On 4th August 2016 the Bank of England announced it was cutting the base rate from 0.5% to 0.25%. Assumptions were made that this would make a difference to home owners outgoings, giving us all a little bit more money…
Who Works For Who
Buying a house is a complicated process, with lots of people involved helping you along the way. An important thing to keep in mind is remember who is to work and represent you in the process. Firstly, the estate…
Looking on the bright side of life insurance
One of the things I struggle to understand is the negative attitude towards life insurance. I personally see this product as a family saver as it comes to rescue in the worst situations and makes them a little bit easier…
A helping hand to get on the mortgage ladder
There are many more schemes available now to enable first time buyers to get on the mortgage ladder. Most lenders are now offering 5% deposit mortgages, however for those who will still struggle to afford a mortgage of 95% or…
Property vs Investments
There are usually two types of investors in this world, those who like to buy company shares and those that like to buy property. It can be difficult to convince either one of these groups to change their philosophy, but…
My top tips for getting mortgage ready
Buying your first home can seem like an absolute maze but with guidance from fully trained professionals it doesn’t have to be an impossible task. My first tip is when you first start considering buying a house in the future…
Don’t Bother With Flexible Mortgages
One of the products I get asked most about, which are usually very little use for the majority of people, are flexible mortgages. On the face of it, they sound great, they allow you to make unlimited overpayments without any…
Why renting is not “dead money”
Many people refer to the money they pay every month when renting a property as “dead money”, however I do not necessarily agree with this. Having a roof over your head whether you rent or you own your home is…
The Mortgage Credit Directive
From 21st March, the Mortgage Credit Directive took effect. They are a new set of regulations including the need to disclose certain extra bits of information and highlight different risks. The major change from a mortgage advice point of view,…
Buying a House Without a Mortgage
If you were asked the question, ‘What type of loan do you buy a house with?’ what would you say? Most people would say a mortgage, because that is the most common way to do it, but it isn’t the…