Should I use Countrywide to remortgage?

abundantia

You could also ask your local independent broker if they can process the 'switch to a new deal' with Halifax at no cost to you. They get a commission from Halifax directly for this, and from what I understand, in simple cases that should be enough for the broker. It's something like 0.3% of the mortgage amount.

jowie

That's interesting to know, thanks! Will the deal I get through him be identical to the deal I get if I go direct to the Halifax though?

abundantia

I've no idea, you could check the Halifax Intermediaries website for the rates that brokers can access. That website also describes the process for product transfers, if you do go through a broker. But even if it's the same rate, it might be worth getting to know a local independent broker :-)

I'm in the same boat. My fixed deal with Halifax runs out in 2016, so I'm keeping an eye on available options.

charliewocka

We started our journey with Countrywide and ended up dropping them after a couple of months of getting nowhere. We were happy to lose out on the best part of £500 (two mortgages were being looked at - residential and BTL). Our broker was inept and was looking at putting us forward for products that we would have been rejected for immediately due to residency requirements. Also, they had never appealed a decision which is what we asked them to do. In the end we got recommendation from work colleagues and went to a fee-free independent whole of market broker that did more in 4 days than the Countrywide broker did in months.

chanz4

If your with Halifax, and the last 3 months of your fix go online on Halifax website and they have 1.99 deals

seaweed5254

hi jowie, did you still see countrywide? i'm in the same situation as you.i was asked if i wanted to see the advisor. i took my first mortgage via them 11 yrs ago and they didnt' charge any fees way back then. i am not also sure if they're fees are worth paying since at the moment my balance is not that big. they already have copies of my passport and payslps bec i was asked to bring them. they wanted me to bring credit card statements, and bank statements next time and they will fill up like a budget plan.
based on the other's comments in here on my separate post, i plan to phone london and country or just stay with natwest as i am on SVR with them. See what they've got to say..then maybe i will cancel countrywide

csgohan4

seaweed5254 wrote: »

hi jowie, did you still see countrywide? i'm in the same situation as you.i was asked if i wanted to see the advisor. i took my first mortgage via them 11 yrs ago and they didnt' charge any fees way back then. i am not also sure if they're fees are worth paying since at the moment my balance is not that big. they already have copies of my passport and payslps bec i was asked to bring them. they wanted me to bring credit card statements, and bank statements next time and they will fill up like a budget plan.
based on the other's comments in here on my separate post, i plan to phone london and country or just stay with natwest as i am on SVR with them. See what they've got to say..then maybe i will cancel countrywide

Or you can save yourself the trouble and look at the best buy tables and go with an independant Broker. Have a look at all of the above posts, none promote Countrywide.

dunstonh

based on the other's comments in here on my separate post, i plan to phone london and country or just stay with natwest as i am on SVR with them. See what they've got to say..then maybe i will cancel countrywide

What about a local independent?

jowie

Hi seaweed,

I haven't seen Countrywide for their report just yet. I am due to meet them on Monday evening. The other company I contacted through unbiased.co.uk was even more expensive and required a one-off payment, so I'm not sure if I'm going to get back to him to be honest.

It's not like I am particularly bothered about the fees themselves, but the fact they expect you to find a lump sum which is very difficult for lots of people to do. Maybe I should contact London & Country. I'm going to try doing the online Halifax application tonight, to see what deal I can get.

Doing my calculations, if my house *is* valued at what some websites are suggesting, that would give me a potential 74% LTV. If that is the case, I should be able to get a fair bit better than 1.99%.

csgohan4

jowie wrote: »

Hi seaweed,

I haven't seen Countrywide for their report just yet. I am due to meet them on Monday evening. The other company I contacted through unbiased.co.uk was even more expensive and required a one-off payment, so I'm not sure if I'm going to get back to him to be honest.

It's not like I am particularly bothered about the fees themselves, but the fact they expect you to find a lump sum which is very difficult for lots of people to do. Maybe I should contact London & Country. I'm going to try doing the online Halifax application tonight, to see what deal I can get.

Doing my calculations, if my house *is* valued at what some websites are suggesting, that would give me a potential 74% LTV. If that is the case, I should be able to get a fair bit better than 1.99%.

Good ones don't require upfront payments. Usually payment on mortgage offer is standard. Perhaps explore others ones with inside or outside of your area.

Using an Estate Agent one will likely not be beneficial. It might be conveniant, but just compare with the best buy tables and they may not always give you the best deals like for like.

If your self employed, all the more reason not to use them. But the fact they lie and cheat to get business makes things worse and ensures their own practice remains questionable.

End of the day it's your choice and good luck. I await a MSE post on 'Help used Countrywide, can I claim a refund'.