mortgage Archives - Destination Chesterfield

Local Mortgage Brokers Mortgage 1st are shortlisted as finalists for national award

9th November 2020

Mortgage 1st, a Chesterfield based Mortgage broker firm have been shortlisted as finalists in this year’s national Mortgage Introducer Awards.

Out of nearly 30 broker firms who entered from across the UK, Mortgage 1st are now down to the final 5 in the Broker of the Year (under 40 Advisers) Category.

It was based on the votes they received from their customers alone that has secured them a place on the shortlist which is testament to the quality service they provide.

The housing market has seen a boom since the end of the first lockdown earlier this year and has benefited from government incentives such as the stamp duty holiday which has encouraged many additional house purchases.

Due to the increase in demand Mortgage 1st have recruited 8 new team members since June to manage all the new enquires and to ensure they can continue to offer their customers the same high levels of service, especially during these very uncertain and stressful times.

Lisa Stones, HR & Marketing Director, Mortgage 1st said: “We couldn’t be prouder of our team for going above and beyond in what’s been the busiest year in our company’s history. It’s been tough but extremely rewarding seeing how well our team have coped with changes, adapted to new ways of working and managed an increased workload all with a smile on their face! We are delighted to have reached the finals and all have our fingers crossed for the 10th of December!”

The Mortgage 1st team will all be watching the Mortgage Introducer Awards live on the 10th of December when the winners will be announced.

Mortgage 1st supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Mortgage 1st go ‘back to school’ to teach students about future financial planning

22nd October 2020

Mortgage 1st, a Chesterfield based Mortgage Advice firm have been ‘Back to School’ this October delivering a lesson they created for year 9 students as part of the schools personal development topic, the lesson focuses on future financial planning which is a very important and key life skill for young people.

The team at Mortgage 1st are passionate about supporting young people, they already offer an ‘Apprentice to Adviser’ program to school & college leavers and more recently have taken part in the My Future Platform which is a virtual careers fair showcasing the jobs available in their industry to inspire the next generation.

Developing a partnership with local schools and designing a lesson plan based around financial planning, mortgages and buying a house is something HR & Marketing Director, Lisa Stones has been keen to do for a while and after linking with Shirebrook Academy earlier this year the project took shape.

Along with her colleague Carly Montisci, Senior Manager at Mortgage 1st, Lisa delivered the lesson to 6 tutor groups, over 150 students in total, over a course of 3 weeks. The lessons were well received by the tutors and students alike even after the shock of discovering the actual cost of buying a house!

Many students expressed an interest in the financial service industry as a career option they may now consider but most importantly a seed has been planted with the 13 year olds about the importance of budgeting and sensible money management to enable a financially stable future.

Lisa Stones, HR & Marketing Director, Mortgage 1st said: “I am thrilled to have been able to see this project through, I wasn’t going to let any COVID restrictions get in my way this year! The team at Shirebrook Academy have been fantastic and provided me with all the guidance I needed to create an interesting and engaging lesson for the students. The feedback from the tutors has been great and the level of engagement and questions from the students was amazing, they were genuinely interested in what is a fairly complex and ‘grown-up’ subject. This is only the start as we hope to be able to offer this programme to more local school on a regular basis.”

Mortgage 1st will soon be on the lookout for their next new young apprentice to join their head office team in Barlborugh, Chesterfield. Details will be published on their website and social media later in the year.

Mortgage 1st supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.