Owning your own home

Re brokers.

You kind of have to use one these days. Thanks MMR etc.

There are loads however. It's still a competitive market. As above the factories like L&C do not charge a fee, but they have their preferred lenders. BUT that's driven more by ease / speed than size of commission.

The paid for brokers...ah, I just can't see the point. I've never got to the bottom of whether they can actually offer you a better product than the factories, and ultimately they too have their preferred lenders again driven by speed / ease and size of commission. So it feels like its a lose-lose for the customer.

However if you have a normal work history you can shop around the big lenders on-line to find a mortgage that you 'want', then go to the paid for broker you've identified and say 'I want this or better'. You can do the same with L&C. See what they come back with. Go with the one that provides the best deal over the life of the product.

I can't see why there would be a difference in 'leg-work' between a factory or a small shop unless you are an unusual case, i.e. self employed in which case a specialist broker might give you better service.