The Intermediary – November 2025 - Flipbook - Page 99
M E E T T H E B RO K E R
people who go to Disney and Florida,
and people who are cooking over fire.
What would you say sets
Just Mortgages apart?
The biggest thing that I’ve noticed
and one of the main reasons for
joining is the level of support they
provide their brokers. They have
a saying, ‘on your own, but not
alone’, and it’s stuck with me. It’s
something I noticed as I adjusted to
self-employed and the post-Covid-19
world of working from home. I’d
always worked in an environment
where you are with other people.
That was one of the big worries
for me going self-employed, but
it doesn’t feel like that at Just
Mortgages. There is a community
of brokers and we’re all in the same
boat – there’s a wealth of support
offered and it’s fantastic. From a
financial point of view, there is fair
commission splits, so it’s clear and
straightforward what I’m going to
earn – and that’s important.
For clients, we have a fantastic
fact-finding system, which is
groundbreaking – it has built-in
artificial intelligence (AI) and is not
a rigid system, so it moves with the
client. If I’ve got the tools to do the
job from Just Mortgages, I will do a
better job with my clients, and I can’t
fault them for that.
I can see where my business will
be in three years’ time because of the
systems we are using. It makes the
job far easier, too, and means I can
spend more time getting to know my
clients and what they want, rather
than on admin.
What are the current
opportunities in the
market for brokers?
I’d say it’s the opportunity to deal
with the number of lenders we have
access to. Through Just Mortgages,
we have more than 25 different
lending opportunities which gives
us a greater opportunity to tailor a
solution for the client.
One of the freedoms of being selfemployed is that if I need to spend a
day researching a case for a client, I
can. I’m not in an environment where
there’s estate agents or pressure on
volumes. That in itself is a massive
opportunity in the market – going
self-employed. The shackles are
off, and you have the complete
autonomy to be the best broker you
can be. I did that the best I could in
an employed environment, but being
self-employed, I can go up a level and
really kick on.
What are the current
issues affecting your
sector?
House prices is probably the biggest
one. Anybody with children will
worry about them being able to
afford a house and get on the
property ladder. It’s a big issue and
one that impacts everybody that is
looking to buy a house.
If house prices get too expensive,
fewer people are going to be able to
buy them.
You have the complete
autonomy to be the best
broker you can be. I did
that the best I could in an
employed environment,
but being self-employed, I
can go up a level”
People are borrowing more and
are putting less down as a deposit
because they are getting squeezed.
As lenders have widened the net
and stretched criteria to enable
borrowers to get on the ladder, we
have seen massive growth in higher
loan-to-value (LTV) lending – which
is something to watch.
It continues to prove the point for
professional advice when reviewing
your options.
My approach with clients is to
take a lot of the emotion out of the
process to ensure clients are hearing
what they need to hear. The best
brokers are the ones who are fair
and honest and tell clients what they
need to know and hear. At a basic
level, clients must consider what
they are comfortable spending each
month and stick to that.
In what ways could
lenders better support
brokerages?
I’d like to see BDMs back out on the
road more. I think post-Covid, we
have seen a greater shift to Teams or
Zoom calls, which is great and has its
uses. However, when you’re working
with BDMs who are trying to talk to
you about their niches, being able to
do that face-to-face makes so much
difference.
Especially for new brokers, there
is so much value and support in a
dedicated point of contact, rather
than a call centre. I’m nearly 11 years
in the job, so I know the lenders’
criteria and nuances of what they
do – new brokers coming into the
industry don’t necessarily have that.
I was constantly speaking with
BDMs when I first started, and
running it by them, or even on the
phone or when they come in and see
you – it’s really important.
Are there any business
developments in the
pipeline?
Eventually, I would love to have a
brand name or a trading style for my
business. I’d like to get to the point of
having a brand and an identity where
I can walk out with a polo shirt with a
logo on it. Primarily though, my focus
is on growing my business, marching
to the beat of my own drum, not one
beat for me.
I am thriving on the freedom of
being self-employed and all that
brings – doing a job I thoroughly
enjoy and being the best I can be. ●
November 2025 | The Intermediary
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