Meeting the Team: Katherine Hannaford

This week, we sat down with Sterling Southgate’s Katherine Hannaford.

A cornerstone of our South West team, it was great to hear about her journey.

Who are you and what do you do?

Hi, my name is Katherine Hannaford, I’m the Senior Mortgage and Protection Adviser in the South West region, for Sterling Southgate.

How did you get started in the mortgage industry?

I fell into this industry after working as a Receptionist at a private Gym. Effectively, I was headhunted to work for a local financial advisory firm due to my transferrable personable attributes in customer service.

As the firm grew from a small family run business to a corporate enterprise, I progressed from Client Relationship Manager to Head of Clients Relations and decided to undertake my CeMap qualifications.   

I retrained as a Mortgage and Protection Advisor during the pandemic, which was challenging, although my previous experience and knowledge within this industry made the transition less complicated and I was able to obtain CAS status within good time. 

What’s your favourite part of your job?

There are key milestones that people embark on in their lifetime, buying a home is one of them. When we make a difference to people’s lives and we go on that journey with our client to help them achieve that goal of buying a home, this is the most rewarding part of my job and I love it! 

Do you have a claim to fame or special skill?

During my late teens and early 20’s I featured in a series of different BBC TV programmes as an Extra.

This included the Christmas special edition of To The Manor Born, in which I was casted as the Goddaughter as a walk-on character alongside; Alexander Armstrong, Penelope Keith and Peter Balls.

I was also in Take A Break Magazine, casted as a Bakery Assistant and she finds herself in a love triangle! (All fully clothed!)  

What changes do you think will happen in the mortgage industry in the next 10 years?

We will see a more service based industry; which is where we sit best.

Clients want more from the service they receive, less transactional and more specialist advice. This type of service will be expected and I believe the industry will need to evolve in this way.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?

It’s important to have a work life balance and having a young family can be tricky at times. The biggest challenge, which is rare, is when I can’t offer advice due to their financial circumstances or legal complications.

If I can’t help, I will try and refer to a service that may be able to help until we can offer advice. 

Lender’s service levels can be long at times and maintaining expectations from clients, which can be unrealistic can be a challenge. In this circumstance it's important to keep regular communication to ensure that the client understands and is aware of what is happening at all times.

If there is any breakdown in communication, this is where you find that complaints happen and the client is left dissatisfied.

What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry?

Have confidence in your ability to provide the right advice to the client.

If mistakes happen, as long as you learn from them it can be a positive thing.

Make sure you have the right support around you and don’t be afraid to ask for help or go and find the answers. Over promising and under delivering is the wrong message to give clients.

I have over 14 years experience in this industry and I always say that it’s better to learn the right answer than give the wrong one. You will never stop learning in this job and that's what keeps this industry interesting. You are providing a bespoke service to a client and although you may find similarities in what you are doing, each client is different and so are their needs and expectations; it's always important to listen and build from this. 

Client referrals are the best way of building your business, so providing the right advice and the best support is going to manifest itself into creating a successful business.

What advice would you give someone buying their first home?

Getting organised and prepared to buy your first home. Understanding what's on your credit report and ensuring all the correct information is on your personal documents.

Seek the right adviser that will put a team that is working to support you from the outset. Ensure that you understand the advice and feel confident to ask questions.