge of losing a £7,000 fee on a house sale. The purchaser originally went direct to a lender who took three weeks to reject the case. Following a brief chat, it was clear why and I was able to make a recommendation with a lender where they fit the criteria. This was a double win for me and helped to reinforce the benefit of the mortgage broker in today's crowded market occupied by online disruptors and comparison sites.
My compliance officer has issued some advice standards, which I need to read. It all goes towards CPD; job done.
Friday
It's 10 o'clock and have a coffee at a new build sales and marketing suite. The developer plans to release another 20 plots tomorrow; I am here to have a look at the prices and get an understanding of what is coming up.
Working from home this afternoon means I can deal with pre-launch weekend new build enquiries. It is not hard; all I need to do is qualify people who are in a position to proceed so they can make reservations. I end the day by giving the developer full feedback, which makes certain that we close as many sales as possible and no one slips through the net.
Finally, I do a little prep for my Monday meeting, checking I did everything I said I would.
Matt Stephens is mortgage and protection broker at The Finance Planning Group
