Lauren Thomas-Clowes - Mortgage Adviser

Lauren Thomas-Clowes - Mortgage Adviser CII qualified Mortgage Broker based in West Midlands, operating Nationwide.

I’ve been a bit quiet on here lately, but it’s been a busy few months! The mortgage market is changing so quickly at the...
22/08/2022

I’ve been a bit quiet on here lately, but it’s been a busy few months! The mortgage market is changing so quickly at the moment.

Service levels are delayed with many lenders, and rates are changing daily, which is really frustrating for clients, and us as brokers too!

Due to interest rates changing so quickly, it doesn’t take much for any lender to become the most competitive option on the market (if other cheaper products have been removed) which means they can quickly become overwhelmed with applications and unable to manage their workflow.

In order to manage the demand and maintain the quality of their service, they are having to increase interest rates on their products, or sometimes withdraw their products from the market entirely because they would not be able to cope with the influx of applications otherwise.

We know it is a difficult time for anyone trying to get a mortgage at the moment, and that’s why you need The Mortgage Mum behind you every step of the way.

Our approach is flexibility by design, so it’s normal for us to be working beyond the 9-5, which means when lenders announce at 5pm that they are about to pull rates within the next few hours, we won’t be clocking off.

We will always do whatever it takes to get the best result for our clients, even though that does sometimes mean working until midnight… (not saying I won’t be having a lie in the next morning though! 😴)

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• 𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙔 𝙈𝙊𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙎 𝘿𝘼𝙔 •I am so lucky to have such a close relationship with my mum. She is always the first person I go to...
27/03/2022

• 𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙔 𝙈𝙊𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙎 𝘿𝘼𝙔 •

I am so lucky to have such a close relationship with my mum. She is always the first person I go to, whether I just fancy a chat, or I’m having a hard week or feeling down. Whether something good has happened and I want to share the excitement, or when I’m feeling lost and don’t know what to do.

My mum played a huge part in helping me find where I want to be in life. I worked in design and marketing for the first 10 years of my working life and it was my mum that helped guide me into this industry and showed me how fulfilling financial services could be (because as you can imagine, financial services is hardly a job I dreamed of as a child!)

After a few years in the industry when I was thinking about going self-employed, it was of course, my mum that I called. She was supportive of the idea from second I mentioned it, and she encouraged me to go for it when I myself still had doubts about whether I was capable of taking the leap into self employment and leaving behind the security of a stable income!

I don’t know how they do it, but a mother always knows best! I know I would be lost without mine - my guardian angel, my best friend.

So Happy mother’s day to my mum, and to all the wonderful mums out there today - I hope you all know how loved you are!

And sending love to those who have lost mothers, mothers who have lost children, those who long to be mothers and anyone else that struggles on this day too 🤍

Life insurance is not usually the top of the priority list for many people, and worryingly over a quarter of UK househol...
21/03/2022

Life insurance is not usually the top of the priority list for many people, and worryingly over a quarter of UK households with mortgages do not have any life cover. Generally this is because people think…

“𝙄𝙏 𝙒𝙊𝙉 ’𝙏 𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙀𝙉 𝙏𝙊 𝙈𝙀”

But actually, the three most common reasons for making an insurance claim are cancer, heart attack and stroke.

On average in the UK, sadly every 90 seconds someone is diagnosed with cancer, every 5 minutes someone will die from a heart attack or stroke.

Having life insurance will ensure if you have to experience one of these devastating illnesses, you will have financial support when you most need it.

“𝙄𝙏’𝙎 𝙏𝙊𝙊 𝙀𝙓𝙋𝙀𝙉𝙎𝙄𝙑𝙀”

You may be surprised to find out it’s not as expensive as you think. Our protection specialists are here to do the hard work for you and find you the right cover that fits within your budget, and protection is often cheaper if it’s taken out while you are young.

Don’t wait until it’s too late to arrange your protection.

Message me today to set up a quick chat with our protection team, free of charge.

Everyone knows they 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 have life insurance, but people often put it off because they want to keep their expenditure ...
28/02/2022

Everyone knows they 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 have life insurance, but people often put it off because they want to keep their expenditure to a minimum - but the cost of not having any protection in place can be far greater, and often protection is not as expensive as you may imagine!

If you don’t have any protection in place yet, or haven’t reviewed your insurance for a while, message me today to set up a free appointment with our protection specialists!

“How much can I borrow” is probably the most asked question when I speak to clients, as ultimately this is what everyone...
16/02/2022

“How much can I borrow” is probably the most asked question when I speak to clients, as ultimately this is what everyone wants to know when they are thinking about moving house!

All lenders will have different ways of calculating what they are prepared to lend you, and this is usually based on your household income and monthly outgoings, taking into account any outstanding debts and how much deposit you have available.

Whilst many people start their mortgage journey by running online affordability calculations with high street banks - this might not always give you the best picture of what is actually possible.

Speaking to a mortgage broker will always be the best way to work out how much you can borrow, as we can complete affordability calculations with relevant lenders who meet your criteria to find the maximum amount of borrowing that would be affordable for you.

If you would like to know how much you could borrow, send me a message, and I would be happy to have a quick chat with you and run affordability calculations with all of our lenders to work out what could be possible for you. 😊

The idea of a stable home is so important to me - I am only 30 and I have moved house 20 times.I’ve lived with family, o...
12/02/2022

The idea of a stable home is so important to me - I am only 30 and I have moved house 20 times.

I’ve lived with family, on my own, with strangers, with friends and now with my fiancé. And looking forwards I hope to some day build a home to live in with my soon to be husband and future children.

Whilst I absolutely don’t regret or wish my past was any different, I know how much a home can mean. It’s not just a place to live; it’s a place to feel safe and secure and put down roots, it’s a place to fill with love and warmth, family and friends.

It comes as no surprise that living a life so unrooted has resulted in me placing such strong value on having a stable home, and looking back it’s likely that this was a sub-conscious driving factor that led me to this career.

I never grew up and dreamed of being a mortgage broker, but helping people secure their first home, their family home, or their dream home has given me more joy than any other job has before. Nothing beats being a part of my clients excitement on the day they receive the mortgage offer, or feeling their overwhelm on the day they pick up their keys.

Because it’s more than just mortgages.

Reviews like this make my day! 🥰It was such a pleasure to help these lovely clients re-mortgage their existing home into...
09/02/2022

Reviews like this make my day! 🥰

It was such a pleasure to help these lovely clients re-mortgage their existing home into a buy-to-let, and release funds to use as a deposit to purchase a new dream home.

This process is called Let-to-Buy, and can be a great way to begin your landlord journey and start earning regular income to cover the buy to let mortgage payments ans hopefully provide profit.

Not only does let-to-buy allow you to keep your existing home so you benefit from any increase in value if you do choose to sell later down the line, but it will also reduce the pressure of the property chain when you are moving, as you will not need to sell your home in order to buy a new one.

Are you interested in renting out your current home to buy a new property?

Let’s have a chat and worn out what options are available to you - message me today! 💌

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It comes as no surprise that The Bank of England has raised the base rate again up to 0.5%.According to industry experts...
05/02/2022

It comes as no surprise that The Bank of England has raised the base rate again up to 0.5%.

According to industry experts it’s very likely we will see this base rate continue to rise up to 1.25% this year, which will in turn increase mortgage rates.

••• Now is the time to re-mortgage •••

This is particularly important if you are currently on a variable rate or tracker rate mortgage.

And even if you are on a fixed rate mortgage due to end in the next 6 months, it could be beneficial to re-mortgage now while rates are still low - so get in touch with me now so we can look at your options.

We all have insurance for our cars, phones, jewellery... but what about your income, or your life? Have you thought abou...
03/02/2022

We all have insurance for our cars, phones, jewellery... but what about your income, or your life?

Have you thought about what would happen to you if you were unable to work due to accident or illness?

Sometimes people assume that because they are young and healthy, they don't need any protection - but unfortunately age does not mean we are immune to accidents or illness!

And sometimes it’s the cost that puts people off, but you might be surprised that taking out protection is not as expensive as you may think.

But it’s not all doom and gloom - taking out life protection whist you are young can work in your favour as the costs are often much more affordable when taken out early! And our protection specialists are here to do the hard work for you and find you the right cover that fits within your budget.

So, if you haven't set up any protection yet, message me now and I will arrange for our protection specialists to give you a quick call for a free review of your current circumstances. 💌

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Your home may have increased in value over time since you bought it, or perhaps due to improvements you have made in the...
01/02/2022

Your home may have increased in value over time since you bought it, or perhaps due to improvements you have made in the past.

If the current value of your home is higher than the amount owed on your outstanding mortgage, this means you have equity in your home, and these funds could be released to fund your home improvements which could in turn increase the value of your home further - such as a new kitchen, a home office, or an extension for example.

One option would be to look at doing this when you are due to re-mortgage.

And even if you are not due to re-mortgage in the near future, there are still other options available to you such as a further advance or a second charge mortgage.

If this is something you are interested in and you would like to find out more, message me and I’d be more than happy to go through your options in more detail with you 💌

Getting a mortgage when self-employed can be daunting, but it's not as difficult as you may imagine!There are no specifi...
26/01/2022

Getting a mortgage when self-employed can be daunting, but it's not as difficult as you may imagine!

There are no specific mortgages for the self-employed, the only difference from your perspective will be that the evidence required to prove your income will be slightly different than if you were employed.

Generally, most lenders will ask for 2-3 years of your SA302's and tax year overviews, which details your income and tax paid from your self-employment. This is because self-employed borrowers are generally considered more risky because their income is not guaranteed to be regular, so lenders require a little more information to feel satisfied they will be able to maintain the mortgage payments.

If you are self-employed and are thinking of moving or re-mortgaging, feel free to get in touch with me to find out your options.

The first step onto the property ladder can often be the hardest, but fortunately there is a lot of support out there fo...
18/01/2022

The first step onto the property ladder can often be the hardest, but fortunately there is a lot of support out there for first time buyers.

I often speak with clients who wrongly assume they can’t buy a home because they think they don’t earn enough, or they don’t think they have enough deposit - but they are usually pleasantly surprised to find out what’s possible!

Would you love to buy your first home, but not sure where to start?

Take the first step, and message me today, we can have a chat about your options and I can guide you through the process.

Address

Redditch

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 8pm
Tuesday 8am - 8pm
Wednesday 8am - 8pm
Thursday 8am - 8pm
Friday 8am - 8pm

Telephone

+447525052355

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