In 2006 we, Katherine and Kevin, founded Mortgage Direct after having experienced the complexity of the Portuguese mortgage and real estate market. With a combined 50 years of experience in the financial industry, we identified the need to provide international property buyers with transparent and quality mortgage advice. In 2015 we entered the Portuguese market and we are regulated by the BOP. Today we can proudly say that not only have we achieved that, we can also offer exclusive mortgage conditions not available at any branches due to the strong relationships we have established over the years with the banks.
Professional advice rooted in personal experience
The mortgage direct story
In 2006 Katherine and Kevin founded Mortgage Direct SLU after having experienced the complexity of the Portuguese mortgage and real estate market. Since then, we have been adapting our model to meet the needs of international property buyers and provide personalised mortgage advice. In 2015 we entered the Portuguese market and we are regulated by the BOP.
Today Mortgage Direct and our team of internationally qualified mortgage advisers are devoted to achieving exclusive mortgage conditions and easing the mortgage process for international property buyers ensuring profitable and safe investments. We highly value your questions and feedback.
Since we established Mortgage Direct in 2006, we have learned a lot about doing business in Portugal and adapted our business model accordingly. Our core focus has always been to provide easily-accessible, transparent and quality mortgage advice to international property buyers. Over the years we have developed very strong relationships with the banks, which means that we can now also offer exclusive mortgage conditions not available at any bank branches.
We work as the bridge between internationally property buyers, the mortgage lenders and often also estate agents, as they often speak very different languages and may have very different interests. As the independent party, we guide the property buyer in advance of the property purchase and the mortgage application to save both time and money for all parties. We closely assess the borrower's profile at the start of the process to avoid barriers later on.
We offer initial mortgage advice and up to two no-obligation mortgage quotes to property buyers without any charges, as we believe every buyer should have free access to quality advice. When the property buyers proceed to formal approval, we charge an administration fee which comes with a money-back guarantee in case the mortgage quoted cannot be achieved. This demonstrates to both the banks and the property buyer that we only submit cases we are certain can be completed. We receive an income from bank commissions once a mortgage is completed; this allows us to keep the fees to property buyers to a minimum.
We have fostered a company culture that values the ability to adapt, freedom of choice and strong relationships with space for diverse personalities and forward-thinking staff members.
The ability to adapt is the key to success in the Portuguese mortgage market, as conditions can change from one day to the next. This is also the case for our company; we are an international team with headquarters in Portugal but often on the road with a need to communicate with both clients, collaborators and each other in different time zones and languages.
We strongly believe in freedom of choice for every individual and every property buyer. We consider all our bank contacts and approach several lenders every time a mortgage quote is requested. Likewise, every member of our team chooses their working hours, their working location and their schedule.
Fostering strong relationships is crucial as a mortgage broker and in the modern society. We are in daily contact with property buyers, estate agents, lawyers and lenders. While we are fully independent, we acknowledge that every participant has their unique needs, each of which we listen to and strive to fulfil. We also practice strong relationships within the team and meet up regularly. . We trust each other in spite of geographical and cultural differences.
