First-time buyers
From deposit questions through to completion day: a clear plan, an agreement in principle, and someone to translate the jargon at every step.
Mortgage advice · Suffolk
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A little about me
Stuart Grimmer
Mortgage and Protection Consultant
Most people don’t need a hundred options. They need one clear recommendation and a straight answer on why it’s right. That’s what I do... I take the noise out of it and tell you honestly where you stand.
I’ve spent more than fifteen years arranging mortgages and protection for people across Suffolk, from first flats in Ipswich to listed farmhouses half the high street wouldn’t lend on. That experience means I usually know which lender will say yes before we apply. And you deal with me personally throughout: one number, one person, no call centre.
There’s never any pressure. I set out your options in plain English, tell you what I’d do in your shoes, and then the decision is yours. If staying on your current deal is genuinely the best answer, I’ll tell you that too.
CeMAP qualified
Whole of market
Protection specialist
Why Suffolk homebuyers choose me
You don’t have to take my word for it. Here’s what local buyers and homeowners say about working with me.
★★★★★5.0 rating on Google Reviews
“He's highly knowledgeable and professional, and what would have been a confusing and stressful experience for me was made so much easier thanks to his expertise. I can't thank him enough and would highly recommend Stuart to anyone.”
“Stuart has been helping us with our mortgage and life insurance for over 10 years now. He always goes above and beyond for us and never makes me feel like any of my questions are silly. He is extremely knowledgeable and professional, I always recommend him to others.”
“Stuart has been working with my family for years and so came highly recommended. He helped me with my first ever mortgage application and house purchase and he couldn't have been more helpful. He fully supported me all the way through the process, beginning to end, with advice and updates..”
Areas we cover
Rooted in Hadleigh, serving homes across Suffolk and the Essex border
Select an area to see how I help buyers and owners there, in person locally, or by phone and video anywhere.
Home patch
Hadleigh
My home patch. A proper Suffolk market town with one of the longest high streets in the county, and the base I work from for clients right across the region.
How I can help
Whatever your situation, I can help
First home, next move, remortgage or something the banks call complicated: it all starts with a straightforward conversation about what’s genuinely possible for you.
Home movers
Porting, upsizing or relocating within Suffolk, advice that times your mortgage around the chain, not the other way round.
Remortgaging
Your current deal ending isn't a deadline to panic about. Start six months out, lock a rate, and switch again if the market improves.
Buy-to-let
Portfolio or first rental, personal name or limited company, stress-test the numbers across specialist and mainstream lenders.
Self-employed & contractors
Day rates, retained profits or a short trading history: the right lender for your accounts makes all the difference, and I know which ones to approach.
Protection & insurance
Life cover, critical illness and income protection, arranged alongside your mortgage so your home and family stay protected if life changes.
The full journey
From the first chat to your new front door, handled for you
Buying or remortgaging involves a lot of moving parts. The difference is, you won’t be chasing any of them. I handle the lender, solicitor, survey and paperwork and keep everyone moving, so there are no nasty surprises and no needless delays.
STEP 1
First conversation
We talk through your plans, budget and timescales. No cost, and no obligation to go ahead.
STEP 2
Decision in principle
I confirm what you can realistically borrow, so you can offer on the right home with confidence.
STEP 3
Solicitors & survey
I help get your solicitor instructed and the survey booked early, setting everything up so the rest of the process runs smoother, not stalled on paperwork later.
STEP 4
The right deal
I compare over 90 lenders and recommend the mortgage that genuinely fits your circumstances, not just the first one offered.
STEP 5
Protection in place
Life, critical illness and income cover arranged to match, so your home is safe if life changes.
STEP 6
Completion & beyond
Keys in hand, then a rate review before your deal ends so you never slip onto a higher rate.
The whole market, not one till
Every bank has a till. I've got the whole market behind me.
A bank's adviser is paid to sell you what's behind their own till, nothing else. I'm not employed by any lender, so I search across 90+ of them and bring back whichever actually fits your situation.
With City Mortgage Solutions
Whole of market- Deals compared across 90+ lenders, including broker-only rates
- Advice on which lender suits your income, deposit and credit profile
- Agreement in principle arranged before you offer, so you can move fast on the right home
- Application managed end-to-end: paperwork, chasing, solicitor liaison
- Protection reviewed alongside the mortgage, not as an afterthought
Going direct to one bank
- Only that bank's own products, however the market compares
- You self-select the lender before knowing if their criteria fit you
- Appointment lead times set by branch and call-centre availability
- Progress-chasing across bank, valuer and solicitor sits with you
- A declined application can leave a mark before you try elsewhere
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Hadleigh out to the Suffolk villages
Why use a mortgage broker in Hadleigh?
Suffolk’s market runs from Victorian terraces in Ipswich to timber-framed listed houses in Lavenham and Hadleigh, and no two lenders view that stock the same way. Matching the property, and you, to the right lender first time is what wins here.
As part of City Mortgage Solutions Limited I search more than 90 lenders on every case, so whether it's a straightforward remortgage or a thatched cottage the banks keep declining, you get the best answer the whole market has, not one branch's shelf.
Lenders compared
90+
Whole of market
Google rating
5.0
From local clients
Initial consultation
Free
Honest, jargon-free advice
Years advising
15+
Mortgage & protection
Access to over 90 lenders, including
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
Halifax
Nationwide
NatWest
Santander
HSBC
Barclays
Skipton
Accord
+ 80 more
Common questions
Mortgage questions, answered straight
You can go directly to a bank, but a whole-of-market broker compares deals from 90+ lenders rather than one, and manages the application end-to-end. Suffolk's housing stock is unusually varied, from timber-framed listed cottages to new developments around Ipswich and Stowmarket, and not every lender is comfortable with every property type. Knowing who lends on what saves weeks.
Your initial consultation is free and without obligation. If a fee applies to your case, I explain it clearly and in writing before you commit to anything.
Most lenders offer between 4 and 4.5 times income, though affordability rules, deposit size and credit history all play a part. Budgets stretch differently across Suffolk, a figure that buys a terrace in Ipswich buys a village house near Sudbury, so I'll give you an accurate number and an agreement in principle before you start viewing.
Yes. A large share of my Suffolk clients are self-employed: farmers, tradespeople, contractors and small business owners. Lenders treat retained profits, day rates and seasonal income very differently, and matching your accounts to the right lender is exactly where whole-of-market advice earns its keep.
Yes. Listed buildings, thatch, timber frames and other non-standard construction are everywhere in Suffolk, and some lenders simply will not touch them while others are perfectly comfortable. I know which is which, so we approach the right lender first time instead of losing weeks to a refusal.
Around six months before your current deal ends. Mortgage offers are typically valid for six months, so starting early means you can secure a rate now and still switch if the market improves before completion.
We'll find a time that suits you, face to face locally, or by phone and video call anywhere in Suffolk, including evenings.
Book your appointment
Ready to talk? Let’s have a proper chat.
Book a free, no-obligation chat and we’ll talk through your plans, what’s realistic, and the right next step. No scripts and no hard sell. Prefer to talk now? Call me on 020 7481 3736. Evenings and video calls are no problem.
Thanks, your request is in.
I'll call you back within one working day.