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Mortgage Advice
Garelochhead
Garelochhead sits at the northern end of the Gare Loch, a small village with a train station on the West Highland Line and a strong connection to HMNB Clyde at Faslane, just a few miles south. It's a community that mixes long-term locals with people who've come to work at the base - and that creates a specific set of mortgage questions worth addressing directly.
ARMED FORCES MORTGAGES
Our Story
If you're serving with the Royal Navy, Army, RAF, or civilian MOD, your mortgage options are different from a standard application - and often better than you might think.
Forces pay is stable and predictable, which lenders like. Allowances such as LSA and HDT can sometimes be taken into account. Some lenders have specific Armed Forces criteria that account for the reality of Service life - postings, deployments, and shared ownership.
Forces Help to Buy allows eligible Service personnel to borrow up to 50% of their salary (to a maximum of £25,000) interest-free, to use as a deposit. If you haven't looked at this, it's worth a conversation.
We work with specialist lenders who understand this. We'll assess your full income picture - including non-pensionable pay - and match you to the right product.
THE WIDER PROPERTY MARKET
Beyond the base, Garelochhead and the surrounding area has a mix of traditional village housing, some newer builds, and rural properties on the hill roads above the loch. Rural properties here can throw up the same non-standard construction and access questions as elsewhere on the peninsula. We take a whole picture view.
PROPERTY TYPES AND LENDER QUIRKS
Helensburgh has a wide range of property types, and lenders assess them differently. Some flag ex-local authority flats. Some apply tighter criteria to high-rise or deck-access properties. Older stone-built houses can sometimes cause issues if there's a non-standard construction flag on the survey. Getting advice before you apply - rather than after a refusal - protects your credit file and saves time.
REMORTGAGING FROM A FORCES ADDRESS
If you bought while serving and are now looking to remortgage - whether you're still serving or have since left - your situation may have changed in ways that affect your options. We can review what you have and whether there's something better suited to where you are now.
TALK TO LORRAINE
Lorraine Fraser is our adviser covering Garelochhead and the wider Argyll and Gare Loch area. She's whole-of-market, which means she's not tied to any particular lender or product range. Get in touch and let's talk through your situation.
Lorraine Fraser
Mortgage & Insurance Broker (Kilcreggan, Argyll & Bute)
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THE SMALL PRINT
There are several questions any lender will need to know, from the size of your deposit to your employment history and prospects. To get you seamlessly through the application process, we recommend contacting us before you start your property search.
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​Please note that your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a mortgage or other debt secured on it.