Joe Smith - Mortgages & Protection

Joe Smith - Mortgages & Protection Taking the confusion out of mortgages and protection insurance, guiding you every step of the way! Book a call https://calendly.com/joe-connectpremier/30min

24/02/2026

Most people arrive on this page because they’ve been recommended to me by a friend, colleague, or family member.

I co-own a small advisory firm, called Connect Premier, that works primarily through referrals rather than advertising. That allows us to spend our time advising clients properly instead of producing constant online content.

If you’ve been pointed in this direction, you’re in the right place.

Send me a message here or get in touch directly:
📧 [email protected]
📞 07810 714188
I'll come back to you personally.

11/11/2025

Top 5 Mistakes That Cost First-Time Buyers Thousands

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of buying your first home but these are the mistakes that end up costing people.

Waiting too long to lock in a rate
Markets move fast and rates can shift overnight.

Changing jobs mid-application
Even a pay rise can delay things or force a re-assessment. Lenders want stability, not disruption.

Ignoring all the extra costs
Solicitors, valuation fees, moving costs, and insurance. Plan for more than just the deposit.

Relying on online calculators
They’re rough estimates at best. Real affordability looks very different when lenders assess your income and spending.

Skipping protection
You’ve worked hard to buy your home, don’t risk losing it if something unexpected happens. (Life, income or critical illness cover can make the difference.)

Avoid these, and you’ll save yourself stress.

If you’d like me to take a quick look at your situation before you apply, I can highlight any red flags lenders might pick up.

06/11/2025

Top 5 Things Lenders Really Look For

Its not all about the credit score.

Here’s what actually matters when a lender looks at your application:

1. Bank conduct – they’ll check your statements line by line. Gambling or random transfers can raise questions.

2. Income consistency – lenders like steady, reliable income. Overtime, bonuses or job changes can all be treated differently.

3. Deposit source – whether it’s savings or a gift, it needs to be traceable and backed up with the right paperwork.

4. Spending habits – your outgoings tell a story. In your overdraft a lot, change that.

5. Existing commitments – car finance, Klarna, or credit cards can reduce what you can borrow (even if you always pay on time).

If you’re planning to buy soon, tighten these up, it can make all the difference when it comes to getting your offer accepted.

Save this post, you might want it later!

If you’re not sure how a lender might view your situation, I’m happy to take a quick look and give you some insight before you start applying.

05/11/2025

Landlord wants to sell but no deposit.

If you have been offered the chance to buy the property you are renting off your landlord but have no deposit there can be a way of making this work.

If they will sell to you below market value you can use "gifted equity" as the deposit.

Lets say the property is worth 250k and they will accept 200k. Then so long as your income is enough to get a mortgage of 200k you can buy the house without putting any money in.

Nice drop of red 🍷 sent in from a customer this week
16/10/2025

Nice drop of red 🍷 sent in from a customer this week

Recent review from a client who had tried elsewhere and not got the result they wanted. We were able to get the mortgage...
11/10/2025

Recent review from a client who had tried elsewhere and not got the result they wanted.

We were able to get the mortgage completed very quickly, consolidating some debt, making this household more comfortable in the process.

As they were increasing their mortgage we also included the right amount of life and critical illness cover to make sure they could repay the mortgage at any time in the event of something unexpected. This was easily paid for by the saving they were making each month from repaying their debts.

20/09/2025

Myth: When someone dies debt gets written off.

This isnt true.

When someone dies debt doesn't disappear and I'm not just talking about mortgages. Credit cards, loans etc all need to be paid. Even your mobile phone company will pass your debt on until its settled!

The money for this is going to come out of your estate, leaving less for your family when you're gone.

If you don't like the sound of that, one of the easiest way to solve the problem is to have life cover.

You'll need it written in trust, so it gets paid to the right people, quickly. That way you won't leave your family skint if you die with debt.

If you haven't got cover or reviewed what you have in a while I can help.

18/09/2025

Lots more lenders now offering 5.5x income (or more) for first time buyers.

If you've tried for a mortgage in the last couple of years and came up short, it's a good time to have another look.

17/06/2025

Extended your mortgage term to lower your monthly payments?

It’s been common in the last couple of years to extend your mortgage term to help cope with the higher monthly payments due to the rise in interest rates.

If you have done this, have you also extended your life cover to make sure it matches the mortgage term?

If you haven’t, or aren’t sure you have the right cover in place, I’ll review it free of charge and tell you if it’s still suitable or not.

I’ll aslo help you write it into trust, so if the worst happens, your family won't be waiting months and months for a pay out.

DM or WhatsApp me if you want to book in for a review.

11/06/2025

Making the most of your pay.

Lots of people I speak to have some form of variable income, e.g. overtime, commissions, shift allowance or bonus.

Different lenders have their own take on this.

Let's say you have an average of £500 per month overtime, or £6000 per year.

A lot of lenders would take 50% of that (£3000) and give you 4x that towards affordability, so £12000.

But going to another lender who would allow you to use all £6000 of that pay and give you 5x that figure would give you £30000 towards the total you can borrow.

That could literally be the difference between getting the house you want or not.

10/06/2025

Tricky one over the line today.

Client’s fixed rate from the Covid years is coming to an end—was very low, now not so much.

On top of that, her circumstances have changed. Ex-partner's off the mortgage, but she’s desperate to stay in the home.

Main issue? She couldn’t afford the new repayments on her own and was worried she might be forced to sell and find somewhere smaller.

Here’s how we solved it:

✅ Added mum and dad to the mortgage but not the deeds—this setup’s called Joint Borrower Sole Proprietor. It meant we could use their income without them owning the property (and having to pay stamp duty etc).

✅ We also factored in their pension income, which allowed us to take a longer mortgage term—bringing the monthly cost down and making things manageable.

Everyone’s situation is different. But there’s often a way.

Address

Woking

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+447810714188

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