What will you choose? There are plenty of interest rate options available to the homebuyer when taking out or switching mortgages and this is often the area that causes the most confusion, all of which have their advantages and disadvantages depending on your circumstances. It can be confusing understanding all the features of the different products and knowing… Continue reading The mortgage interest rate maze
Category: All News
Government mortgage schemes
Mixed reaction to the latest statistics There has been a mixed reaction to the latest statistics monitoring take-up of the government’s mortgage rescue scheme. Some reports have focused on the low number of households that have taken up an offer under the scheme. So far, only six households have done so, although more than 5,300 have embarked… Continue reading Government mortgage schemes
Residential development
Land values stabilise across most UK regions The value of residential development land has stabilised across most UK regions after five negative quarters according to Knight Frank’s Residential Land Index. It shows that the average value of both urban and greenfield land rose by 2.1 per cent during the second quarter of 2009, having almost… Continue reading Residential development
Housing private finance initiative
Government allocates £1.7bn for new homes The Housing Minister John Healey recently announced £1.7bn funding to build 11,200 new homes and regenerate 10 of the most deprived areas of the country. Ten local authorities in six regions are to receive the cash under the housing private finance initiative (PFI) in order to allow them to… Continue reading Housing private finance initiative
Home Information Packs
“Stunting market recovery” The Home Information Pack (HIP) is being blamed for “stunting market recovery” according to estate agents. The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) in a recent survey reported that of its members, ten per cent of agents believed the number of sellers would double if HIPs were suspended. The NAEA survey also discovered a… Continue reading Home Information Packs
Checklist for investing landlords
A range of issues to consider before entering the residential lettings market This checklist is an introduction to buy-to-let highlighting the types of questions you should be asking yourself before buying a property to let out. It is not intended as an exhaustive list, merely an introduction for new buy-to-let investors, to a range of… Continue reading Checklist for investing landlords
Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance
Covering you rmonthly mortgage payments for a specified period – your questions answered. If you fall behind with your mortgage repayments and cannot catch up again, you could eventually lose your home. But you can take steps to protect yourself against this risk by taking out Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance (MPPI). Q. What is MPPI?… Continue reading Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance
Investing in property
Make sure your figures add up The British love affair with property investing has been very evident over the past decade and despite a tougher market, those looking to get into the market should beware of easy buy-to-let deals and still make sure their investment meets a strict checklist, or dreams of property riches may… Continue reading Investing in property
Landlords buying more properties
Quarterly survey revealed a “bounce back” in the buy-to-let market Landlords have been buying more properties in the last quarter according to a recent survey. The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) quarterly survey revealed a “bounce back” in the buy-to-let market. In the ARLA members’ survey of the Private Rented Sector (PRS) for the… Continue reading Landlords buying more properties
Pension tax relief threshold could be lowered still further
Higher rate taxpayers should talk to us now If you are a higher rate taxpayer it may be prudent to talk to us sooner rather than later about your retirement planning provision, following remarks made by the government’s pensions spokesman, Lord McKenzie. He refused recently to allay the concerns of individuals earning below £150,000 that… Continue reading Pension tax relief threshold could be lowered still further
