Laura Bairstow- The Mortgage Master

27/07/2026

It’s been an extremely busy few weeks here at The Mortgage Masters so as of tomorrow, I will be having some family fun in the sun ☀️

I’ll be returning to the office on Monday 10th August.

If you’d like to book an appointment for when I return, please click on the following link to my diary to book in at a convenient time.

https://calendly.com/laurathemortgagemasters

For existing clients who are currently going through the mortgage and conveyancing
process, rest assured we will still be monitoring things and I’ll still be available for emergencies.

💰🔑🏡

Welcome to my scheduling page. Please follow the instructions to add an event to my calendar.

19/06/2026

‼️ Great news for the property market today ‼️

The government have plans to shake up the whole home buying process, enabling the average house purchase to go through in just 4 weeks!

👉Sellers will be mandated to provide sales packs to ensure buyers have the information they need upfront, earlier binding agreements, and digital tools will halve the number of sales that fall through saving millions.

👉It’s estimated that the average buyer will also save £650 in fees.

Scotland already have a similar process and their buying process is so much slicker and quicker.



https://www.gov.uk/government/news/homebuying-shake-up-to-slash-delays-cut-costs-and-stop-sales-falling-through?fbclid=IwZnRzaASh1ahleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeWt480idXQelmPUOPgdhB14O92QFsfqaOne9rx0N0R4WTPEojl1lhcHjKVUs_aem_D1jrlCTNypILsXV2ne7kXw

New rules introduced to simplify homebuying and selling making the process easier and simpler

22/05/2026

Here are some of the cases we’ve been working on this week:

👉 First Time Buyer who’s self-employed with only one year of accounts and a 5% deposit gifted from parents.

👉 Ltd Company Director with a huge jump in earnings this year and wanting to use latest years figures for affordability.

👉 Landlord wanting to release equity from 2 properties to buy a third.

👉 Client looking to buy his ex out of their marital home. His existing bank declined but we got him an option with another high street lender.

👉 A couple with some heavy adverse who’s been told no by two other brokers.

👉 A client who changed from sole trader to ltd company mid-way through the year.

👉 A couple releasing equity from their home to fund an extension

Please get in touch for more information

📲 07708525784



Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up with repayments.

24/03/2026

Quick rate update 👇

👉Mortgage rates are continuing to increase and quite quickly.

👉We’re also seeing some lenders withdraw deals altogether to catch up with demand and reprice, as they’ve been so busy with new business.

So things are moving faster than usual right now.

What does that mean?

• Rates are going up
• Some deals are disappearing with little notice
• Waiting could mean missing a better option

This isn’t about panic but it is about being proactive.

If you’re planning anything mortgage wise, now’s the time to look at it:

✔ Buying? Start exploring options early
✔ Rate ending soon? Don’t leave it until the last minute
✔ Remortgaging? You can secure a rate up to 6 months in advance

That last point is key.

You can lock something in now to protect yourself and if things improve, we can review it.
But if rates keep rising, you’ve already secured a fallback.

Bottom line: the market is busy, lenders are reacting quickly, and timing matters.

If you’re unsure where you stand, just message me.

📲 07708525784



Your home may be repossessed if your do not keep up with repayments.

11/03/2026

‼️ Mortgage Market Update ‼️

We are currently experiencing lots of volatility in the market.

👉 From what I can observe, we’ve experienced one of the largest waves of mortgage product withdrawals in recent years. On a single day alone, more than 300 residential mortgage products were removed from sourcing systems, which gives a clear sense of how quickly lenders are having to respond right now.

👉 The main driver appears to be rising global tensions linked to Iran. When events like this occur, gilt yields and swap rates tend to move quickly —swap rates are effectively the engine behind fixed-rate mortgage pricing.

👉 When swap rates move sharply, lenders generally have two choices: reprice products quickly or temporarily withdraw them while they reassess funding costs. Over the past few days, many lenders have done a combination of both.

Across the market we’re seeing:

• Rate increases, sometimes more than once within a 24-hour period

• Temporary withdrawals of entire product ranges, particularly within buy-to-let

How can you ensure you’re accessing the best rates possible ⁉️

1. Speed matters

Whilst we never want to rush you, if we send you a quote, please respond asap as there’s no guarantee that rate will still be available the next day.

2. Protect flexibility where possible

If your mortgage is due for renewal within 6 months, look into your options now! We can do this on your behalf and if you stay with your current lender, there is no cost for this. We can then monitor rates and switch you onto a lower rate if available.

Please get in touch for help understanding your mortgage options

📲 07708526784
📧 [email protected]



Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up with repayments

04/03/2026

Rate Update – What’s Happening Right Now👇

With the escalation in the Middle East and volatility in oil markets, we’ve seen swap rates increase this week.

Swap rates are what lenders use to price fixed mortgages. So even when the Bank of England Base Rate hasn’t changed, mortgage rates can still move.

Over the last few days, expectations of an early Base Rate reduction have reduced significantly. Markets are now less confident about near-term cuts, and that shift is already feeding into lender pricing.

What does this mean for you?

• We may not see dramatic changes overnight
• But lenders can reprice quickly as funds are allocated through the month
• Waiting for rates to drop further could carry risk

We’re not expecting drastic jumps. But we also wouldn’t advise sitting back and hope for significant reductions right now.

If you:
✔ Have a rate review pending
✔ Are mid-application
✔ Are thinking about applying soon

Now is the time to act rather than delay.

Markets are volatile and can change quickly. No one has a crystal ball. Our role is to help protect you from unnecessary increases and make sure you’re in the strongest position possible.

If you’re mortgage rate is coming to an end in the next 4-6 months and you’re unsure where you stand, message me and we’ll review your options properly. We can fix your rate as early as possible to protect you from any rises. If rates with your chosen lender drop in the meantime- between now and your current rate ending, we can then look to transfer you to the lower rate.

If we do a Product Transfer on your behalf (you stay with the same lender) there is no charge for our service.

Please get in touch for further information.

📲 07708525784
📧 [email protected]



Your home may be repossessed if you fail to keep up with repayments.
This post does not constitute advice and is for informative purposes only.

11/02/2026

Today I went to a broker event and had the opportunity to meet with a leading economist for one of the UKs largest high street banks.

His predictions for the housing market were extremely positive with the main takeaways being as follows:

👉 He predicts 2 Bank of England Base Rate reduction this year with the first being around April/May.

👉 There will be lots more support to help first time buyers get on the housing market. The FCA and lenders are working together on this.

👉 He believes the housing crash has already happened- whilst prices haven’t plummeted as such, they have reduced by around 15% when offset against inflation.

He did stress that his predictions/opinions are based on the current situation and could change depending on external factors such as global events.

I certainly came away feeling extremely positive about the year ahead in the housing market 💰🔑🏡



This post does not constitute advice and is for illustrative purposes only.

05/02/2026

Great new for First Time Buyers! 👀

Santander have just launched ‘My First Mortgage’ which only requires a 2% deposit!

👉This is 98% five-year fixed rate mortgage product, with a rate of 5.19%, zero product fee and £250 cashback.

👉 Minimum £10k deposit

👉 Maximum borrowing is 4.49x income

👉Subject to meeting general lender criteria and passing their internal credit scoring. Terms and conditions apply.

With Skipton still offering their 100% mortgage and Vida still offering 97% mortgages, this reflects a positive market.

Let’s hope this support for first time buyers continues to filter through with other lenders coming on board!

Get in touch for more information.

📲 07708525784

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up with repayments.

29/01/2026

We are very grateful for another 5⭐️ Google review! ☺️