New survey shows optimism high among advisors

February 10, 2021 by Brendan O'Neill

Mortgage Advisors

Optimism for this year among mortgage advisors remains high, despite the property market dipping during the fourth quarter of 2020, according to a survey by the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association (ILMA).

Of the advisors that took part, 96% of them told the IMLA that they were very optimistic about the prospects for their businesses this year. When it came to their feelings about the mortgage industry as a whole, the results of the survey were also encouraging, with 85% of advisors expressing a positive view of its prospects.

The same was true when they were asked about the intermediary market, as 92% said that they felt good about its future. These results show confidence remains high, despite a fall in the average amount of cases that advisors dealt with from the third quarter to the fourth. During the third quarter, the average number was 90, while by the fourth, it had fallen to 78.

This reflects a drop-off in the demand that had built up in the property sector during the first national lockdown, and the IMLA has stated that its survey findings are similar to those for the third quarter of 2020.

Speaking to Mortgage Finance Gazette, Kate Davies from the IMLA said:

“Whilst the impending Stamp Duty deadline means that activity will remain high in the weeks ahead, there are clear signs that demand will continue beyond 31 March.”

All of this means that the levels of demand for CeMAP training courses are likely to stay at a very high level too.