In an increasingly complex property finance landscape, specialist knowledge has become essential for professionals advising clients on their options. Katy Williams, Senior Business Development Manager at Fleet Mortgages, recently achieved the highest score to date in the Certified Practitioner in Specialist Property Finance (CPSP) examination. She shares insights on this learning programme, its growing importance in the mortgage sector and how it helps advisers provide exceptional end-to-end customer service.
Specialising in a complex market
Unlike broader qualifications like CeMAP, the CPSP focuses specifically on specialist property finance areas. "The CPSP learning programme specifically is a lot more specialised," explains Katy. "It's more geared around particularly specialist property finance, buy-to-let, bridging finance, development, commercial—a lot of the transactions that your average person wouldn't necessarily go out and apply for themselves."
These complex financial products typically require the involvement of a mortgage broker or intermediary, as they're less accessible from a direct perspective. The CPSP equips professionals with the specialised knowledge needed to navigate these areas confidently.
Connecting the financial journey
For Katy, who works for a buy-to-let lender, understanding the entire property finance journey provides valuable context. "A lot of the deals that I might see on a buy-to-let basis come as a result of someone that's bought via a bridge, or somebody that maybe is for a commercial unit and converted it," she notes.
The CPSP helped her understand these interconnected finance types and the processes clients go through before reaching the buy-to-let stage. This comprehensive view enables her to anticipate potential issues and provide better guidance to brokers and clients.
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Practical knowledge for real-world scenarios
Having worked in buy-to-let for six years, Katy wanted to expand her knowledge of other finance areas, particularly development finance, which connected with her degree in planning and property development. The CPSP provided practical insights into these processes.
"For me it was understanding the basics and logistics of those processes," she explains. "It helps me to be able to provide hints and tips about potential pitfalls and things to look out for, that they can then see off before it gets to the point at which it'll come to myself."
This practical focus makes the learning programme immediately applicable in professional settings, enhancing service quality and problem-solving capabilities.
Excellence through engagement
Katy achieved an impressive 68 out of 70 on her CPSP examination, the highest score recorded at the time. She attributes this success partly to genuine interest in the subject matter: "Overall I think the study text prepares you well for the exam, particularly if it's something you're interested in studying. It isn't necessarily difficult to achieve a good grade if it is something you genuinely enjoy learning about."
Her advice for others pursuing the learning programme is to focus on areas outside their existing expertise. "Think about your strengths and weaknesses, about your own knowledge already as a starting point. Read through everything and then go back and look at the areas that you might not necessarily be that familiar with."
I would definitely recommend CPSP to other people. If you are currently advising and wanting to get into the more specialist end of the market, it's going to open up a lot more opportunities and you're going to be able to assist your client with more products rather than needing to refer them to somebody else for a certain part of the process. You're able to assist them throughout the whole process.
Katy Williams
Senior Business Development Manager at Fleet Mortgages
Growing in popularity
The CPSP has seen rapidly increasing uptake, we've recently celebrated 1000 registrations. At Fleet Mortgages, what began with just a couple of students has expanded to over 30 people currently studying for the learning programme.
Katy believes this growth reflects the learning programme's value in today's market. “Congratulations, LIBF on your 1000th registration for the CPSP. I think now more than ever, specialist finance has been an evolving market," she observes. "It's really important that as advice is getting more specialised and people's needs are getting more complex, that we understand the specialist side of the market."
For professionals looking to differentiate themselves in the mortgage advice sector, the CPSP offers a pathway to specialised expertise that's increasingly valued by both employers and clients. Join the CPSP today.
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