But there seems to be a disparity in how much more positive mortgage and protection advisers are compared to consumers, and how quickly this pick up in sentiment is occurring.
In a recent sentiment survey we carried out at First Complete, 61% of advisers said that they were more positive about the mortgage market than they were three months ago up from just 23% last October; consumer confidence is also growing but much more slowly with only 34% of clients feeling more positive.
Perhaps it is the noticeable increase in business that most advisers have experienced over the past two or three months, or perhaps it is that advisers see the changes in the economy more quickly and have access to much more information on what is really happening than their clients do?
Appointed Representatives will be constantly updated by their network on the widening range of products and the increasing availability of funding which many consumers are unlikely to be party to.
For most consumers the agenda – and therefore their sense of wellbeing – is set by the national media, so if the stories are negative ones as that is what most people read (as much as we all like to think differently) then it can take a little while for more positive news to filter through.
While there is an upward shift in sentiment which is great to see, we could all maybe do a little more to help this process along by having a concerted effort to make sure that we are telling our clients what great opportunities are available.
There are some really great new rates and lending is no longer restricted to 80% or below. The market is definitely getting busier and there is a real appetite for lenders to lend, so don’t let your clients rely on the national press, it’s worth being proactive in telling them the real state of affairs and sharing customer facing literature on the breadth of mortgages and amount of funding now available.
Toni Smith is sales operations director at First Complete
