A day in the life of a mortgage adviser

A career as a mortgage adviser can be highly rewarding. Professionals in the role have the opportunity to help individuals at one of the most important times in their lives. They also have the chance to earn a good salary that will only increase with experience. We’ve previously explained how to get started in a career as a qualified mortgage adviser, as well as looking specifically at the qualifications you will need to do this. However, what does a day in the life of a mortgage adviser actually look like? 

In this guide, we explain what mortgage advisers do and how (if at all) they differ from mortgage brokers. We also explore what daily tasks they have to complete as part of their role.

What is a mortgage adviser?

A mortgage adviser is an expert that provides professional advice to individuals, couples and businesses looking to apply for a mortgage. Finding the best mortgage deals can take a lot of time-consuming research. It can also involve talking through individual circumstances with different lenders. Advisers use their experience and connections to search the market on their clients’ behalf. In doing this, they can recommend the best mortgage deals, as well as help to get deals completed.

Another aspect of a mortgage adviser’s job is to stay up to date with the industry. This involves liaising and networking with mortgage lenders, property valuers and estate agents. By doing this, advisers can continue to provide the most relevant and useful advice to clients.

What’s the difference between a mortgage adviser and broker?

On the face of it, there is no difference between a mortgage adviser and mortgage broker. Although the term ‘broker’ is  sometimes reserved for professionals attached to an individual bank or lender and ‘advisers’ for those who operate independently, these titles are frequently used interchangeably to describe the same job. 

Mortgage adviser tasks

The day-to-day life of a mortgage adviser can vary greatly. This will depend on how many clients they are currently dealing with and the stage of the process each client is at. That being said, there are many core tasks advisers have to complete on a frequent basis. These include:

• Advising clients about their home buying options

This makes up the majority of a mortgage adviser’s role. From discussing mortgage applications and help-to-buy schemes with first-time buyers to explaining how clients can transfer an existing rate to a new property, each client has different needs which need to be taken into account. For this reason, expert knowledge is required over a broad range of subject matters. 

• Keeping up to date with the current market and regulation changes

Staying updated with what’s going on in national and global markets, as well as domestic regulation changes, is an essential part of the job. Keeping your finger on the pulse in this respect ensures advice provided to clients is relevant, coherent and compliant.

• Meeting new clients

The key to being a successful mortgage adviser is two-fold. It not only relies on providing the best advice to the clients you already have, but also attracting new clients. After all, once a mortgage application is approved, clients no longer require your services. This means ensuring you have a steady flow of new clients is essential to being successful in this industry.

• Completing administration tasks

As with any job in finance, a certain amount of time each day will be dedicated to competing routine administration tasks. From updating client records to dotting all the i’s and crossing the t’s on a client’s final mortgage application, admin skills are needed in this profession.

What do I need to become a mortgage adviser?

To become a qualified mortgage adviser you must first gain a Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice (CeMAP) qualification. Although other qualifications can help, you don’t need any prior experience in the financial services sector to start studying towards a CeMAP qualification. Here at Simply Academy, our FCA-approved Level 3 & Level 4 CeMAP courses represent the ideal first step on the road to a new career in mortgage advice.