I’m Charles Calvert, a mortgage broker at Easy Mortgages. This is general information, not personal advice. Always check the figures against your own situation before you decide anything.
Looking for a mortgage broker in Southampton? Here is what a broker actually does, how whole-of-market advice differs from a high-street appointment, and what fees look like when you work with Easy Mortgages from Fareham.
As we head into the end of 2023, Southampton buyers and remortgagers are still navigating higher borrowing costs than many expected two years ago. A broker’s job is not to magic rates back to 2021 — it is to find a workable route through today’s criteria and pricing.
What a mortgage broker does
A broker helps you understand how much you may be able to borrow, which lenders are realistic for your income and credit, and how to present the application so underwriters get what they need. I gather your documents, compare suitable products, submit the application, and chase the lender through to offer — then stay available if the solicitor needs mortgage tweaks before exchange.
I also talk through protection options such as life cover and income protection where relevant. There is no fee from me for arranging protection products.
Whole-of-market vs high street
A high-street bank can only offer its own range. A whole-of-market broker can consider products from across the market (subject to the panels and criteria we have access to). That matters if you are self-employed, have older credit issues, need a flat above a commercial unit, or want a specialist residential or buy-to-let deal.
Easy Mortgages is based in Fareham and regularly helps buyers and homeowners in Southampton, Eastleigh, Hedge End, Totton and the wider Hampshire coast. Most appointments are by phone or video, so you do not need to travel unless you want to.
Typical fees (transparent)
- Remortgage: £299, payable only on full mortgage offer.
- Purchase: £495, payable only on full mortgage offer.
- Specialist / adverse cases: £895, again on offer.
- Product transfers and protection: no fee from me.
Lenders may still pay me procuration fees; I explain how that works when we speak. Always read the fees page on easy-mortgages.co.uk for the latest detail.
What to bring to a first chat
A rough idea of deposit or equity, income type (employed, contractor, limited company), any credit issues you already know about, and whether you are buying, remortgaging or just researching. You do not need a perfect spreadsheet — that is what the appointment is for.
If your fix is ending in early 2024, December is a good moment to start comparing. Many lenders let you secure a rate months ahead, which takes the panic out of January paperwork.
Southampton and Hampshire coverage
Whether you are buying near Ocean Village, remortgaging in Shirley, or moving between Southampton and the Fareham borough, the process is the same: clear numbers, suitable lenders, and a mortgage offer that your solicitor can work with. If that is what you need, I am happy to help.
What we will not do
I will not pretend a lender will ignore a credit issue they will not ignore. I will not push a purchase you cannot sleep with at tonight’s rates. And I will not bury fees — the £299 / £495 / £895 figures above are the Easy Mortgages fees that apply when we arrange the relevant case, payable on full offer.
After the offer
Once the mortgage offer is out, your solicitor leads on conveyancing. I stay available for condition clearance, offer variations and last-minute lender questions. Southampton purchases with leasehold complications or new-build deadlines especially benefit from that continuity.
If you are remortgaging rather than buying, the legal side is usually lighter, but valuation and underwriting still need shepherding. Either way, the broker’s job continues past the illustration PDF.
A Fareham broker’s closing thought
Every Hampshire case turns on its own income, credit and property detail. The sections above are a map, not a personal recommendation. When you are ready, bring your numbers and we will test them against current lender criteria together — calmly, and without obligation on the first conversation.
If you would like to talk this through for your own numbers, you can get in touch here or email contact@easy-mortgages.co.uk. I am based in Fareham and help clients across Hampshire.