Know Your BDM: Sam Waterhouse, Landbay

Which locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role at Landbay?

I’m based in Solihull, but my role covers most of the Midlands. I’ll also be covering parts of Wales and the South West on a temporary basis while one of the team goes on maternity leave.

What personal talent/skill is most valuable in doing your job?

I’d have to say the relationship-building. Mortgages can be so varied and complex. Having strong working relationships, built through good communication, reliability and trust, can make a huge difference. Having been a senior underwriter for some years, I’m also confident in my skills that I can add value in those pre-application conversations.

What personal talent/skill would you most like to improve on?

Presenting. I’ve some experience of this, but it’s something I’d really like to develop. It’s not quite in my comfort zone, and that’s why I’d choose to spend some more time there!

What’s the hardest part of your job?

I’m new into the role, but I expect it will be avoiding those convenience food choices when I’m out on the road.

What do you love most about your job?

I love getting up and out in the mornings and meeting new people.

What’s the best bit of career-related advice you’ve ever been given? Who gave it to you?

My old manager, Dave Mullin at Paragon, gave me an invaluable piece of advice, which is to always do things right the first time round. You might be under pressure to do things the easy way because it’s quicker, but this will come back on you. Take the time to get it right. I also always think that, if you find a job you enjoy, you’ll never work a day in your life. You see a lot of people who, once they’re in mortgages, that’s where they stay. I think that speaks volumes; it’s such a great industry to work in.

How do you keep up to date with developments in the market?

First and foremost, it’s through conversations with colleagues and intermediaries. Following that, you’ve got some great sources of news and information such as Mortgage Solutions and LinkedIn.

What is the most quirky/unique property deal you’ve been involved in?

I think a lot of deals have weird quirks and unique properties. Over eight years in mortgages, I’ve certainly seen some outrightly bizarre scenarios. But I’d never be foolhardy enough to say I’ve seen it all! There’s one property that does stand out though – an underground, round eco house that was worth a couple of million. There was a garden and a fountain on top of the house, with a parking space. The house was really spacious inside, with five bedrooms. It was an exquisite property.

Tell us about your trickiest case – what happened and how did you resolve the problem(s)?

Perhaps getting my own mortgage; I certainly know the value of an excellent mortgage broker! But I do remember a fairly challenging case with a youngish property developer who wanted to develop a large block of flats for the buy-to-let (BTL) market. The issue was that he didn’t have any previous history with BTL and had a low income and some other difficult factors. We did manage to get a mortgage for him in the end, but not before half a dozen revisions of the offer and multiple sign-offs.

What was your motivation for choosing this career?

I always want to know more, so having worked in credit cards, car finance, and secured loans, I then looked to mortgages as the next area to master. I have never looked back.

If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why?

I think it would be a surveyor. I love looking on Rightmove at other people’s houses, so to incorporate this into my day job would be an efficient use of my time.

What did you want to be growing up?

I’d love to have been in the police. I’ve a strong sense of right and wrong and love to help people, and so job satisfaction would be very high.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Infinite knowledge.

What is your strategy for tackling challenges?

Take a step back, think about it, normally unwind it on pen and paper and it’ll begin to look easier.

And finally, what’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked?

I was asked by a broker whether payslips could be used as proof of someone’s income even though they’d left that job!