Last month, we welcomed a new receptionist at Key Mortgage Advice Preston - Jane Davis. Now she's had a little time to settle in, we thought we'd give Jane the opportunity to tell you a bit about herself! Here's her story:
"Having a constant yearning to travel from a young age, I went to live in Israel at 21, much to my family’s horror. A year later I went backpacking around Asia and Australia, where I eventually settled for 15 years.
Due to my passion for travel, I spent most of my time in Australia working within the travel industry for independent Travel Agents and Airlines alike. I then made a career change when I moved to Sydney and worked in local government dealing mainly with town planning issues, which was surprisingly interesting in an ever-growing city such as Sydney.
Eventually, I decided to move back to the UK in 2006 for family reasons and continued working in the public sector for a local Council, where I worked for seven years.
At the age of 40, as part of my mid-life crisis, I decided to go to University part-time to study Law and after five long years, I graduated with LLB Honours. I briefly worked in a Solicitors office but decided quite early on that it wasn’t for me. I ended up moving in a completely different direction and spent nearly five years working for an Estate Agents, which for the most part I thoroughly enjoyed. As a people person, this really suited me, having lots of direct contact with customers.
I’m now looking to use those customer service skills gained over many years to bring a cheerful and professional manner to the reception desk at Key Mortgage Advice Preston.
I live on my own with my two daughters, enjoying lots of family time and socialising with friends. My passion for travel has now been reduced to mini breaks in Europe. Although my long-term plan is to retire to either France or Spain."
If you're considering using an independent mortgage advisor, head over to our team page to meet our friendly, expert mortgage consultants and mortgage processors. If you'd like to talk to someone about your options, get in touch or visit our offices in Preston, Southport or Garstang.
Clare is the newest addition to our team, having joined us in 2018. She is an experienced consultant and has worked in the Financial Services industry for 12 years. In that time, Clare's passion for helping people meant she naturally gravitated towards consulting on mortgages.
Clare is married with two children - outside of work, she loves spending time outdoors with her family and walking with their dog. Her role as a mortgage consultant at Key Mortgage Advice involves travelling between our offices in Preston and Garstang, discussing clients' needs and circumstances, and helping them to find the best possible mortgage product:
When I help someone achieve the purchase of their first property or dream property. The journey to get there can often be long and stressful, so when you can step in and help in the process, it gives you real satisfaction in your job.
I think what makes it most attractive to house hunters is that it's a great central place for commuting to many of the major North West cities, without the high cost of living in one of them. Of course, it's also attractive to potential landlords with its large university campus.
As for what I like about the area, I just love the people here and the fact that there's always something interesting going on in the city.
Come and speak to us in order to understand your borrowing capacity. Also, take a look at your credit report and try to reduce your outstanding debt as much as you can. That way, you'll have the best possible chance of being accepted for a mortgage loan.
At Key Mortgage Advice, we’re proud of our people. We believe our personal approach to mortgage advice is what makes us one of the most trusted consultancies in Lancashire. If you’re looking to secure a mortgage in Southport, Preston or Garstang, our team can help you to find the best deal. You can get to know our advisors and mortgage processors on the Our Team page. When you're ready, contact us for more information.
At Key Mortgage Advice, we’re proud of our people. We believe our personal approach to providing mortgage advice is what makes us one of the most trusted consultancies in the North West.
If you’re looking to secure a mortgage in Southport, Preston or Garstang, our team can help you to find the best deal. Get to know our advisors and mortgage processors below, and read an interview with the newest addition to our team, Clare Ferreira:
Sharon is the company’s director, having founded Key Mortgage Advice in 2001.
After 17 years advising clients, specialising in lifetime mortgages and commercial finance, her role now sees her primarily involved with strategic planning, management and business development, ensuring we maintain our position as a leading provider of mortgage advice in the North West.
Although Sharon is not as involved with day-to-day advice as she once was, she is very much seen as an expert on residential mortgage matters and frequently assists in complex cases, as well as mentoring her team.
Sharon lives in Little Hoole, near Preston with her husband and son and relaxes outside of work by spending time with her family and horse riding.
Melanie has been with Key Mortgage Advice since January 2011 and has previous experience with working with an estate agency.
She is responsible for managing your mortgage application from point of application through to completion and offers a friendly, professional service.
Melanie has 2 children and enjoys walking, attending music concerts and watching football in her spare time.
Samantha has been working with Key Mortgage Advice since 2017 and has over 10 years’ administration experience.
She is part of the mortgage processing team and prides herself on delivering a personal and efficient service.
Samantha has 2 young children and, in her spare time, likes to socialise with friends, go camping, and often travels to Spain to visit family.
Brigid has worked as a mortgage processor for Key Mortgage Advice since 2016.
Prior to joining our team, she worked for an estate agent for almost 20 years. Her work is predominantly focused on securing mortgages in Garstang, Preston and Southport for our customers.
In her spare time, Brigid enjoys going on holiday, watching football and spending time with her young grandson.
Angela has over 20 years’ experience in the Financial Services industry, working for major high street banks and estate agents, predominately as a mortgage consultant. She now provides customers with mortgage advice in our Southport office.
Angela came to Key Mortgage Advice because she wanted a personal and family-orientated working environment with strong customer values at heart. She prides herself in her professional but friendly approach to providing clients with mortgage advice, whether they are a first-time buyer, home mover or looking to remortgage.
Angela has one child who she enjoys going on holiday and travelling with.
Clare is the newest addition to our team, having joined us earlier this year.
She has worked in the Financial Services industry for 12 years and, in that time, developed a preference for working on mortgages. She now provides customers with mortgage advice in our Garstang and Preston offices.
Clare is married with two children, and loves spending time outdoors with her family and walking with their dog. She also has a passion for travel and enjoys visiting new places.
Which part of your job as a mortgage consultant do you enjoy most?
"The thing I enjoy most about my job is when you help someone achieve the purchase of their first property or dream property. The journey to get there can often be long and stressful, so when you can step in and help in the process, it gives you real satisfaction in your job."
What do you like about Preston and what makes it attractive to house hunters?
"I think what makes it most attractive to house hunters is that it can be a great central place for commuting to many of the major North West cities, without the high cost of living in one of them. As for what I like about the area, I just love the people here and the fact that there's always something interesting going on in the city."
What's your top piece of advice for those about to apply for their first mortgage?
"My advice would be to come and speak to us in order to understand your borrowing capacity. Also, take a look at your credit report and try to reduce your outstanding debt as much as possible. That way, you'll have the best possible chance of being accepted for a mortgage loan."
Fine & Country have joined Key Mortgage Advice in the Resource Centre in Garstang!
Established in 2001, Key Mortgage Advice now have high street offices in Preston, Southport and Garstang. With almost eighteen years of experience in the property sector, the company has established countless relationships with estate agents throughout Lancashire and Merseyside, and managing director, Sharon Duckworth, is delighted to be welcoming a new estate agent to work alongside them in their Garstang office.
“Cultivating great relationships with local businesses means that we’re able to offer a better, more personal service for our clients, so working closely with Fine & Country in Garstang is something we’re very excited about”, explains Sharon.
Fine & Country is a global network of independent property professionals who aim to provide personal, local expertise for their clients. Dealing exclusively with prestigious, high-end properties, they hope to provide an entirely different service for Garstang residents. Offering both regional and national advertising with a comprehensive online presence and strategic offline approach (including their own magazine; Refined), Fine & Country pride themselves on providing their clients with access to a global market.
“Both Fine & Country and Key Mortgage Advice offer a truly personal experience”, says Andrew Kneale, director of Fine & Country.
“We definitely have a shared ethos, and we’re hoping that by working together closely we can really offer a holistic approach for our clients in Garstang.”
Key Mortgage Advice and Fine & Country are both based at The Resource Centre on Bridge Street in Garstang and are available for consultations by appointment.
To arrange a free consultation with Key Mortgage Advice in Garstang, covering a vast array of mortgage options as well as their fully-managed Mortgage Plus service, call 01995 676211 or visit the Contact Us page. We also offer independent mortgage advice in Southport and Preston.
To find out more about Garstang’s newest estate agents and to arrange a consultation with one of Fine and Country’s passionate property professionals, call 01524 380560.
Our Facebook is growing every day (thank you!)
To save time and make it easier for you to find out if we can help with what you're looking for, we thought we'd list our services in a handy little blog!
For our new followers, keep reading to find out how Key Mortgage Advice can help you with finding the best possible deal, whatever your needs and circumstances:
Whether you’re looking for your first or fifth property, we can help you get the right mortgage. Every lender has a unique set of policies and criteria, which must exactly match the circumstances of the borrower. Therefore, arranging a mortgage has never been more complex. Our wealth of experience and knowledge of the underwriting criteria for each individual lender allows us to successfully direct applications and complete on over 95% of all mortgage cases. We have access to the whole market of mortgage products, meaning we are truly independent and will help guide you to the most competitive and suitable mortgage product for your circumstances.
Many lenders now offer discounted interest rate deals for an introductory period – normally for two, three or five years. At the end of the introductory period, they’ll usually revert to a higher rate. However, that doesn’t mean you have to stick with the higher rate; like most things nowadays it is important to shop around to see if you can save some money. If you want to know more about how we can help you to save money on your monthly mortgage payments, or to swap to a better interest rate, then contact us and we’ll see if we can get you a better deal.
If you’re a homeowner, you may have seen the value in your home increase over time. Lifetime Mortgages allow you to tap into some of this value and release a cash sum. A lifetime mortgage is designed for people over the age of 55 and allows clients to either buy a new home or release money from their current property without the need to make any monthly repayments during the lifetime of the loan. This is because the loan and interest are rolled up and repaid by the sale of your property when the plan ends; this is normally when you die or move into long-term care.
In many cases, we can visit you in your own home or, if you prefer, we can provide a telephone consultation. If you wish to proceed with a recommendation, we offer full support with the mortgage application, legal forms and completion matters to ensure the process is as straightforward as possible. In addition, we will offer you our full support going forward, should you require any further advice.
Buy-to-let mortgages are specifically designed for investors who want to buy a property and rent it out. These are usually more expensive than normal mortgages, but they could help you to become a property investor. If you don’t own your own home outright, or with a mortgage, finding a buy-to-let mortgage may be difficult.
Most buy-to-let mortgages are interest-only, meaning that you won’t be paying off the mortgage itself and you’ll have to pay the outstanding capital at the end of the mortgage term. The other key differences from normal mortgages include:
However, any rental income you earn from a property can be offset for tax purposes against the interest only mortgage payment, so owning buy-to-let properties can be a tax-efficient investment product.
Since March 2016, buy-to-let mortgages have come under greater scrutiny. New affordability tests were implemented which mean that older home-owners may struggle to get a buy-to-let mortgage as lenders often require borrowers to repay the whole loan back before they retire.
Obtaining a commercial mortgage relies heavily on the attractiveness of the proposition to a lender. Therefore, the involvement of an experienced and well-connected advisor is hugely important. As independent specialists, we negotiate business mortgages with a range of lenders including major banks, commercial building societies, regional and local building societies, and specialist commercial asset lenders. The appropriate commercial lender is purposefully selected to meet your needs. Terms for business mortgages are not set in stone and our role in the transaction is to negotiate the best mortgage rate and terms. Our wealth of experience and market knowledge means we understand what is likely to be achieved given a specific set of circumstances. We are able to assist with transactions for purchasing premises to trade from or for investment opportunities for commercial landlords.
In addition to the services listed above, we can also assist and advise on a whole host of other products, including:
If you need expert advice on any of the above, click the button below and book a free consultation with one of our expert advisors:
