It’s Straightforward With Stonebrook

Working from home is something many of us have become accustomed to over the last 17 months due the pandemic and spending quality time with family is precious. This became obvious to Paul and Laura Barrett a little earlier in 2019 and Laura joining Paul to start a family business was a no brainer.

The couple met in 2006, after spending 7 years at the same school, having never spoken to each other. They got married in 2011.

Paul began his career in finance and banking almost 20 years ago. He detoured into the world of Sports Science for a while, but for the last 12 years, he has been in the Financial Services Sector. Prior to becoming self- employed in 2016, he was an award winning Senior Mortgage & Protection Adviser, working for a national network of estate agents.

Laura had a 15 year long successful career as Criminal Defence Lawyer in Manchester. This was always a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week role. Being in a police station at 3am was the norm. Having taken voluntary redundancy when she was pregnant with Olivia, now 5, she fell pregnant again with Sophie when Olivia was just 5 months old. The 3am police station trips were no longer an option, and Laura decided a change in career path was necessary. She completed her CeMAP qualifications, and joined Paul, becoming a self-employed broker with Just Mortgages.

Laura has been working closely with Paul in the mortgage industry for almost 2 years now, and has gained an extensive knowledge of lender criteria. She takes great pleasure in finding client’s positive solutions when they find themselves in challenging situations.

Given everything that’s happened in the last 18 months, they feel now is the time to drive their family business forward and expand, making it their own brand, Stonebrook Mortgages, in order to provide a more personal service to their customers.

The name Stonebrook Mortgages comes from the fact their home is in the beautiful Borsdane Wood, an ancient semi-natural woodland in Aspull, Greater Manchester. Borsdane Brook runs through it, and provides a beautiful setting for their home office.

Along with the rebrand, the family business is growing and they have welcomed two new brokers to the business.

Amy Hunt joined Stonebrook Mortgages after completing her CeMAP qualifications in May 2021. Previously she had spent ten years as a sales agent within the cycling industry, and four years before that as a professional cyclist, representing Great Britain at the Commonwealth Games and World Championships. She was nine times national champion, and achieved silver and bronze in the Commonwealth Games in Australia. Her background means that she is a tenacious and focused broker, who goes the extra mile to ensure that her clients achieve their goals, offering excellent customer service along the way. When she isn’t helping clients, she enjoys keeping fit and spending time with her husband, Gareth, and daughter, Sienna.

Hannah Barrett, Paul’s sister, is the newest recruit to Stonebrook Mortgages joining in 2021 following completion of her CeMAP qualifications. Prior to this she spent 13 years working in finance and management for a Housing Association, whilst also fulfilling a personal goal to project manage and renovate property in her spare time. She is highly organised, passionate about helping people and strives to achieve the best possible solution for every client. Outside of work she loves to spend time with friends and family, travelling, hiking and working out. SO WHAT CAN THEY DO FOR YOU? HOW CAN THEY HELP?

You will not get the hard sell at Stonebrook Mortgages, only a personable adviser who wants to make sure you understand the process fully and answer any questions you have. Paul and Laura’s aim is for what can be a daunting mortgage process to be as clear and stress free for their clients as possible. They want to ensure that their customer feels involved, secure and enlightened throughout the process.

As Mortgage and Protection advisers, Laura says they will review the mortgages available to you based on your own personal circumstances and apply for one on your behalf. If you’ve ever thought about going to your bank, the benefit at Stonebrook Mortgages is to find the more cost-effective product available for you, as they have access to thousands of products, which could save you money in the long run.

They can also save you time. Going directly to your bank or directly to another lender means that you’re only going to get advice about the products that bank offers. They may not even consider your circumstances if you’ve been affected by Covid, or if you have any adverse credit, even if you’ve banked with them for years.

If you spoke to every lender that Stonebrook Mortgages have access to, it could take you weeks to get all of the advice and information you’d need to find the most cost effective product.

In their initial consultation, they will take all of your information and assess your personal circumstances. Based on that, they will then search their panel of lenders and come up with a bespoke tailored recommendation of the right products available for you.

Having access to thousands of products and often exclusive broker-only and network-only deals that you wouldn’t be able to get by going direct, they can save you time and potentially money.

Paul says if 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is certain and that’s definitely been the case in the world of mortgages. Things are changing daily with lenders and what income they’ll accept from both the employed and self-employed.

It’s a brokers job to know which lenders will accept what so that you don’t have to.

They have extensive knowledge of the mortgage market and can recommend the right lender for your personal circumstances. Just because your own bank has said no, doesn’t mean that all of them will.

So whether you’re a first time buyer, a home mover or buying an investment property for rental, at Stonebrook Mortgages, they know that this can be a daunting experience and they want to help you through the house www.lancmag.com

PAUL LAURA

buying process every step of the way. Moving house is officially one of the three most stressful things you can go through in life, and at Stonebrook, their aim is to make moving home drop down that list by easing the process and dealing with the mortgage process on your behalf. With viewing properties, making offers, the dreaded chain, packing and moving day, the last thing you need to be stressing about is your mortgage.

Laura says the most common thing they hear, particularly from First Time Buyers, is that they don’t know where to start. So start with a call to the team. They will be able to help you with how much you can borrow, explain the whole house buying process so you understand what happens at each stage, and even help you with estate agents, surveyors, and solicitors to give you the confidence to buy your first, or next, home.

They can get you an Agreement in Principle in the early stages so that you’re in a position to make an offer when you see your dream home. They will also deal with all that paperwork, do the mortgage application for you and liaise with solicitors, estate agents, surveyors and any other professional that becomes involved.

Covid-19 and the lockdowns have changed things a little, but depending on how you’ve been affected, Stonebrook are experts in finding the right lender for your circumstances. Right to Buy and Help to Buy Government schemes and can explain the complexities of those, taking over the application process on your behalf. And what about Shared Ownership properties? They do that too. So no matter what scenario you find yourself in, if you need a mortgage, then Stonebrook Mortgages can help.

At Stonebrook Mortgages they can explain the process and let you know whether you’re eligible for the scheme. It’s imperative to get expert advice to help you through the application stage.

And they don’t just deal with purchases, they can sort out your remortgage too. If your current fixed rate is coming to an end or you are paying the lender’s variable rate, why spend all that time on the phone to the bank to only be given limited options, when they can do all the hard work for you?

At Stonebrook Mortgages they can search through thousands of products to check the right deal for your circumstances, not just those that your current lender might offer. You may want to raise money for home improvements or a deposit for an investment property, or a whole host of other reasons, or you may simply want to seek out a more competitive rate to save money on your monthly payments.

They can help by choosing the right lender for you. Reducing your mortgage term to save you potentially thousands in interest payments is their speciality.

We are Marsden Rawsthorn Solicitors.

Marsden Rawthorn is an ambitious and forward thinking legal firm based in Fulwood - Preston and Buckshaw Village - Chorley, who are dedicated to getting the right results for you, for the right fee.

Services:

Litigation - Disputes and Debt

Landlord/Tenant

Commercial Property

Family Law

Company Law

Employment Law

Personal Injury

Wills, Probate and Trusts

Residential Property

Services For You, Services For Business

Providing exceptional service for you is the driving force for our energetic and experienced team. We place great emphasis on listening to you and take time to understand your needs. This allows us to provide you with innovative solutions for all your business and private legal issues.

Free Initial Consultation

Our free initial consultation lets you explore whether we can offer the right option for you without worrying about the cost of the consultation.

Monthly Payment Plans Available

Our services and payment plans can be adapted according to the complexity of your matter and the level of advice needed.

AMY HANNAH

And it’s not only mortgages, Paul, Laura, Amy and Hannah are able to offer stand-alone Protection reviews or review your Protection needs for you at the same time as you sorting out your mortgage. You may not have any Protection in place, or your circumstances may have changed since you took out your policies, which means that they’re no longer suitable for your needs. Have you thought about how you would be able to cover your bills or mortgage payments if you were unable to work, or what would happen to those left behind if the worst happened and you were no longer around to support them? Stonebrook can provide bespoke, tailored protection recommendations based on what’s important to you. They can consider a wide range of policies, including life insurance, critical illness cover, income support and family income benefit.

They can also help you protect your home by offering policies for buildings and contents insurance, and landlord’s insurance, from 5* Defaqto rated insurers.

Paul and Laura’s attitude to business, their passion, their professionalism and knowledge is second to none. The property market is booming at the moment, so now is the time to seek expert advice and start your new life in 2021. YOUR PROPERTY MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE.

SOME BUY TO LET AND LET TO BUY MORTGAGES ARE NOT REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY.

TESTIMONIALS

“Always available to answer questions and made the whole process so much easier. Would highly recommend, Thanks again!ˮ “Friendly, professional and dedicated! Would definitely recommend and use again in the future.ˮ “Excellent service. Shaved years off my mortgage and also reduced my monthly payments. Won’t go anywhere else in the future. Highly recommended!ˮ

E info@stonebrookmortgages.co.uk N 01942 830458