Plan a mortgage broker website that books the first call

Start with the borrower's situation

Mortgage searches are driven by circumstances, so organise the site by them. A first-time buyer, someone remortgaging as a fixed rate ends, a self-employed contractor with two years of accounts and a landlord adding a third flat all have different worries. Give each a page in their own language.

• First-time buyers: deposits, schemes available locally, what lenders look at, and how long it takes.
• Remortgaging: when to start, product transfers versus switching lender, and fees on both.
• Self-employed and contractors: the evidence lenders usually ask for and how you help present it.
• Buy-to-let: rental cover, limited company purchases, portfolio landlords.
• Later life and complex cases: if you handle them, say so; if you refer them, say that too.

How you're paid, and the process

"Is a broker free?" is one of the most common questions borrowers ask. Answer it directly: whether you charge a fee, when it's payable (on application, on offer, on completion), whether you receive a procurement fee from the lender, and whether you search the whole market or a panel of lenders. If fees vary by case, give the range and the factors.

Then explain the process in steps so nobody wonders what happens after the first call:

1. A first call to understand the plan and the timescale.
2. A fact-find and the documents you'll need: identification, payslips or accounts, bank statements.
3. Your recommendation and an agreement in principle.
4. The full application, valuation and offer.
5. Completion, and a reminder well before the deal ends.

Booking the first call

The first call is the goal of nearly every visit. Anticode's booking calendar lets a visitor choose a service ("First-time buyer call", "Remortgage review"), a day and a time, and enter their name, phone and email. It refuses past dates and dates more than 120 days ahead, and two people can't book the same slot. It doesn't sync with your diary, take a fee upfront or share slots across a team of advisers, so it suits a sole broker or one person handling bookings. Read the discovery call booking workflow for how to run it day to day.

A borrowing estimate, done carefully

A quick estimate gives visitors a reason to engage, but it can mislead if it looks like an offer. You have two honest options with Anticode.

An estimate the visitor sees

Build a small calculator as an app: income, deposit and outgoings in, a rough range out, worked out in the visitor's own browser. Label it plainly as a guide, state the assumptions, and follow it with a booking button. The app can send an enquiry to you through Anticode's form pipeline.

An estimate only you see

If your enquiry form asks for income and deposit (a custom form tied to a site function, since the standard contact form has fixed fields), a small server-side formula can run over those numbers when the form is sent. Its heading and message, with the rough figure filled in, appear on the visitor's thank-you page, and the submission reaches you as usual. Word that message as a guide, not an offer.

Either way, the estimate isn't advice. Lenders' criteria and affordability checks decide what someone can borrow, and the page should say so.

Building the site

Tell the Architect who you help, how you're paid and whether you work alone or in a team. A plan might include separate Services, About, FAQ and Book pages, with the booking calendar as a must-have. Swiss (Inter Tight) or Organic (Figtree) give a calm, legible feel; green or teal on the booking button reads as reassuring rather than salesy. Anticode writes a starting Privacy Policy and Terms from what the site collects, which your compliance support should review. Because bookings collect personal data, the site won't publish until the account owner and the person publishing have two-factor sign-in.

Limits

No document uploads: forms take text only, so payslips and statements go through your secure portal or email. No client logins or case tracking on the site. No live rates or product sourcing. And the booking calendar can't distribute calls across several advisers. Related reading: financial adviser websites.

Questions people ask

Can visitors see a borrowing estimate on my site?

Yes, if you add a calculator built as an app, which works it out in their browser. Label it as a rough guide. A custom form with a formula can also show a rough figure on the thank-you page after the form is sent.

Can clients send documents through the website?

No. Forms collect text only. Point clients to your secure document process after the first call.

Who writes the regulatory wording?

Your firm or network. Paste their wording into the footer and relevant pages exactly as given.