Category: Blogs

06 May

Can you remortgage early?

Looking to remortgage? Don’t assume you have to wait until your existing deal finishes before you can start the ball rolling. If your current mortgage deal ends within the next 6 months, or you’re concerned that rates are edging up and want to lock into a new deal now, it is possible to secure a […]

04 Apr

Understanding bridging loans and their benefits

Property investors have a range of different finance open to them, each of which can work for various scenarios. If a landlord wants to purchase a regular property to add to their portfolio, they may want to opt for a regular buy-to-let loan for example, while a developer could utilise specialist development finance when looking […]

16 Mar

First-time buyers: how can parents help?

Halifax reports that the average age of a first-time buyer is now 32. More and more parents are now having older children who have moved out to go to university, but have since moved back home again and are having difficulty getting onto the property ladder. Known as ‘boomerang kids’, this situation may well sound […]

27 Feb

Tips and advice for getting on the property ladder

Getting your foot on the property ladder can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be, once you read our tips and advice. How do you make your dream of buying your first home a reality? With UK house prices continuing to rise – official figures from the Office for National Statistics based on mortgage […]

16 Feb

Would now be a good time to buy a house?

Would now be a good time to buy a house? That’s something many people might be asking as they wonder where UK house prices will go in 2023. According to the latest data from online real estate Zoopla, house price growth slowed to a standstill in the final quarter of 2022 following a 50% drop […]

11 Jan

Homebuyers should benefit from a downturn in the property market

UK house prices fell 1.5% in December, with the average house price now £281,272, down from £285,425 in November, the latest data from Halifax shows. This may not sound like much but it’s the fourth fall in a row for Britain’s biggest mortgage lender. Meanwhile, Zoopla forecasts UK house prices will likely fall by 5% this year, Lloyds bank predicts […]

09 Dec

What does the capital gains tax hike mean for buy-to-let landlords?

Second homeowners, landlords and property investors will face a higher tax bill on their profits following changes made in last week’s Autumn Statement. The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt halved the threshold for paying capital gains tax (CGT) from £12,300 to £6,000. This will take effect from April 2023. There will be a further cut to the […]

16 Nov

End of Help to Buy

The Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme was first introduced in 2013, though it has evolved over the years with the latest guise seeing the introduction of regional property price caps. Essentially, it offered first-time buyers the chance to purchase a new-build property with a minimum 5% deposit. They could also use an equity loan […]

15 Oct

How much can I borrow?

As anyone currently looking for a mortgage knows, the chaotic scenes at the top of government have had big repercussions when it comes to home loans. The speculation over likely increases to the Bank Base Rate, following the disaster that was the mini-Budget, has meant significant increases in the interest rates on offer to borrowers, […]

28 Sep

Mortgage Update – What we are experiencing

Only one word can express the start of this newsletter – Chaos! At the time of writing, many lenders have stopped lending completely and most others have increased their rates substantially. The pound has devalued, and the markets are reacting to the budget. However, whilst this has reduced options, and there may be challenging times […]