The same three steps for every mortgage
A first home, a build or a building with tenants: the order never changes.
- 1
A short call
You tell us what you are doing and when: buying, building, refinancing or renewing. We ask about your income, your down payment or the equity you have, and the property, then say what looks realistic before any paperwork. Nobody checks your credit on this call; a credit report is pulled only with your written consent. By the end of it you know who on the team is looking after you.
- 2
Documents, then the application
We collect the documents first, so the application is right the first time rather than patched later. Then we take the application itself by phone, video or online, whichever you prefer, and send it to the lender with a written summary of your situation, not just a form. The broker handling your application is your contact through to funding.
- 3
Approval to funding
The lender goes through the application and comes back with an approval that carries conditions. We work through them with you, send your lawyer or notary what they need, and stay on it until the day the money moves. You hear from us before you have to ask.
What happens after the approval
The approval
An approval is the lender's written yes: the amount, the rate it has offered, the term, and a list of conditions. It is an offer on paper, not money in an account, and it has a date by which the conditions have to be met.
What "conditions" means
Conditions are the things the lender wants to see before it releases money. On a purchase that usually means an appraisal of the property, confirmation that the down payment is in your account, your employment letter in the lender's format and proof of home insurance. On a build it includes the budget and the builder's contract; on a commercial purchase, the leases and a personal net worth statement. We tell you which items are yours to send and which we handle, and we clear each one with the lender as it arrives.
The lawyer or notary
Once the conditions are met, the lender sends its instructions to your lawyer or notary. They prepare the mortgage documents, meet you to sign before completion, register the mortgage on the title and move the money on the day. You choose who acts for you; we send them what they need and answer their questions so nothing waits on us.
Funding day
On the completion date the lender advances the money to your lawyer or notary, who pays the seller, or your previous lender on a refinance, and registers the new mortgage. We confirm with you when it is done. On a construction loan the money arrives in stages, called draws, as each phase of the build passes inspection.
How we report back
You get a status update as each step closes: the call done and who is looking after you; the documents in and the application sent; the approval in and which conditions are still open; the lawyer instructed; funded. Each one comes by text or email from the broker handling your mortgage, and says what happens next.
If you want to know where things stand between updates, you call the same person. Not a queue, not a different department.
Sent as each step closes, by text or email.
What happens after funding
Every residential client hears from us on the same schedule.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Every year | A one-page check-up on where your mortgage stands and whether anything in your situation has changed. |
| 12 months before maturity | A heads-up that the term is ending, so there is time to plan rather than react. |
| 6 months before | A conversation about what has changed: income, plans for the property, whether you want to borrow more or pay down. |
| 4 months before | Options from our lenders beside your bank's renewal offer, in writing. You choose to switch or stay. |
Does the first call cost anything?
No, for most residential mortgages the lender pays the brokerage when the mortgage funds, so you usually pay no broker fee. On commercial, construction, agricultural and private lending a fee may apply, and it is disclosed in writing before you commit to anything.
Will you check my credit on the first call?
No, a credit report is pulled only with your written consent, once you have decided to go ahead.
Do I have to come into the office?
No, the application can be done by phone, video or online, and documents can be sent by email. The office is in Surrey if you would rather sit down with us.
What if the lender asks for something else?
It happens; a lender can add a condition after the first approval. We tell you what it is, why they want it and what to send, and we pass it to the lender the day it arrives.