I was asked the other day how much it would cost to sit down and talk through some mortgage and insurance concerns.

The person was quite taken aback when I answered that a consultation with me was absolutely free and they went on to ask ‘what’s the catch?’

Well, there isn’t a catch and no, my fees aren’t added on to your mortgage or insurance premiums.

But it is true that many advisers, in lots of different fields, do make a charge just to sit down, drink a coffee and give you their advice or opinion.

I’ve never thought that particularly fair. After all, I’m here to try to help people to get the best possible mortgage or insurance deal for their needs – I’ll ruin that if I charge them for a chat!

I get paid if, and only if, the client takes out a mortgage or insurance policy through me and even then, I’m paid by the lender or insurance company, not the client.

Another question I get asked is why don’t people just go straight to the mortgage or insurance company or use a comparison website?

Again, good questions.

I would say so of course, but I don’t think there’s any substitute for a face to face discussion, especially with something as important and complex as a mortgage or life insurance. How else can you discover exactly what the right product is for you, taking into account things like your age, employment status, income and spending, future plans, partners, children and so on.

I can access the whole of the market for mortgages and have access to a large number of providers for the different types of insurances that are out there, some only available to brokers, and matching the right one with the client can take time and patience. But it saves time for the client who would otherwise have had to trawl the internet trying to find the right deal or would have plumped for the first they came across, regardless of whether it was right for them or not.

Comparison websites are all well and good but they tend to offer ‘one size fits all’ products, without really considering the exact needs of the client. Not all companies are on those websites and remember too, that repeated requests for quotes from comparison websites can damage your credit rating!

All in all, I think it’s good to talk, so if you’d like a chat to discuss mortgages or insurance call me on 07767 692 653 and fix a meeting – it won’t cost you a penny!