NG Mortgages Turns One: A Year of Mortgages, Simplified.
I'll be completely honest with you - I was absolutely terrified on day one!
Fifteen years in the mortgage industry, and I'd decided to walk away from the security of employment, the salary, the structure, and start something entirely from scratch. No inherited client book. No leads waiting in a pipeline. Just me, a brand new business, and the hope that I was making the right call.
A year on, I'm still terrified. Most days actually, even the good ones! But I'm also prouder than I've ever been of anything I’ve done professionally. And I think that combination (the fear and the pride sitting side by side), is probably just what starting something ‘real’ actually feels like.
So here's the real, honest breakdown of year one…
Why I did it…
Two reasons, and I'll give you the real ones rather than the LinkedIn version.
The first is simple - after fifteen years doing this job for someone else, I wanted to do it my way. I wanted to build something I believed in. I wanted to focus on what I felt was important. But also, I wanted to build something for my kids!
The second reason is the one that actually bugged me the most before I made the jump. Too many people finish the mortgage process still confused about what they've just signed up for. Fixed rates, tracker rates, why they're on the deal they're on, what happens when it ends - genuinely baffled. And too many of them were steered into appointments they didn't want in the first place. Told their offer was “more likely to be accepted” if they used a particular (often in-house) broker. I wasn’t prepared to do things that way.
I wanted to build something different. A mortgage business where people actually understood what they were getting and why. Where mortgages didn’t feel like a foreign language. Where the process felt straightforward rather than scary. Where nobody was being strong-armed into anything.
That's where "mortgages, simplified" came from. It's not just a tagline - it's genuinely what we're trying to do every day.
One year of NG Mortgages: whole of market mortgage advice on the Wirral, simplified.
What year one actually looked like…
The highs were real. Handling and completing some cases that I'm genuinely proud of - clients consolidating debts that were making life completely unmanageable, turning everything around with one conversation. Clients going through a separation, needing to sort new homes in difficult circumstances, handled with as much care as we could give. Even a client receiving letters from her lender warning her that her interest-only mortgage needed to be repaid in full, now! We sorted her a repayment remortgage before it became a crisis.
And the reviews. Some straightforward, some that genuinely stopped me in my tracks…
"I have used Nick for the last 10 years and I can honestly say I would never use anyone else. He makes the process stress free which is what you need when applying for a mortgage."
"We genuinely cannot fault the service Nick has provided over the years. His knowledge, efficiency, and excellent communication have given us complete confidence every time we have needed mortgage advice. 5 stars without hesitation."
Happy clients taking the time share their experiences, NEVER gets old.
The lows were real too. Quiet periods where the phone wasn't ringing and the brain fills in the silence with worst-case scenarios. Chains getting ‘shakey’ after months of work. Sitting there watching the phone, wondering why nobody was calling back. Everyone in business knows that feeling. I even knew it before going in - but knowing that doesn't make it easier when you're in it. Thankfully, the highs MASSIVELY out-weighed the lows, and so year one was even more successful than I’d hoped it would be on day one…
The highlights…
We arranged over £8 million in mortgages in our first year of trading.
We received 27 five star Google reviews - every single one of them genuine.
And probably the number I'm most proud of - we protected over £3.3 million in mortgage balances through life cover for our clients and their families!
What we've learned…
A few things that year one taught us that are probably worth sharing:
Most people leave remortgaging too late
A lot of people wait for their lender to get in touch, but some lenders only notify you around three months before your deal ends. That's not much time to properly assess whether your current lender is still the right one for you, source the whole market for a better deal, and get everything in place before your rate expires.
The good news is you don't have to wait. You can start the conversation up to six months before your fixed rate ends and secure a new deal in advance - switching to the new rate when the time is right, without any gap in cover or risk of rolling onto your lender's standard variable rate.
If you're not sure when your deal ends, check your original mortgage offer or drop us a message - we can find out for you.
The mortgage process doesn't have to be so stressful
It really doesn't. The right adviser, clear communication, and knowing what's coming next makes an enormous difference. If you've ever finished a mortgage appointment more confused than when you went in, that's not how it should feel.
Protection matters more than people realise
Nearly half of our clients in year one took out a protection policy alongside their mortgage. It's not the most exciting conversation but it's one of the most important ones. The families who need it are always glad they have it.
Good service shouldn’t be a differentiator - it should be the standard
But genuinely putting the client first, being available, and explaining things properly? That still stands out. And it shouldn't have to.
What year two looks like for NG…
The foundations are built. The processes are in place. Year two is about building the house.
We're excited to be sponsoring a local junior football team (more on that soon). We're rolling out a new initiative offering free mortgage advice to staff at local Wirral businesses as an employee benefit. And we're expecting more returning clients as the remortgage book we've built starts to mature.
The goal is simple - more people helped, same standard of service. No shortcuts.
Thank you.
None of this happens without the people who trusted us in year one…
Every client who let us handle what is probably the biggest financial decision of their lives.
Every past client who tracked us down when we went out on our own.
Every person who referred a friend or family member.
Every professional connection (new and old) who has passed business our way and looked after what we've sent back.
And to my wife and the kids - for putting up with mortgages being the main topic of conversation for 365 days straight! 😄
One last thing…
If you're on the Wirral and you're thinking about buying, moving, remortgaging or protecting your family - we'd love to talk. No pressure, no jargon, no being passed around a call centre.
Just a proper conversation about your mortgage.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage
You may have to pay an early repayment charge to your existing lender if you remortgage
As with all insurance policies, conditions and exclusions will apply.