Karen Rodrigues

Chief Sales Officer

Meet…

Karen Rodrigues

Chief Sales Officer

I have been a part of the property finance world for over 30 years, covering everything from standard residential mortgages through to the bespoke market we all know and love today. At Market Financial Solutions, I oversee and manage the entire sales infrastructure.

It’s my job to ensure all our regions are serviced efficiently, that the brokers we work with have complete access to our entire suite of products, and our BDMs deliver the best of what Market Financial Solutions has to offer.

It’s evident, to me at least, that the specialist lending market is coming to the forefront of the financial sector in these unprecedented times. The unpredictability of the wider economy means borrowers need support from lenders that can adapt and remain flexible in the face of uncertainty, or nasty surprises. I make it my mission to deliver that flexibility via our amazing sales team across England and Wales.

“We will handhold from cradle to grave.”

Regions I cover

My remit covers the entirety of England and Wales. I oversee the output of all our BDMs who are split across the following regions/locations:

The North West
The North East
Manchester & Leeds
South West & Wales
East Anglia
East Midlands
West Midlands
Norfolk & North & East London
Home Counties
West London
SE & Kent
Surrey & the South Coast

For anyone who needs a regional specific BDM for their local corner of the market, I can put them in contact with exactly who they need to speak to.

Contact me

Email: karen.rodrigues@mfsuk.com

Phone: +44 (0)7377 435790

Introducing Karen Rodrigues

Few are as busy as Karen at Market Financial Solutions. Our BDMs at any point, are booking meetings, hashing out deals, attending events, and keeping up with the latest industry developments. However, it’s Karen who oversees all that.

Still, Karen was gracious enough to set some time aside for an interview, in which her expertise became apparent. We’d argue there are few people who can match Karen for insights on the property market, and its future.

She has shaped the amazing Market Financial Solutions sales force into the market leading team it is today. So how did she manage it? Evidently, with apparent professionalism and panache.

Interview with Karen Rodrigues, chief sales officer at Market Financial Solutions

Like many in the industry, Karen kicked off her career within the mainstream side of things.

“So, I started in the industry working for Halifax – Building Society, as it was known back then,” she said.

From an early age, Karen’s talent clearly stood out as she initially started on a temporary contract, but was eventually brought on permanently within 3 weeks, and was then promoted in around 2 months.

“I got into specialist finance by working as a mortgage broker at Connells Estate Agency. One of my specialist BDMs at the time actually said to me ‘I think you’d be a fantastic BDM, we’ve got a vacancy and I’m, going to put you forward’, and that was that.”

Karens first foray into the bespoke market was with Kensington Mortgages and from there, she built expertise with several leading lenders.

“The rest is history”.

What do you enjoy about specialist finance?

“I love the specialist side of things, because it’s like solving a jigsaw puzzle,” she said.

“It’s solving problems, I mean the market has evolved since I first started, but that was pre-crunch.”

Indeed, the 2008 crisis dramatically upended the entire lending landscape. Since then, it’s been a “tough gig” operating in this market, as Karen puts it.

But now, in a much different landscape, understanding how to evaluate and structure deals is a challenging, yet enjoyable process that Karen and her team excel at.

What is it you think that Market Financial Solution’s BDMs offer to brokers that other firms don’t?

Our BDM team is one of our key USPs. Being there from day one is greatly appreciated by those we work with, and consistently delivers the best results for everyone involved.

“We will handhold from cradle to grave. We’ve also got the added benefit of not having just one person working on a broker’s deal, but two. They’ve got the BDM, and the BDE.”

As Karen points out, all our BDMs have supportive BDEs assigned to them. Diligently behind the scenes, our BDEs work hard to handle a lot of the paperwork, get meetings in the diary, and take a deal from A to Z. This partnership helps streamline what can be a very tricky process.

“We’re also big on the educational side of things,” Karen continued.

“We’re not just looking at the bog-standard acquisition deals, we’re known for handling unusual real estate deals and the like. We’ve put effort into making the market clear on that, and I love that we’re often the first port of call for those kinds of cases.”.

Education is a big part of our output and Karen herself has played a key role here. She has shared her insights in several trade press pieces and is a regular speaker at industry events. Of course, she’s not the only one with these insights at Market Financial Solutions.

“With the team we’ve got now, a lot of them have been in the market for a significant period of time, there’s a wealth of experience there.”

What would you like to see introduced or prioritised in the specialist finance market?

We’re in a competitive market, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work together to deliver the best results possible for our clients. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Karen shared that there could be more collaboration in the specialist market.

“I know that if I can’t do a deal, I would rather refer it over to somebody who can than let that deal fizzle away into nothing,” she said.

“I’d also like to see the CPSP have the same level of recognition of CeMAP.”

For context, the Certified Practitioner in Specialist Property Finance (CPSP) is a qualification created by various parties in the lending scene – us included – to help provide a formal way for professionals to better understand the specialist market, and progress in their careers with confidence.

We’re proud to say that hundreds of people have completed it since it was launch in 2023. Hopefully, as the industry grows, and with a bit of pushing, thousands more will get involved over the coming months and years.

Where do you think there’s opportunity for property investors in the market?

For Karen, it’s not really a singular element of the property market that presents opportunity at the moment. Instead, those who embrace the bigger picture excite her.

“What we’re seeing is a lot of diversification. A lot of landlords are exiting the market because of the tax changes, EPC stuff coming down the track and things like that, and that’s going to be the next big thing. All this stock coming to market, and investors figuring out how to position it within their portfolio.

“We’re seeing a lot of the more professional landlords going for those newer build properties that are better suited for tougher EPC rules, so there’s a real shift in dynamics in regards to property type.

“Property investors are being much more strategic too, creating potential opportunities for those who are thinking outside the box. Landlords are asking themselves ‘can I look to extend it?’, or ‘if I’m buying a bungalow, will I get planning permission to put a second storey on?’

“It all boils down to how they can factor in these kinds of concerns, and maximize their income.”

Karen highlighted that tenants are also plenty savvy in this regard. They want to make sure they can keep their energy and other costs as low as possible. Property investors who can diversify with greener properties to accommodate this could do well.

Are there any typical borrowers or cases that our BDMs tend to work with?

This, arguably, is the hardest question to answer.

“It’s very regional, to be fair,” Karen said, somewhat stumped.

Given Karen oversees the whole of England of Wales, she sees everything from MUFB investors in Cardiff, through to holiday-let owners in Liverpool. Still, a few noticeable trends are emerging in the market that’s caught her eye.

“We’re actually seeing a lot of activity from Gen Z. You know they’re all stirred up by TikTok influencers, which I have not got a clue about!

“But actually, what we’re finding is that younger borrowers don’t care where the property is, it’s simply all about the return for them. And with many young people staying at home, living with mum and dad, they’re able to start taking property investment much more seriously as they save.

“Also, we’re seeing more brokers turn to us for their higher value cases that may include large residential properties, care homes, petrol stations – we’re building our reputation in these kinds of areas.”

What’s behind this, of course, is our amazing sales team.

“The team itself, I actually do believe is one of the best teams in the industry,” Karen continued, beaming with pride.

“The skill sets we’ve got, both internally and externally, I think are second to none”.

What do you do to get your mind off the world of property finance?

The interviewer had to dramatically cut down the response here. Turns out, Karen is a self-confessed “nerd” who is passionate about everything from Star Wars (she has plans to make her own lightsabre in Disneyworld) to classic Netflix crime binges.

What’s taking up most of her time at the moment however is the fact she’s essentially resitting her GCSEs.

“I feel like I’m really sitting my GSCEs again because my younger son is going through them now.”

For most, if not all of us, we’re sure sitting our school exams just once was quite enough as it is. So, if you’d like to help Karen escape this conundrum she’s found herself in, feel free to reach out. We’re sure she’ll be more than appreciative for the call!