Mortgage with Barclays direct or through broker? FTB with a default on credit.

25_and_Skint

Hi everyone, 
Me and my partner, J, are FTBs with a 15% deposit. We spoke to a Mortgage Broker (MB) today (via the estate agent) and she's recommending that as J has a default on his credit file, it would be best if we apply for a mortgage with Barclays as he already has current account & credit card with them, so he's a known quantity. The default was 5 years ago on a mobile phone contract and has been paid off in full. 
I've looked at the rates on 'Mortgage Best Buys', and whilst it's not the best,  Barclays is still okay, at 1.99% for a fixed 2 year rate. My question is, as J already banks with them and the MB has already said they're the most likely to give us a mortgage, would it be best do this through the MB, and or could we just go straight to Barclays themselves, saving ourselves the broker fee? 
TIA! 

princeofpounds

Go and speak to another broker who is not recommended by the agent. The worst they can do is find you a better offer. 

Barclays may or may not be the best deal, it's hard for us to say. Best buy tables are useful but they don't represent what might be available to you personally. 

Good brokers can sometimes get discounts on mortgage fees and pricing which are not available to individual applicants. So it's often not cheaper to apply yourself, even with the fees (although it could be). Unfortunately applying direct to your own retail bank is often the route for the most naive of customers, so banks aren't always incentivised to give good deals that way.

broga020

I’m currently going through the application process with Barclays via a broker and I wish I’d gone direct instead of using the broker. Aside from the broker seeming quite unmotivated and inept, I can’t get any info out of Barclays since they refer me back to the broker. If you know the Barclays rate is the one you want, then go direct. 

bucksbloke

I went with Barclays through a broker. Quickest mortgage offer I think I've ever had!

25_and_Skint

Thanks everyone,  our situation has now changed, but will bear this advice in mind for the future and will check out deals direct with the bank and via a broker for comparison.