All businesses / Mortgage brokerage

Fingerprint: capital · hours · speed to income · margin · ceiling. The dashed line is mid-scale.

Start a mortgage brokerage: the real numbers

Arranging loans, paid by commission. Below is what it actually costs, how long before money arrives, and the part most guides leave out.

Startup capital

€3,000–€18,000

Hours / week

30–55

First income

~20 wks

Net margin

75%

Saturation

medium

Realistic ceiling

€0–€9,000+

This ceiling is not a wall

The figure above is what this earns in the shape described — you, running it. Past that it keeps going, but by hiring people or adding units, not by you working more hours. That is a different job from the one you would be starting, and worth knowing before you start it.

What nobody usually tells you

Commission of €1500-3000 per case and a client base that comes back every few years when they remortgage. It is regulated, the ramp is long, and your income moves with interest rates whether you like it or not.

The route, in five steps

  1. Get authorised or join a network — it is regulated everywhere
  2. Work under an established broker for a year first
  3. Estate agents and accountants send the best referrals
  4. Protection products pay again on the same client
  5. Budget nine months: completions are slow

What you'll need to buy

These are the categories every mortgage brokerage pays for in the first month. We break down what each one actually costs at this size on the tools page.

licence and registrationcompliance and network feesCRMindemnity insurance

Does it hold up for you?

These numbers are the average case. Whether this business clears your target depends on your capital, your hours and how long you can wait — put them in and see.

Run my numbers → See the tool stack