Leah Kavanagh, Saffron for Intermediaries

This week, Mortgage Solutions is speaking to Leah Kavanagh, business development manager (BDM) at Saffron for Intermediaries.

Which locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role at Saffron for Intermediaries?

At Saffron for Intermediaries, we generally serve advisers and mortgage brokers who work with clients in niche or specialised markets. Their customer bases typically include individuals seeking solutions that fall outside of traditional high street lending criteria, such as those who are self-employed. My patch covers around 600 brokers across central England.

What personal talent/skill is most valuable in doing your job?

It sounds obvious, but being approachable, knowledgeable, and having the ability to establish a rapport with somebody quickly are key. This is a job that is built on relationships – you have got to be an approachable person to do it.

What personal talent/skill would you most like to improve on?

I’m a strong advocate for self-improvement and always striving to be the best version of yourself you can be. Every day is a school day, especially in a market that is constantly changing like ours. We all have the ability to learn, grow and develop on a daily basis, so I want to make sure I’m doing just that and expanding my knowledge all the time.

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What’s the hardest part of your job?

The hardest element of my job has to be the logistics; making sure everybody is serviced in a way that suits them. There are hundreds of broker and advisory firms in my patch and it’s impossible to get face-to-face time with them all, so it’s all about finding the right balance and understanding who needs that in-person conversation and who I can just schedule a Teams call with.

What do you love most about your job?

The most fulfilling part of my job is cracking a difficult case – helping brokers find solutions for customers who thought they were all out of options.

What’s the best bit of career-related advice you’ve ever been given? Who gave it to you?

My manager in my first financial services job once told me: “In your career, you’re going to get thrown in the deep end, but you’re going to learn to swim.” And I approach everything in life with that mindset – just do it, and you’ll work out a way.

How do you keep up to date with developments in the market?

LinkedIn is my go-to. The access it gives you to intermediary channels is great and it’s invaluable for making new connections and building a strong network. It’s hands down the best way to engage with other professionals and is a useful resource alongside trade media for learning from people’s experiences. After all, you are a product of the company you keep.

What is the most quirky/unique property deal you’ve been involved in?

One of the more unique property deals that I’ve been a part of involved an elderly couple who had decided they wanted to buy a new property before selling their current one, because they wanted to sell it at their own pace.

The deal required stretching their income to accommodate the purchase, as they were in their 70s and they had a combination of pension and self-employed income. It was an interesting case because we had to navigate the complexities of their income structure and ensure the deal was feasible while offering them the flexibility they needed.

Tell us about your trickiest case – what happened and how did you resolve the problem(s)?

One of my trickiest cases involved clients who had recently returned to the UK after living in Amsterdam for three years. They were high-income earners but had three large defaults on their credit file, including one over £20,000. We found a property, but the valuation was declined due to the property having two kitchens – one of which was just a few cabinets in the basement.

We ended up finding a new build, which sped up the process as exchange and completion happened quickly. It was a challenging case, but by staying proactive and flexible, we were able to resolve the issues and get my clients into their new home.

What was your motivation for choosing this career?

Originally, I was a broker, then a mortgage trainer, but being a BDM was always my main goal. These two roles set me up really well for it, though – gaining that experience as a broker, dealing with underwriters and customers first-hand, and trying to get the cases through was really valuable for me.

If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why?

Nothing. Being a BDM is my dream job; there really isn’t anything else I would rather do in the space.

What did you want to be growing up?

Growing up, I wanted to be a history teacher. I loved the subject – learning about the world wars and why they happened – and my history teacher at the time was absolutely amazing. Even from a young age, playing games on the playground as little kids, I would always be the teacher and everyone else was the kids. Funnily enough, my sister is a teacher now.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

It’s got to be invisibility – I always wanted the cloak from the Harry Potter films when I was a kid.

What is your strategy for tackling challenges?

Organisation is the key – plan, plan, plan. Failure to prepare is preparation to fail.

What is your greatest skill(s), either work- or non-work-related?

I’m a people person. I can build a rapport and have a conversation with just about anybody. It’s a trait that has helped me in my personal life, but in my professional life too, especially when you only have a very short window of time to make an impression.