Key skills needed for a career as a mortgage adviser

A career as a mortgage adviser can be an exciting and rewarding role but it involves much more than just numbers and paperwork. You will need a combination of knowledge, experience and a diverse set of skills to succeed in this field. The UK’s competitive property market offers plenty of opportunities for you to excel and over time you will build up a wide range of skills. From customer service to negotiation to financial analysis to communication, these skills will not only see your progress within your career as a mortgage adviser, but they will also be essential for you when building a rapport with your clients.

So, if you’re thinking about stepping into the financial sector and are wondering what fundamental skills are required for a mortgage adviser role, keep reading as we explore these skills in further detail.

Starting your career in mortgage advice

Before we discuss what key skills are required for a job as a mortgage adviser, it’s important to highlight that you will need an accredited qualification, such as a CeMAP qualification or an equivalent mortgage adviser qualification. While this is necessary to begin your career as a mortgage adviser, experience in the financial sector is not needed to start your studies. You can study for your qualification through Simply Academy, with our training schemes or apprenticeships.

Skills needed to become a mortgage adviser

Excellent communication skills

Giving advice on mortgages means you will be working with a range of clients from diverse backgrounds with different education levels. This means you will need to explain complex processes and financial concepts in a way that is easy to understand. The mortgage application process can be overwhelming for a lot of people so you need to ensure that you can put clients at ease when explaining how they work.

Strong understanding of finance and mathematics

As a mortgage adviser, you will need to be great with numbers as there will be interest calculations and credit reports to deal with. You’ll also need to review clients’ finances such as evaluating how much they can afford to pay towards monthly mortgage payments based on their current income and financial situation. This is why being comfortable with numbers is necessary.

Good attention to detail

When assessing the financial situations of clients and researching mortgage products, mortgage advisers will need good attention to detail to ensure all the relevant information they provide is accurate. Mortgage advisers often have to read through and compile plenty of documentation so need to pay attention to the small details. They also need a keen eye to ensure that the numbers they are working with are accurate and correct to avoid errors that could impact the client’s finances.

Strong customer service skills

When interacting with your clients you will need to be friendly, helpful and able to communicate complex information to them. You also need to ensure that you put your client’s interests first, listen to their needs and provide an excellent service to them. Mortgage advisers also need to maintain confidentiality as you will be dealing with personal and sensitive information.

Be able to use initiative

Initiative is required to become a good mortgage adviser to demonstrate that you can identify and address the needs of your clients, and give tailored and informed advice. The property market is ever-changing and you need to stay up to date to navigate complex mortgage processes and provide an overall pleasant experience for your clients.

Be adaptable and flexible

As a mortgage adviser, you will have a wide range of clients that will each have their own needs and requirements. You need to be adaptable and flexible in your approach because while one piece of advice may be appropriate for one client, it may not be appropriate for another. You need to provide relevant and accurate mortgage advice that applies to each requirement of your clients, and being adaptable and flexible allows you to meet those needs.

Great problem-solving skills

The mortgage application process isn’t always straightforward and problems can arise. The role of a mortgage adviser is to help their clients solve these problems by thinking critically, identifying potential issues, and evaluating what the best option is for the client based on individual circumstances. Providing valuable mortgage advice that can prevent issues from escalating can help strengthen the relationship with clients.

Be computer savvy

Having advanced computer skills in a lot of jobs is advantageous, especially when it comes to a mortgage adviser role. You will need to carry out many different tasks on a computer in this job, such as performing financial analysis, staying up to date with the current market, helping clients apply for appropriate products, and filling out paperwork.

What are the responsibilities of a mortgage adviser?

The main part of the role is to advise clients about mortgages but a mortgage adviser role can be quite varied and you will liaise with clients, estate agents, and solicitors. Some of your day-to-day responsibilities could include:

• Meeting with clients to provide advice about mortgage products.
• Assessing your client’s financial situation and understanding their requirements.
• Keeping up to date with property market changes and legislation.
• Explaining the different types of mortgages and repayments.
• Providing appropriate advice to your clients.
• Helping clients with their mortgage applications and pre-approval processes.
• Developing relationships with estate agents, valuers and mortgage lenders.
• Providing clients with different mortgage products to choose from.
• Ensuring your clients understand their legal and financial options.
• Completing paperwork on behalf of your clients.

If you think you have the key skills needed to become a mortgage adviser and like the sound of the role, then why not take a look at the CeMAP courses we offer and take your first steps into a career as a mortgage adviser?