Honest comparison · Ireland
Should you use a mortgage broker or just go to your bank? Here's the honest answer — what each does, what it costs, and when each one genuinely makes more sense.
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It comes down to one thing: range. A bank can only sell you its own mortgage products. A broker works across our lender panel and recommends the lender whose criteria and rates best fit your circumstances.
If your bank happens to be the best fit, great — but you've no way of knowing that without comparing the rest. That comparison is what a broker exists to do.
Here's the straight version, no spin:
The real comparison isn't "fee vs no fee" — it's the total cost of the mortgage you end up with, advice fee included.
We'll be honest — sometimes going direct is perfectly fine. If you're a simple, salaried case, you've a strong relationship with your bank, and you've checked that its rate is competitive, you may not need a broker at all. We'd rather tell you that than take a fee you didn't need to pay.
A broker tends to earn their fee many times over when any of these apply:
It depends on your situation. A bank offers only its own products; a broker compares across our lender panel and matches you to the lender whose criteria best fit your profile. For straightforward cases with a good existing bank relationship, going direct can be fine. For anything complex — self-employed, contract income, Fresh Start, or simply not knowing where to start — a broker usually adds more value than they cost.
Some do, some don't. At IWantAMortgage.ie the eligibility check is free and needs no registration. Our fee is €300, paid once when you proceed to a full assessment — and that's it: it covers your full assessment, preparing and submitting your application, and support at every step through to the day the keys are in your hand, with no second fee at any stage. Separately, the lender pays us a procuration fee of 1% of the mortgage amount on completion, which we disclose to every client in writing before submission.
Yes. Mortgage brokers must be authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland and follow its Consumer Protection Code. IWantAMortgage.ie is operated by Howard Financial Services Limited, regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland (C430229). That means a documented suitability process and a duty to act in your best interests.
A broker can't conjure a rate a lender doesn't offer, but by comparing across our lender panel they can place you with the lender offering the best rate and terms for your profile — which you might not find or qualify for going to a single bank. Where lenders offer cashback or rate incentives, we factor those into a true cost comparison rather than just the headline rate.
Two ways, both disclosed. Lenders pay a procuration fee (1% of the mortgage amount on completion across our panel), and we charge a transparent advice fee for the application service. We never recommend a lender because of the fee they pay — our recommendation is based on what's most suitable for you, and the lender fee is the same 1% across the panel.
Compare our lender panel in about 60 seconds — free, no registration. If your own bank is genuinely your best option, we'll tell you that too.
Warning: If you do not keep up your repayments you may lose your home.
Howard Financial Services Limited T/A IWantAMortgage.ie is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland (C430229). Member of Brokers Ireland.
Registered in Ireland, Company Registration No. 659301. Registered Office: 2 Mountain Common, Ardfield, Co. Cork. Director: Francis Howard.
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