5 Reasons Why It’s A Good Time To Get A Mortgage
Have a look at our short video which shows that it’s actually an amazing time to get a mortgage some of the highlights include:
- Mortgages are cheaper than they have ever been since records began
- House prices are the cheapest they have been since 2006
- There are loads of incentives from house builders available now on new property
- Renting is much more expensive than getting the equivalent interest only mortgage
- Contrary to many beliefs, Banks are prepared to lend to people again and even deposit requirements are easing
So maybe it is time to look at that mortgage again.
If you would like to embed this video on your site please use this code below
Sources of data from this video include (Bank of England, Nationwide House Price Index, Residential Rental Price index-www.rentright.co.uk)
IFA Tweeters Poll: The Results
Those of you who follow us on Twitter will be aware that we have been running a poll to find out who is the best IFA related tweeter. The poll created a huge amount of interest with nearly 500 votes cast and a fair amount of controversy along the way!
Our thanks go out to all of you who voted and contributed to the buzz surrounding the poll, the IFA community on Twitter is certainly a vibrant one covering all aspects of the modern Twitter user – there are informative tweeters, extremely knowledgeable tweeters, there are controversial tweeters and there are some extremely funny ones too. Whether you are an IFA or not, please take a look at some of the accounts below and follow if you like what you see – there are tweeters here that cater for all tastes.
It gives us great pleasure to announce the results as follows: Read the rest of this entry »
Top IFA Tweeters 2011
Twitter is fast becoming second nature amongst society’s daily lifestyle routines, with over 230 million tweets each day, the majority of people are choosing to update Twitter with a lifestyle, news and information tweet to followers and users.
With this in mind, Remortgage Supermarket have decided to research into the ‘Top 25 IFA Tweeters’, for people who are interested in financial advice, news and guidance.
Our list is the result of research and observation, into over 200 IFA Twitter accounts over the past month. This has since resulted in the difficult task of narrowing our list down to 25 twitter accounts for people to choose.
To help us pick the top 25 IFA tweeters, we factored in the users Twitter influence, the frequency of tweets, the number of followers and the overall relevancy and usefulness of their tweets.
Anyone who tweets about financial advice, information or news has been considered, along with professional Independent Financial Advisers.
Here is the list of Top 25 IFA Tweeters with links to their Twitter page and Twitter Bio. We recommend that you follow all of them on Twitter and vote for up to 5 IFA’s in the poll below.
So enjoy and get voting.
Saving for your first home
A typical first time buyer would usually require a minimum deposit of 20% in order to be approved for a mortgage. If you look at the average house price in September 2011 you would need £33,251 for a house priced £166,256.
Due to a tough few years with the economy, many lenders have reduced their lending, putting a tough criteria in place which has reduced the number of people eligible for mortgage deals. This has resulted in the current situation that we now find ourselves in, with many first time buyers struggling to get onto the property ladder at all.
It didn’t seem so long ago that lenders approved mortgages more freely, with little or no deposit required. We are now back to how things were many years ago, where larger deposits are needed and mortgages are harder to come by.
With all of this, here are out top five tips to help you save for a deposit.
- Set up a cash ISA (Individual Savings Account) you can benefit from up to £5,340 a year in tax free interest, meaning you can save more.
- Set up a standing order to your savings account so that you guarantee a certain amount will be paid into your account each month.
- Cut back on non-essential spending to make sure you are saving as much as possible. You could try walking to work instead of driving, or sacrifice the odd night out or takeaway.
- Get extra hours at work or get a second job to increase your income, everything you earn can go straight into your savings account.
- If you are renting a house or flat you could consider house sharing to reduce your bills, with the savings going straight towards your deposit. Or you could consider moving in with friends or family in order to reduce your living costs.
Looking for your first home
Looking for your first home is very exciting, wandering around lots of different properties trying to see if this is the home for you. Many home owners will probably tell you that finding the house is the hardest part of the process.
Before you set off on your big house hunt you need to work out what you can afford. Many mortgage lenders have calculators on their website to give you an indication of what value deposit you will need and what value mortgage they will look at.
As soon as you know what you can afford you can start to think about what you want in a house. Make a shopping list with the essentials that are needed in the house so you know exactly what you are looking for, driveway, garage or garden. Then you can make a list of desirable features such as en suite bathrooms, utility rooms for example.
When you know what you want you need to think about location. Is it close to good schools, shops and transport links. You also need to know whether there are any main roads or train lines as you may not want to live next to a busy road or trainline. On top of all this you also need to consider any local planning permissions such as road bypasses or new building projects, your surveys should include these issues.
Buying your first house, what do you remember?
Buying your first house can bring with it a rollercoaster of emotions. We want to know what you remember from when your brought your first home and got your first mortgage?
My memories are still fairly fresh as I purchased my first home last year. Before joining the property ladder I can honestly say I didn’t have a clue how things worked. I found the house, but then hit a stumbling block and didn’t know where to go next. The house was a brand new property so the builders assigned us to a solicitor and a mortgage advisor. From there we began the task of applying for the mortgage.
The mortgage application itself was easy enough, the waiting however was the worst part of the whole process. At the time there were lots of news stories about mortgage lenders not giving mortgages unless you had a perfect credit score, which worried me. I had to wait two weeks to find out and it was the longest two weeks of my life!
As soon as I got my approval everything steam rolled forward. From start to finish the process lasted six weeks and most of the time I found I was trying to catch my breath as things moved so quickly. My one recommendation is to make sure you have a mortgage advisor that is available to answer your questions as you will have a lot and things will run a lot smoother if you have someone that can cater to your needs.
Helping your children onto the property ladder
It was recently announced that the 100% mortgage was coming back… on one condition, that parents or guardians of the mortgage holders agree to be guarantors for the loan. Without the 100% mortgage the typical first time buyer has to have a deposit of 20%.
The average house in the UK is currently £166,256 meaning the deposit needed would be £33,251.20 a sum that many struggle to save for.
Parents are choosing to help their children onto the property ladder by assisting them with the deposit. Some parents are therefore remortgaging their own property in order to do this.
Many parents understand that their children will possibly never get onto the property ladder without their help and see their own involvement as the only way.
Lesley recently remortgaged in order to help her daughter onto the property ladder.
“I didn’t buy my first house until I was 34 years old. I didn’t want my daughter to have to go through what I did, I was in a position where I could release some equity with a remortgage and felt that this was the best thing for me to do to help her.”
Adding value to your property.
One very popular reason for people seeking a remortgage is to add value to their property by carrying out home improvements. Obtaining a loan in order to carry out improvements is increasingly hard in the current financial climate, with many being secured against property and others having high interest rates. Remortgaging can be a very beneficial route for many if the right advice is sought.
When you are renovating your home in order to add value to your property you need to make sure that you see a return on your investment.
Here are our top tips!
- Renovations such as decorating do not add any significant value to your property.
- Creating additional inside space such as bigger bedrooms, kitchen, lounge or even adding additional rooms can add considerable value to your home.
- Conservatories are a commonly quick, easy and relatively cheap way in which to increase the value of your home. Remember you need to seek the relevant planning permission.
- Installing double glazed windows and doors probably won’t add much value to your home; however they can reduce energy bills and improve security which could make your property easier to sell.
- Modern and stylish kitchens and bathrooms are very appealing and can add value to your property.
- If in doubt, look at similar houses for sale in your area and see what sells.
- Remember to always seek relevant advice and assistance from qualified experts where necessary.
First Time Buyer – Jargon Buster
Are you a first time buyer? Is your head spinning with all the mortgage jargon that is being thrown at you? Here are a few jargon busting explanations to help you.
- Arrangement fee
Some mortgages and financial products come with an arrangement fee which can range from a few pounds to over £1,000. You need to weigh up your options carefully; some mortgages with low arrangement fees may have a relatively high interest rate, for example. - Completion
Completion is the last stage in the mortgage process when the property is legally transferred to you. For remortgages this is the day the mortgage transfers from one lender to another. - Conveyancer
This is a professional legal expert, usually a solicitor, who handles the contractual arrangement between you and your mortgage lender. They will be responsible for registering your property with the land registry and ensuring that your mortgage deed is correctly executed. - Detailed building survey (full structural)
The most detailed kind of survey that you can request when buying a home, a surveyor will assess the building thoroughly from foundations to roof. A detailed building survey will include an appraisal of the construction of the property and a technical analysis of any significant defects, along with a suggestion of work that would need to be done to fix the defects. - Loan to value (LTV)
Loan to Value is the mortgage loan as a percentage of the value of the property or purchase price. For example a particular buy to let mortgage could be expressed as a ‘75% LTV buy to let mortgage’ which means that you would be able to borrow no more than 75% of the property’s value so you’d have to find a deposit of at least 25% to apply for a buy to let mortgage in this case. - Mortgage Deed
This is a legal document that gives the lender a legal interest in the property covered by the mortgage. Signed by both homeowner and lender, the mortgage deed confirms that the homeowner has used the property as collateral for the mortgage loan. - Term (of a loan or mortgage)
This refers to the number of years that you agree repay your mortgage over.
First Time Buyer – What to look out for
If you are a first time buyer the chances are your head is spinning at the moment. In my last blog I shared my experience of buying my first home, so I completely understand what you are going through.
Speaking from experience we at Remortgage Supermarket wanted to share our top tips if you are a first time buyer.
- Work out how much your budget is and look for a house that you can realistically afford.
- Look around lots of houses and make sure you are getting the most for your money.
- Make sure you are comfortable with your mortgage advisor and that they are easily contactable as you will have lots of questions.
- Work out all of the costs involved – legal fees, property valuation packs and mortgage product fees. Most mortgage lenders allow you to add the product fees onto your mortgage amount meaning this may not be a cost that you have to pay upfront. Although, remember that any fees added to your mortgage amount will have interest charged on them once the mortgage starts.
- You need to look into your future monthly payments – buildings and contents insurance, life insurance, council tax, gas, electricity and water.
When you're ready to, feel free at any time to send us your details using the form on the right and we'll connect you with an expert mortgage advisor to discuss all your options. Don't forget, all of our advice is free!