Which locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role at Residential by Foundation?
I have been dealing with mortgage intermediaries for circa 22 years as a business development manager (BDM), national account manager and, more recently, a national sales manager.
For many years, this related to all mortgage intermediaries within the wider West and East Midlands, including Oxfordshire, Shropshire and Lincolnshire. More recently, this remit has become even wider in terms of supporting the team and intermediaries wherever they are located in England, Wales and Scotland.
What personal talent/skill is most valuable in doing your job?
Listening, and never ignoring a problem, as they only get bigger.
What personal talent/skill would you most like to improve on?
Enhancing my IT skills to include pivot tables, just to prove that you’re never too old to learn.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
Maintaining patience, as I want to get things done quickly and can get frustrated by delay.
What do you love most about your job?
Speaking with people, understanding their concerns, and working together to find a solution. Collaboration is the key.
What’s the best bit of career-related advice you’ve ever been given?
Always do what you don’t want to do first, as you always find the time to do the things you actually want to do.
How do you keep up to date with developments in the market?
The industry trade press and speaking with intermediaries, as they really have their finger on the pulse and are typically ahead of the game.
What is the most quirky/unique property deal you’ve been involved in?
A haunted timber-framed house that had previously been a pub. It was in an extremely poor state when the applicant purchased the property, after having been left for circa 80 years with furniture and personal belongings still in there. It was subsequently fully refurbished, but was still incredibly spooky.
Tell us about your trickiest case – what happened and how did you resolve the problem(s)?
There have been a fair number of tricky cases over the last 20+ years, with unusual income or complex stories. In dealing with these, I have always found that a calm, pragmatic conversation with the broker is the best way forward. By working together, we can better identify the challenges and find ways to work through them. Explaining what the issue is and why is vital in achieving a successful resolution.
What was your motivation for choosing this career?
I was a loss adjuster for eight years prior to joining financial services. Following a number of threats from some ‘colourful’ characters after saying no to a string of dubious insurance claims and dealing with distressing house fires, I decided to look for a safer career. This new world still involved travelling and talking to people, but is slightly more civilised, at least most of the time.
If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why?
A surveyor. A professional role, but one not directly related to the mortgage industry.
What did you want to be growing up?
A civil engineer as I wanted to build bridges, although there are plenty of times when I’ve had to do this in my career. The absolute dream would have been a footballer for Birmingham City. I was nowhere near good enough, but I might get in the team now.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I would like to be able to fly like Superman so that I could go wherever I wanted, arrive with ease, and not have to worry about finding somewhere to park.
What is your strategy for tackling challenges?
Remain calm. Take a pragmatic approach and ask others for help. Nobody can know everything, but we always manage to find the right answers within the wider team.
What is your greatest skill(s), either work- or non-work related?
I said this before, but I think the power of listening is vastly underrated as there is so much knowledge all around us. I like to listen, and then work out the best course of action. This relates to work, but just as importantly for my family, as when we listen for just that little bit longer, we can pick up so much more. We can all be too quick to act on something we’ve heard, but may not have fully understood or taken our time to consider before acting.
And finally, what’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked?
There are so many, whether it be a mortgage on a tumble-down cottage without a roof, or for an applicant without an income. Maybe: “Can we mortgage this travelling narrowboat, or mobile home?” The issue being they can move, so perhaps not.
