charcol.co.uk > Reviews > Mortgage searching

Author's product rating:   

Presentation/navigation of site	Excellent
Reliablility/speed of site	Good
Quality of content	Good
Range of products/services offered	Excellent
Competitiveness of charges	Average

Advantages:	comprehensive, easy to use
Disadvantages:	lack of detail in search

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Website design:
Easy to navigate, colours are a bit dull, and a little slow at times to search for suitable products.

Website content:
Good range of calculators, e.g. how much can i borrow, how much will it cost, and my favourite the fleixble mortage calculator - this shows how much you would save in interest and time by taking out one of these types of mortgage where interest is paid daily.

There are best buy table for all sorts of mortgage for those of us who can't be bothered using the search facility. You can also call and speak to someone if you prefer.

And one of the best bits is the 'Learn about' which explains the whole process of buying and selling a house (although this is aimed at England and Wales)

Range of mortgages:
Excellent. Not sure of the numbers, but have found that when searching I do get more mortage options than with any other site.

Synopsis:
I have used charcol online for several mortgages searches, however I do tend to use it in conjunction with other financial sites. I have found the site to be useful in providing information you may not necessarily know about mortgage terms, and it does seem to have the most mortgages available out of all the well known sites. However there is a tendency ot keep giving me mortage information on great rated mortgages only to discover I don;t qualify as I'm not a doctor, dentist or solicitor which is a bit annoying when you realise how much more you have to pay as a non-'professional'. There are also limitations on the remortage or buy to let searches - I would only use charcol for my main mortgage, and never alone.