When buying their dream home, one couple faced a year-long rollercoaster of legal complications and uncertainty. Support from our team helped them secure a mortgage and complete their purchase.
Buying a property isn't always straightforward. Sometimes, unexpected legal issues and changing circumstances can threaten even the most exciting home purchase. In this client case study, discover how MB Associates helped a couple overcome a 13-month property-buying journey to finally secure their dream home.
When an unexpected legal complication threatened to derail Dan and his partner’s dream move, Shaun De Moura, our Senior Mortgage Adviser, and Peggy Falconer, our Case Manager, helped keep everything on track with expert advice and unwavering support. Here they share their story and how they were supported by our team.
Buying their dream home
We wanted to move to a house in the country after I accepted a new job in Kent. This property immediately stole our hearts, and we knew it was where we wanted to build our future together.
What made this property so special?
We wanted something with character and plenty of space. This property has a large garden, a separate garage and annexe and lots of potential to be a beautiful country property. It felt right and had a sense of space with far-reaching views.
How did you feel when your offer was accepted?
It was really exciting; we hated where we were temporarily living, so the thought of moving was a relief.
Why did the purchase take so long?
The day before we were due to exchange, as we were visiting the property, a neighbour told us we didn’t own a large portion of the garden. It was owned by another neighbour, had several covenants, and was managed by a board of trustees. Thankfully, the landowner was happy to release the land, but it took 12 months from that day to sort out all the legal issues with various solicitors and trustees. At each point, we thought we were getting closer to exchanging, but another obstacle cropped up. What should have been a straightforward purchase became a lengthy legal process, with new challenges appearing just as we thought everything had finally been resolved.
How stressful was the experience?
I don’t have the right words to explain the stress we went through. Every month, we kept thinking it would fall through, and we felt like this for a year. We were financially and emotionally committed to it, and despite searching, we couldn’t find another comparable house. We both have stressful and busy jobs, and my partner’s seven-year-old daughter was super excited about the new house.
How did MB Associates help?
From our very first meeting, Shaun, our mortgage adviser, explained our mortgage options clearly and talked us through what to expect, giving us great mortgage advice. As the delays continued, we ended up needing two different mortgage offers and extensions because our original offer expired.
Shaun remained calm, reassuring, and focused on finding the right solution. We had to seek two mortgage products due to the delays and have extensions to both. The market and economic instability concerned us, but Shaun was really positive and calming and told us he'd find a good product.
How else did Shaun and Peggy support you?
As one mortgage offer was expiring, we had to seek a new one. I also changed jobs; this raised concerns about my employment history on the application, but again, Shaun was able to help get that sorted. Peggy was equally supportive, keeping us updated and helping ensure everything progressed as smoothly as possible.
Why would you recommend MB Associates?
It was the combination of professionalism and genuine personal support. Professional and, most importantly, calming and rational throughout our ever-changing and stressful purchase process. They were prompt in replying, always at the end of the phone, and communicative throughout. They explained things really clearly, knew their jobs very well and got us a great mortgage. This is the third mortgage broker I have used, and by far the best one. Easy to work with, helpful, understanding and supportive. If any potential customers received just 80% of the service we got, they'd still get amazing service.
How did it feel when you finally collected the keys?
Like it had been a long time coming, that it was meant to be – with lots of perseverance – and that we had lots to do.
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