First-time buyers
From deposit and Help to Buy questions through to completion day, with a clear plan, your agreement in principle, and someone to translate the jargon at every step.
Mortgage advice · Kent
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Tell Greg what you are planning and he will call you back with the right options for your move.
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A little about me
Greg Potts
Mortgage and Protection Adviser
A mortgage isn't really about the rate. It's about the home, the move and the ten years that follow, and my job is to make the money side of that feel simple.
Greg lives locally in Rainham and has been arranging mortgages across the Medway towns and out towards Maidstone, Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells for over 10 years, long enough to have supported a good number of people in the area, and plenty more further afield who found him through a recommendation.
There's never any pressure to proceed, if something isn't right for you, Greg will say so, and you're always free to walk away. He also helps with the full picture beyond the mortgage itself: coordinating the survey, working with your solicitor to keep things moving, and arranging life and home insurance where you need it.
CeMAP qualified
Whole of market
Protection specialist
What local clients say
Trusted in Rainham and across Kent
Rated 5.0 on Google by the people Greg has helped buy, move and remortgage.
★★★★★5.0 rating on Google Reviews
“I had probably one of the most complicated and lengthly re-mortgage situations and having used Greg when I purchased my property, I came back again and I am so pleased I did. I don't think anyone else would have kept working as hard and diligently in what was a very stressful situation. Greg stayed calm and positive throughout and got me an amazing outcome. I could not have asked for more and would recommend City Mortgage Solutions and Greg to anyone. Amazing.”
Very happy with city mortgage solutions and all the staff would highly recommend to anyone.👍”
“Very happy with the service I received as I have been previous times. What I like most is that everything is kept simple and explained fully.”
“City mortgage always help every step and explain about product and payment about the product team r very helpful to provide the product asap to fast process excellent customer service and support all the time.”
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Areas we cover
Rooted in Rainham, serving the ME, CT, TN and DA postcodes
Select an area to see how Greg helps buyers and owners there, in person across Kent, or by phone and video anywhere.
Our home county
Rainham
Home base, on the Medway. Close to Gillingham and Chatham, with steady demand from first-time buyers and families, and where Greg lives and works.
What Greg can help with
Advice for every kind of move in Kent
Whatever stage you're at, the approach is the same: understand your plans, search the whole market, recommend in plain English, then see it through to completion.
Home movers
Upsizing in Tonbridge or moving into a Sevenoaks school catchment, with advice timed around your chain rather than the other way round.
Remortgaging
Your current deal ending isn't a reason to panic. Start around six months out, lock a rate, and switch again if the market improves before completion.
Buy-to-let
A first rental or a growing portfolio, in personal names or a limited company, stress-tested across specialist and mainstream lenders.
Self-employed & contractors
Day rates, retained profits and short trading histories, matched to the lender that reads your accounts the right way.
Protection & insurance
Life cover, critical illness and income protection, arranged alongside the mortgage so the plan holds 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. Greg handles the lender, solicitor, survey and paperwork and keeps 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
Greg confirms what you can realistically borrow, so you can offer on the right home with confidence.
STEP 3
Solicitors & survey
Greg helps 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
Greg compares over 90 lenders and recommends 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 market beats one branch
A branch can only sell you what's behind its own counter.
Greg isn't tied to any single lender, so instead of settling for whatever's on offer locally, he searches the whole market and brings back what 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.
Local knowledge, whole-of-market reach
Kent moves quickly. Your mortgage advice should keep pace.
From the high-speed line that puts Ashford and Ebbsfleet inside an hour of St Pancras to the family streets of Tonbridge and the coast at Whitstable, demand for the right homes stays high. The buyers who arrive with their finances already arranged are the ones who win.
City Mortgage Solutions pairs Greg's local picture with access to more than 90 lenders, so the advice you get isn't the best one bank can do, it's the best the whole market can.
Lenders compared
90+
Whole of market
Google rating
5.0
From local clients
Initial consultation
Free
No obligation, no pressure
Years advising
15+
Across Kent
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
Rainham mortgage questions, answered straight
You can approach a single bank, but a whole-of-market broker compares deals from more than 90 lenders and manages the whole application. With Kent's strong commuter demand, family homes move quickly, so having an agreement in principle arranged before you offer can be the difference in securing a property.
Your initial consultation is free and without obligation. Any fee that applies to your case is explained clearly and in writing before you commit. Our typical broker fee is £595 for securing a suitable mortgage offer.
Most lenders offer between 4 and 4.5 times income, though affordability rules, deposit size and credit history all play a part. Greg will give you an accurate borrowing figure and an agreement in principle so you're ready to offer.
Yes. Self-employed, contractor and company-director cases are a regular part of the work. Lenders treat retained profits, day rates and short trading histories very differently, and knowing which one suits your accounts is where whole-of-market advice earns its keep.
Around six months before your current deal ends. Offers are typically valid for six months, so starting early lets you lock a rate now and still switch if rates improve before completion.
We'll get you booked in at a time that suits you, in person across Kent or by phone and video, including evenings.
Free, no-obligation consultation
Ready when you are. Greg will call you back.
Tell us when suits and Greg will be in touch. Prefer to talk now? Call us on 020 7481 3736. Evening and video appointments are available across Kent.
Thanks, your request is in.
Greg will call you back within one working day.