by Brian Downton | J, Mar, 2020 | blog, mortgages
You may have heard the term ‘mortgage prisoners’ but not know exactly what it is. Mortgage prisoners are those who are trapped in their current mortgage deal and are unable to remortgage or move. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has estimated around 150,000...
by Brian Downton | J, Feb, 2020 | blog, mortgages
Since it was launched in 2013, the popular Help to Buy scheme has enabled almost 170,000 households to buy homes; who may not otherwise have been able to. An extension to the successful scheme was announced in the Autumn 2018 budget, now making it available until 2023...
by Brian Downton | J, Dec, 2019 | blog, mortgages
A new survey has revealed the South West is the happiest place to live in the UK, with Wales coming in as the least happy. The survey by Lloyds Bank and YouGov looked at factors such as: home ownership, salary, household size, knowing your neighbours, loneliness,...
by Brian Downton | J, Nov, 2019 | blog, mortgages
Retirement is an exciting time; the start of a new chapter in life. Whilst we will have worked, saved and prepared for this moment for a long time, many of us will find we don’t quite have enough money to fund all the things we planned to do. Luckily, there are an...
by Brian Downton | J, Sep, 2019 | blog, mortgages
The average homeowner moving from a specific mortgage deal onto their mortgage provider’s Standard Variable Rate (SVR) could save more than £2,500 a year in interest payments simply by re-mortgaging. SVR is the type of mortgage you’re most likely to revert to at the...
by Brian Downton | J, Aug, 2019 | blog, mortgages
Major changes in taxation for owners of buy to let properties started being phased in over four years from April 2017. If you own buy to let properties, it’s important to take a look at how these gradual changes may affect you in order to avoid any nasty surprises. Of...
by Brian Downton | J, Aug, 2019 | blog, mortgages
The government launched its Help to Buy equity loan in April 2013 and since then 210,964 properties have been bought under the scheme. First-time buyers and people moving to a new-build home worth up to £600,000 have benefited from the scheme, which provides an equity...
by Brian Downton | J, Aug, 2019 | blog, mortgages
Being a first-time buyer can be daunting. Not only are you about to make one of the biggest financial decisions in your life, but you’ll probably also have family members and friends offering their ideas on the right house, mortgage lender, conveyancer and even...
