Which locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role at Darlington Building Society?
I cover Wales and the South West, which consists of 11 postcode areas.
What personal talent or skill is most valuable in doing your job?
I would say the ability to build relationships and problem-solve are the most valuable skills in my job. Every situation is different, so being adaptable and solution-focused allows me to deliver the best possible outcomes.
What personal talent or skill would you most like to improve?
It is definitely public speaking. It’s not something I’ve ever really done, so naturally it makes me very nervous. However, everyone is always so lovely, which makes it easier, so I’m thinking a few more webinars and it will become second nature, hopefully.
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What is the hardest part of your job?
I have to say managing elements outside of my control. There are multiple parties involved in the home buying process and, while I will always do everything I can to keep things moving, there can be delays and changes that require patience, clear communication and reassurance.
What do you love most about your job?
I love the collaboration, sitting down with a pen and paper to work through the details of a complex case and tackling the sticking points, whether that is income, the credit report or the property itself.
What is the best piece of career-related advice you have ever been given? Who gave it to you?
You only regret the opportunities you don’t take. This was given to me many years ago by one of my old managers at Darlington Building Society and it has stuck with me, especially when I am doing something outside my comfort zone.
How do you keep up to date with market developments?
I am quite analytical and always want to understand the ‘why’, so I usually start with news articles in industry newsletters and then end up going down a bit of a Google rabbit hole.
What is the most quirky or unique property deal you have been involved in?
One of the more unusual property deals I have been involved in was for two applicants who owned a pair of properties across a few acres of land, all on one title, with a main house and a three-bedroom cottage. One applicant was an expat living and working overseas, while the other lived in the main house with their children. The applicants wanted to split the title on completion and remortgage the holiday let (the three-bedroom cottage) to support the onward purchase of a residential property overseas for the expat applicant.
Tell us about your trickiest case – what happened and how did you resolve the problem(s)?
One of the trickier cases involved a young professional at university, training to be a dentist and keen to purchase a flat local to where they were studying. Unfortunately, a mortgage was not affordable in their sole name, so the borrower wanted to bring their father onto the mortgage on a joint borrower sole proprietor (JBSP) basis. We needed to use both stipend income and the father’s foreign income for affordability. I gathered all the information upfront and presented it to an underwriter on a referral basis for an early agreement, which meant we could address any questions at an early stage.
What was your motivation for choosing this career?
I kind of fell into financial services, and more specifically Darlington Building Society. I was 19 and had just left college, where I studied health and social care. I planned to take a year out to earn before applying to university to study nursing, and Darlington had an 11-month temporary role available to cover maternity leave. It turned out I really enjoyed financial services, and I have not looked back since.
If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why?
A mortgage broker. I really enjoy working with brokers and had a great time as an adviser at Darlington, so it feels like it would offer the best of both worlds.
