Meet Hazel Totten

I was born in a small Lanarkshire village called Salsburgh, not going to say the year as that will give away my age, however the village had a real sense of community spirit and I remember life before mobile phones.

My career initially started off with an electronic engineering background, however due to the economic climate at that time – (which resulted in the closure of Motorola in Bathgate) I decided to take on a new career direction. This was initiated when I started with The Bank of Scotland Call centre as a customer service telephony adviser. From Customer service adviser I progressed through the banks various career and development programmes from Business management to Mortgage Advising and eventually leaving the Bank as a tied mortgage adviser to expand my knowledge of the mortgage market through Joining a Mortgage Broker Firm in Glasgow.

I am no stranger to Challenges and Change both on Business and Personal levels. Moving from an electronic engineering background to banking was a challenge within itself, however at that time The Bank of Scotland encouraged and rewarded colleagues who wished to further their career development and education. The Biggest challenge to date was the effect of Covid on both the
economy and me personally. In 2020 I made the biggest life changing decision when I decided to become a self-employed Broker in the midst of a pandemic.

Day to day life a Mortgage Broker is Varied and Forever changing and can sometimes feel like a swinging pendulum. From Marketing to social media to managing clients expectation’s and keeping abreast of the ever changing market policy and conditions, balance, due diligence, trustworthiness and honesty I would say are the key components. Networking, sharing knowledge, and having good relationships with clients and key stakeholders in the mortgage industry also are Vitaly important as well as adaption to change. I would say it also imperative to have a work life balance and spend time with friends and family as working from home whilst it has it benefits can limit social interaction.

In my free time I enjoy walking swimming socialising with friends and looking forward to booking my next holiday/city break destination.

Motivation in my career is mainly driven by providing an outstanding service to my clients and supporting them along their mortgage journey from initial contact to mortgage completion and maintaining a relationship throughout their mortgage term and beyond. In addition to this although I am a self-employed mortgage broker having the help and support of my network and other colleagues within the network maintains and enhances my motivation as we all share common goals and within the network we have a plethora of knowledge, experience and creativity that is invaluable.

For anyone wishing to pursue a career as a mortgage broker I would say it is important to have excellent listening and communication skills and understand your clients’ circumstances from initial contact, understand the importance of research and engaging other experienced professionals in their field such as Business development manager’s and experience colleagues. Be able to communicate in a non-jargon fashion and check client understanding at every step of the process. Written skills are especially important when issuing recommendation letters and narrating in a fashion suitable to the client. Sign posting and keeping the client informed throughout the process is Vitaly important and using a comprehensive follow up system to support your client throughout their mortgage term. Honesty Integrity and Trustworthiness are key components as People buy from people.

Future goals and aspirations will be to grow my business at a reasonable sustainable level whilst still maintaining the same level of service. Planning ahead for expansion and having plans in place to ensure a seamless client journey and having the correct experienced staff in place who follow my own values. Moving with the times and ever changing environment is also important signing up to the latest newsletters covering the developing mortgage market I feel had allowed me to stay at the top of my game and continue to keep abreast of the changes in the market. Technology also plays a vital role in the life of a mortgage broker and having the right technology in place can enhance service levels, reduce time, provide a smother client experience, and maintain compliance and regulatory requirements. I look to further my education with the aim to obtaining a further qualification in equity release.

What I enjoy most about working as a mortgage broker is that no day is ever the same. It is a varied role where each day is a school day. You are always learning, developing, facing, and overcoming challenges that enhances your knowledge and experience and shapes your overall customer service. You share in your client’s happiness and excitement when they find their dream home, you sympathise with clients who are unsuccessful but give them the encouragement and confidence to go into their next purchase. You take great delight in securing the best deals for your clients when remortgaging. Being a mortgage broker is a personal service with long lasting relationships where many clients become friends and an integral part of your own business growth recommending your services to friends and family.