This week’s comment came from Andy Wilson, in response to the article: Brokers ‘never been more important’ as lender and product complexity grows – analysis
He said: “The number of products available across the market becomes irrelevant beyond the number you can personally research on the lender’s own websites – which won’t be many.
“What is very relevant is the ability to quickly search through them all using a powerful and up to date sourcing system, which allows strong filtering to get to the single most suitable product quickly and accurately.
“Without that, you have no chance of getting it right every time. Once you get there, using an affordability tool can then confirm if your client is likely to be eligible.
He added: “However, once you have a shortlist, your experience kicks in to identify those lenders who may cause your client a problem, particularly in the areas of slight adverse credit, unusual property construction, or simply poor service levels.
“Knowing whether the lender usually stands by their affordability calculators is also down to experience or whichever technology route got you to them in the first place.
“A good broker is a fusion of technology use and experience, with dollops of empathy, ethics, personality and honesty thrown in. The range of products should never become overwhelming,” he said.