Journey Map — First-Time Buyer Mortgage

title "First-time buyer mortgage — Harbourline Building Society"
subtitle "Joint application at 90% loan-to-value, from first research to completion day"
note "Illustrative example: Harbourline is a fictional lender; the persona, amounts and timings are invented for demonstration."

persona "Tom & Aisha Brennan"
  role: First-time buyers, one salaried, one recently self-employed
  goal: Complete on a two-bed flat before their tenancy ends in 12 weeks
  needs: Certainty they can borrow enough | One contact who knows the case | A clear document checklist
  quote: "We just want to know it will happen before we give notice on the flat."

phase "Before applying"
stage "Research"
  actions: Tries borrowing calculators | Compares 5-year fixed rates
  touchpoints: Comparison site, Lender calculator
  thoughts: "Every calculator gives a different number."
  emotion: 0 Uncertain
  pain: Calculators ignore self-employed income
  opportunity: Calculator that accepts one year of accounts
  owner: Digital acquisition
  metric: Calculator to enquiry 6%

stage "Pre-approval"
  actions: Completes an agreement in principle online | Soft credit check
  touchpoints: Online application, Email
  thoughts: "£238,000 — enough for the flat we like."
  emotion: +2 Excited
  opportunity: List the documents the full application will need, now
  owner: Mortgage sales
  metric: Agreements in principle completed online 82%

phase "Application"
stage "Full application"
  actions: Uploads payslips, bank statements and tax calculations | Books an adviser call
  touchpoints: Document portal, Mortgage adviser
  thoughts: "Why do they need six months of statements again?"
  emotion: -1 Frustrated
  pain: Portal rejects photos taken on a phone | Self-employed proof requested twice
  opportunity: Open-banking income verification | Accept phone photos with auto-crop
  owner: Mortgage operations
  metric: Applications complete first time 47%

stage "Valuation"
  actions: Waits for the surveyor | Chases the estate agent for access
  touchpoints: Surveyor, Estate agent, SMS
  thoughts: "It came in £7,000 under the asking price."
  emotion: -2 Panicked
  pain: Down-valuation explained in one line | No guidance on renegotiating
  opportunity: Down-valuation call with options within 24 hours
  owner: Valuation panel
  metric: Down-valuations 11% of cases

stage "Underwriting"
  actions: Answers underwriter questions | Renegotiates the price with the seller
  touchpoints: Mortgage adviser, Email
  thoughts: "Nobody can tell us where the case is."
  emotion: -1 Anxious
  pain: Case status not visible to the customer | Questions arrive one at a time over 9 days
  opportunity: Case tracker with a named underwriter | Ask every underwriting question at once
  owner: Underwriting
  metric: Application to offer 24 days (target 14)

phase "Completion"
stage "Offer"
  actions: Receives the mortgage offer | Instructs the conveyancer
  touchpoints: Offer letter, Conveyancer
  thoughts: "It's real now."
  emotion: +2 Relieved
  opportunity: Send the offer to the conveyancer automatically
  owner: Mortgage operations
  metric: Offers issued within 2 days of approval 93%

stage "Completion"
  actions: Signs the mortgage deed | Collects the keys
  touchpoints: Conveyancer, Estate agent, Welcome pack
  thoughts: "We did it — six days before the tenancy ended."
  emotion: +2 Delighted
  opportunity: Welcome call covering insurance and overpayments
  owner: Customer retention
  metric: Retained at end of fixed rate 72%