Mortgage advice - Alan Greenin

Mortgage advice - Alan Greenin Mortgage, Equity release and protection advice, with no fluff or jargon!

11/03/2026

Mortgage rates are changing fast!

04/02/2026

Your bank statements matter more than you think.

Overdrafts.
Bounced payments.
“Funny” references.
Constant gambling.
Random money flying about.

Lenders aren’t judging you.
They’re judging risk.

Clean doesn’t mean boring.
It means predictable.

03/02/2026

calculators lie to you.

Income isn’t the whole story.
Credit history matters. A lot.

Same numbers.
Different outcomes.

Start point.
Not the answer.

28/01/2026

A lot of people assume a bonus automatically increases what they can borrow.
Sometimes it does.
Often it doesn’t.
Most lenders will look at bonus, commission and overtime.
But only if it’s consistent.
If it shows up regularly and has a track record, lenders are much more comfortable using it.
If it’s all over the place, some will ignore it completely.
Usually they want to see a couple of years.
They’ll often average it.
And some lenders will only use part of it.
Overtime works in a similar way.
If it’s contractual or happens regularly, it’s more likely to count.
If it’s ad hoc, it’s treated with a lot more caution.
And this is where people get confused.
Different lenders treat this income very differently.
Same job.
Same payslips.
Very different borrowing outcomes.
So yes, bonuses and overtime can help your affordability.
But only with the right lender and the right presentation.
That’s why one calculator says yes.
And another says no.

07/01/2026

They thought past credit killed their chances. It didn’t.

A message landed in my LinkedIn inbox…

“My daughter wants to buy her first home.
She’s been renting for years.
Had some credit issues from a previous relationship.
The only problem is the deposit.”

Renting plus saving is a brutal combo.
So Mum and Dad stepped in.

Smart move.

Their goal?
➝ Help their daughter onto the ladder
➝ Avoid draining savings
➝ Improve their own home at the same time

Here’s where it got interesting.

They used the value in their home.
Not a handout.
A plan.

My approach?
➝ Lifetime mortgage to release funds
➝ Covered the daughter’s deposit
➝ Ring-fenced extra for home improvements
➝ Everything structured properly, not rushed

Cooking with gas.

Meanwhile, I ran the numbers for the buyers.

Those old credit “blips”?
➝ Time had done its thing
➝ No longer an issue
➝ High street lender happy
➝ Full affordability stacked up

Fast forward two months.

➝ Lifetime mortgage completed
➝ Deposit funds landed
➝ Offer made
➝ Negotiated like pros
➝ Offer accepted

Even better?

They still had money left over.
For decorating.
For making it feel like home.
Not just a house they moved into.

Result?
➝ One couple now homeowners
➝ Parents helped without financial pain
➝ Two generations moving forward

They almost didn’t ask.
Because they assumed the answer would be no.

The buyers thought past credit would block them.
It didn’t.

The parents thought helping meant sacrifice.
It didn’t.

You don’t know what’s possible
until someone actually checks.

Helping one generation feels good.
Helping two at once feels even better.

And yes I am hoping for episode 9 of Stranger things tonight.

02/01/2026

While you were in a turkey coma, this happened.

It’s been a quiet start to the year.

Lenders haven’t been overly busy.
Probably nursing hangovers.
And finishing leftovers.

But behind the scenes, things have moved.

The Bank of England cut the base rate to 3.75% 
just before Christmas.
Markets took note.
So did lenders.

Swap rates followed.
And that’s what really drives fixed mortgage pricing.

Swap rates easing = cheaper funding for lenders.
Cheaper funding = more room to reduce fixed rates.
And we’re already seeing that filter through quietly.

What’s been happening behind the scenes:

• Swap rates have eased slightly
• Product end dates are being extended
• Several lenders have trimmed fixed rates
• Biggest cuts are on retention and higher LTVs
• Variable rates and SVRs have started to drop too

No fireworks.
But not nothing.

We’ve already seen:

• Nottingham Building Society cut selected residential fixed rates up to 0.20%
• Buy-to-let and retention rates reduced by up to 0.14%
• Some retirement interest-only rates down by as much as 0.20%

• Leeds Building Society cut residential and FTB fixed rates up to 0.20%
• Existing customer rates reduced by up to 0.26%
• Interest-only rates trimmed and end dates extended

• Accord reduced some two and three-year fixed rates
• Higher LTV products saw cuts up to 0.30%
• Some Accord rates increased across parts of the range
• Five-year fixed rates edging down more gently

That mix matters.
Cuts and increases together usually mean one thing.
Lenders are reacting to swap rates.
Not chasing headlines.

This is often how momentum builds.
Small moves first.
Then confidence follows.

Once the hangovers fade and the leftovers disappear,
we usually see lenders properly spark into life.

The mood right now?

Cautiously optimistic.
Less panic.
More balance.

Who’s back to it and who’s clearing up the leftovers ready for a fresh start Monday?

26/10/2025

Let’s see who I can trust.

Pick your perfect tea colour below.

Mine is D4

If you’re anywhere in the top left corner,
I’m reporting you to instagram 😳

5 lessons from remote working on holiday.I just spent two weeks in Orlando  exploring Universal with the family.  Wrestl...
07/06/2025

5 lessons from remote working on holiday.

I just spent two weeks in Orlando  
exploring Universal with the family. 

Wrestling a 10-year-old onto a coaster  
Is easier than wrangling a mortgage. 

Mortgages don’t clock off, though.  
I logged on at dawn (thanks jet-lag)
and again after everyone crashed 
butterbeer in hand.

Here’s how I managed my time
to keep everyone happy...ish.

1. Leverage jet-lag
• Woke early thanks to time shift.
• Birds chirping while clearing my inbox.
• Answered messages and booked appointments.

2. Prioritise ruthlessly
• Urgent tasks first.
• Everything else waited until I returned.
• Clients knew the plan.

3. Communicate like a pro
• Shared my holiday schedule.
• Sent document lists to new clients.
• No surprises, just smooth progress.

4. Use downtime to prep
• Evening catch ups after dinner.
• Cleared smaller tasks.
• Saved major work for home.

5. Defend family time
• No late night calls.
• Quality time over work hours.
• My daughters know they come first.

Back at my desk now.
Jet-lag is real.
The washing pile is huge!
I’m refreshed and ready with big plans.
Tan’s on point (minus a few odd white patches).

Remote working done right means guilt free holidays and happy clients.

What’s your best remote working tip?

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