What is an Equity Release Advisor?

What is an Equity Release Advisor?
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In this blog, we will cover Equity Release Advisor duties, how much they earn, their key skills, how much they charge and more!

Our data is correct as of 11th April 2022.

Employed Equity Release Advisor

Salary range: £30,833 to £34,333

OTE range: £45,000 to £49,000

Self-employed Equity Release Advisor

OTE range: £50,000 to £75,000

Typical duties we see in our vacancies:

  • Sales calls / meetings
  • Generating leads (may involve marketing initiatives)
  • Providing advice via telephone / online or in person
  • Uphold compliant procedures
  • Client calls / meetings
  • Liaise with back office support staff
  • Admin (If no back office support)
  • Client fact finding
  • Client relationship management (CRM)
  • Suitability letter creation
  • Completion of paperwork
  • Chase up valuers, solicitors, providers etc
  • Ongoing training / staying up to date with the latest market news and trends
  • And more!
  • Self-employed = Some companies will offer the option to go self-employed which can be great for unlimited income potential which means that you will get out what you put in and have the ability to create your own schedule.
  • Work type = Ability to have home-based / hybrid working set up giving you a greater work-life balance (if you desire)
  • Admin = Back office support is offered by many companies which can be really useful to shaving hours off of your working week. Admin staff will help by doing paperwork and any relevant forms
  • Ability to help people = As an Equity Release Advisor, you will have the unique opportunity to make a real impact on families’ lives. You will often find yourself helping families’ who are looking to make home improvements they have always dreamed of, pay the cost of much needed care or even helping family and friends with the released money.

Competencies were taken from our “A guide to competency-based interviews” blog:

People Focus:

  • Involving people: Encourages the contribution of others and takes their views into account
  • Developing people: Demonstrates a genuine interest in coaching and developing others in order to improve performance 
  • Managing relationships: Builds and maintains good relationships with customers and colleagues by adopting the most appropriate approach to deal with people and situations
  • Influencing others: Influences others using rational arguments and identifies basis for compromise and reaches agreement
  • Written and verbal communication: Conveys accurate information effectively using the most appropriate methods to reflect the needs of the audience and ensure understanding

Equity Release Advisor Application:

You will have to have fantastic people skills in order to deal with all of the differing situations that your clients will bring to you. Often equity release will be a family affair meaning there may be differing opinions and views that you will sometimes have to use your expertise to iron out.

Personal Focus :

  • Personal organisation: Efficient in one’s use of time and works well in a structured way 
  • Self-control: Performs effectively by keeping emotions under control, particularly in stressful and difficult situations
  • Self-confidence: Projects a realistic belief in one’s own ability. Not afraid of criticism, will raise issues and challenge even in the face of expected or actual opposition
  • Self-development: Takes responsibility for personal improvement, learning from experience and new situations
  • Determination: Demonstrates repeated effort over a period of time, overcoming obstacles in order to achieve a goal

Equity Release Advisor Application:

As previously mentioned, you may be given a level of autonomy to manage your own diary and meet client expectations so you will have to demonstrate high levels of personal organisation and self-control. Furthermore, as a sales person you will have to have the confidence to speak to anyone under any circumstance.

Analytical Focus:

  • Information gathering: Seeks the full range of relevant and accurate information in a methodical way 
  • Forward planning: Anticipates the possible demands and outcomes of a particular task or situation. Plans and prioritises appropriately 
  • Analysis and judgement: Logically breaks down problems / situations into their essential parts and draws reasonable conclusions based on their analysis
  • Decision making: Makes timely and balanced decisions, based on available information but is prepared to review if circumstances change 
  • Wider thinking: Actively considers the wider picture, identifying patterns and connections between issues / situations that are not obviously related

Equity Release Advisor Application:

The ability to analyse different situations and draw upon the most relevant conclusion is of paramount importance in this role which is why it is so important you perfect this focus.

Transferable competencies:

If you are looking to move into equity release from another career, you will almost certainly have some transferable skills no matter what industry you’re moving from. Some examples:

Retail roles: Customer service is a great skill to have in this role as you will have likely had to deal with numerous tricky situations. Hopefully, your career as an Equity Release Advisor will be more plain sailing however the skills you will have gained, subconsciously or consciously from the retail sector will be of huge benefit to you.

Sales: The main indicator for success as an Equity Release Advisor is the ability to sell. You will find yourself with many different positions, some who have already decided equity release is for them and others who aren’t convinced – you’ll be equipped to deal with them all

Creative roles: The benefit you will have here is that you will have an ability to come at things from a different angle and think outside the box with things. Perhaps a family member disagrees with equity release – you may be able to shift their perception and get them to see the benefits of your service

A ‘Lifetime Mortgage’ is a form of Equity Release, as such, these two roles are very similar, with a few key differences:

Lifetime mortgages are a common type of equity release product. Therefore, a Lifetime Mortgage Advisor will provide advice within the field of equity release but is likely to be focused on lifetime mortgages. Whereas, an Equity Release Advisor will likely provide advice on lifetime mortgages and the other main product – home reversion plans.

The main two qualifications for Equity Release Advisors are CeRER and ER1.

We have covered these two qualifications at Premier Jobs UK but to quickly recap:

ER1:

  • Provided by the CII
  • Costs £160 for members and £194 for non-members
  • Requires the Certificate in Mortgage Advice prior to study
  • Takes 70 Study Hours

CeRER:

  • Provided by the LIBF
  • Costs £220
  • Requires prior Mortgage Advisor qualification
  • Takes usually 6 months to complete

This can vary and is often charged as a % of the amount released which is then capped at an agreed-upon amount.

Different Advisors will inevitably charge ranging amounts but a standard amount is usually understood to be anywhere up to £3,000.

To conclude, being an Equity Release Advisor is a fantastic career option that can be of benefit in many different ways.

If you are currently looking for a new role we have a number of Equity Release Advisor roles that may appeal to you.

Contact us now:

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