Whether you are looking at your options as an inexperienced first-time buyer in Cambridge searching the market for your first home or are looking to move home, it’s likely you will have discovered that some of the larger estate agents and builders would prefer it if you used their in-house mortgage advisor and conveyancing services.

Sales Tactics Estate Agents use:

As a standalone mortgage broker in Cambridge, we have spent many years working hard to help out our customers. We’ll hear from a large amount of customers who have felt themselves being pressured by an estate agent to opt into that companies personal financial services. Here are just some of the instances we’ve heard from people who get in touch;

The Agent Refusing to put Forward Your Offer

A lot of estate agents across the industry have a reputation for refusing to put an offer forward if you pass up on their in-house mortgage advisor and go with an external mortgage broker instead.

As if this act wasn’t bad enough, some have even gone as far as to refuse putting an offer through because another client who actually said yes to their in-house service has also made an offer on the same property.

Quoting Extortionate Service Prices

Something else we hear all too often is the ridiculous quotations they have been known to give for their services. Unfortunately there have been customers we’ve spoken to who weren’t aware these were overpriced and went forward with them. One notable customer was charged £1,500 for a simple purchase with a particular estate agent.

A member of our dedicated mortgage advice team got right onto this and we were able to get this cost down. Off of this incident, we recommended that the customer use another conveyancer in the area near the property and we were able to drop the cost of the service to a significantly less £750; the estate agent was charging double this amount

Demanding Information & Pushing Other Services Heavily

Once you’ve made an offer on a property, the common train of thought would be that pretty soon you’ll get a phone call detailing whether or not your offer has been accepted. What often happens with estate agents instead, is they will call up and demand to know the conveyancer you have chosen.

Their questionable methods don’t end there, as following this they have a habit of refusing to take the property off the open market until you agree to use their in-house mortgage services.

As touched upon earlier, though these will be far overpriced, many crumble under the pressure and simply agree to please the agent and avoid losing their home (even though that shouldn’t happen). This is common with first time buyers in Cambridge who want their first mortgage experience to go smoothly.

As you’ve seen here, estate agents are notorious for making the process difficult and bordering on near harassment. A dedicated mortgage broker in Cambridge can help you with these situations and in some cases, bring the costs of other services down to a level that is fair. Now to answer a question you may be thinking at this point.

Absolutely not. These are highly illegal ways to conduct business. As a customer, you have the right to use whichever companies you would like during your home buying process. You have full freedom to use any mortgage broker or conveyancing solicitor that you wish to, it’s your personal process and personal choice.

Unless you explicitly sign a contract in the beginning to say you will only use their services (which you won’t be offered anyway), you have zero obligation to use their services for anything other than the sale process between yourself and the seller of the property.

Recurring Comments We’ve Heard From Customers:

  • “If you use our service, we’ll thrown in a free carpet or appliance if you use our service for this (extortionate) price”.
  • “It’s much easier to keep everything under one roof, so you only have to deal with one company.”
  • “Using our services gives the seller the peace of mind that the process will be smooth and problem free”.
  • “Use our services, we’ll get you through the process quicker”. (this is often far from the truth)
  • “Your offer won’t be qualified until you come in and speak with one of our own mortgage advisors.”
  • “By using our mortgage advisor, you’re more likely to be successful”.
  • “We’re always sending work to the solicitor, so we can chase them and get back to you much quicker”.
  • “We have much better deals on offer than external mortgage brokerages”.

Be Vigilant & Don’t let Them Push you Around

Please always remember, when negotiating on the purchase price of a property; Should the people selling the property you’re looking to buy really know your personal financial circumstances, as well as the amount a lender is willing to let you borrow? This is a fact they will use to their advantage when pushing their in-house services.

Be wary and if you definitely don’t want to use their service, put your foot down and do not succumb to the pressure. Your future family home and financial situation all depends on how well your mortgage process goes.

We will always have your best interests at heart, keeping you informed throughout and jumping through those hoops on your behalf, so you can stay relaxed and happy. The information provided here is based on a genuine history of tactics used, that we wouldn’t wish others to go through if they can avoid it.

For all your mortgage needs, please do get in touch and we’ll do our very best to help you out, hopefully securing a great deal and your future family home in the process.

Date Last Edited: December 6, 2023