They say it pays to shop around – but loyalty pays too

Switching mortgage products didn’t mean changing lenders for Joe Kelly and Catherine Hallett

When they decided to take the plunge and build their own home, Joe Kelly and Catherine Hallett turned to Scottish Building Society for help. A self-build mortgage from the society allowed them to draw down funds as required for each phase of the project. Now happily settled in to their new five-bedroom detached home on the outskirts of Perth, they have switched to a standard mortgage, and are delighted that the society had a competitive product to offer.

Catherine takes up the story: ‘We bought the land for our new home in December 2013 and broke ground 10 months later in October 2014. Originally we went through a mortgage broker to finance the build project, and he put us in touch with Scottish Building Society. As the build progressed I was glad to be able to deal directly with the society’s Fiona Dyer who kept me right through every stage of the process.

‘It was great to be able to pick up the phone to someone who took the time to explain things to me clearly, and who had local knowledge. I really welcomed her expertise and it was for that reason that we turned to Scottish Building Society when the time came to switch to a standard mortgage once the build completed. I had shopped around a bit on the internet so I knew what rates were available and when Fiona responded quickly with a competitive quote we snapped it up. We were already inclined to remain loyal to Scottish Building Society because of the support and personal contact I had throughout the build, and we are both delighted to remain a member of the Society with our new mortgage.’