First time buyer

According to Rightmove, a whopping 500,000 UK homebuyers are rushing to finalise their home purchase before the new Stamp Duty rules change in April.

Choosing to buy a house is one of the biggest decisions you are likely to make in your lifetime. There are many factors that influence a house purchase, these include: finances, housing market conditions, and mortgage rates.

According to the Office for National Statistics, last year (ending March 2024), there were 153,800 new homes completed in the UK. To help the housing crisis, the UK government has pledged to build 1.5 million new homes in the next five years.

Check out some of the reasons why a new-build home might be for you.

Research from Metro shows that those who chose to move home didn’t actually move that far away. With a 430g pack of chicken costing on average almost double in London than the rest of the UK, it's no wonder some people are choosing a change of scenery to save a few pennies.

UK homebuyers and homeowners are hoping for stability in 2025. 
We are hoping that mortgage rates will ease this year, but how drastically depends on inflation trends, swap rates, and the Bank of England’s decisions in which way the base rate should go.

On 30^th October 2024 the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves delivered the Autumn budget which we had previously been warned would be “difficult”. Below we have summarised the main housing points.

Recent research from Halifax has revealed the most sought-after locations for first time buyers in Britain.  

The data which was taken from the Halifax House Price Index looked at areas outside of London where those looking to purchase their first property were buying. Despite high property prices and increased rates, these first time buyer hotspots have remained popular.   

With UK inflation remaining at 2.2% which is slightly above the Bank of England’s 2% target, the decision was made on Thursday 19^th September to keep the base rate at 5%.

Following the recent decision by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee to cut the base rate from 5.25% to 5% (the first reduction seen in over four years), we have seen lots of lenders reducing their rates to remain competitive.

The average seller’s asking price dropped by 0.4% in July, a bigger drop than we have typically seen. 

Buying a property, especially in the current climate, is a big decision for first time buyers. We have listed a few tips that can help you buy your first propertyy

Getting on the property ladder is a big milestone in life, and is not something to take lightly. There are several things to take into consideration such as saving up for a deposit, finding your dream home, and finding the best mortgage product to suit you. Here we look at UK first time buyer statistics.

In this blog we look at what happened in the housing market in relation to house prices last year, and look ahead at the forecast for 2024.

We have written a short blog of some stress busting ideas that you may want to put into practice, whether you're in the process of buying a property, or not, you may find these tips and techniques helpful.

Although house prices have been on the rise, purchasing a property is still cheaper in the long run than renting and it’s always worthwhile trying to get on the housing ladder.

The term ‘mortgage salary multiplier’ is used when referring to multiplying your income to calculate the maximum amount a mortgage provider would lend to you.

IPFA stands for ‘Industry Panel for Financial Advice’ and this panel has come together to advocate on behalf of UK financial advisers and all of the customers we serve.

We have listed some of the most common reasons why people are unable to get the mortgages they’ve applied for

If you’re still trying to get to grips with what a mortgage is, below we have covered all of the basics you need to know before buying a property. 

If you’re wondering what can potentially stop you from getting a good mortgage deal, we have looked into some of the most common factors to be aware of. 

Getting a foot on the property ladder is becoming more and more difficult for people of all ages. Not only is the price of property in many parts of the UK continuing to rise, but the majority of businesses still only pay their employees minimum wage, so many fear that they will never be able to own their own home. 

A gifted deposit is a sum of money given to you by someone else, usually a member of your family. The money you are gifted must be given by way of a gift and not a loan.

The Help to Buy scheme allows first-time buyers to purchase a new-build property with just a 5% deposit.

Rishi Sunak has announced that he is to extend the existing Stamp Duty Holiday until the end of June 2021.

The more complete a picture you can build both before and after you make your offer, the better protected you are from the unknowns in the transaction. Don’t be afraid to ask.