It looks like mortgage rates are on the increase. Scottish Widows, Halifax and NatWest have all announced they are withdrawing rates this week and new products will have higher rates.
If you are already on a fixed rate, give yourself a pat on the back, if you are in the process of applying for a fixed rate – you’ve done well, if you are sitting on your lender’s standard variable rate…. you need to do something. TODAY!
It was back in March 2009 that the Bank of England’s Monitory Policy Committee (MPC) voted to decrease the base rate to the all-time low of 0.5%. Following the Brexit vote in the summer of 2016, the MPC reduced the rate further to 0.25% , in order to stabilise the economy
I’m not sure if it’s the predicted inflation, Theresa May’s Tory Conference Speech or the progress with Brexit negotiations, but lenders are starting to edge their interest rates up a couple of blips. It could of course just be that they have had enough of not really making any money out of borrowers who are paying a meagre 1.2% interest.
Despite economic forecasters predicting rate increases every other month for the last 6 years, nothing has happened with the bank of England base rate. Last month, 2 out of 9 members of the MPC voted for an increase. The latest talk is of an increase by the end of the year. Who know when it’s coming, but we seem to have seen the start.
Today is the day.
The average age of a first-time buyer in the UK is two years older than 10 years ago. This is understandable with managing the cost-of-living and challenges within the economy such as high interest rates making it difficult to get onto the property ladder.
2 days ago
Skipton Building Society launches ‘Delayed Start’ mortgage meaning first time buyers won’t be required to make repayments for the first three months.
According to a survey by Skipton, first time buyers who bought their home in the last five years found that in the first three months of living there, they were spending upwards of £30,000.
7 days ago
If you have recently moved into a property with a garden that requires a little TLC, or you’d like to get on top of your current green space, check out our tips.
10 days ago
High street lender, NatWest, have launched a new product to help first-time buyers purchase a property with assistance from a family member or friend to get them on the property ladder sooner.
11 days ago
‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ (BNPL) schemes, such as ‘Klarna’ are short-term loans that allow shoppers to make a purchase, but delay paying for it for an agreed amount of time.
Klarna is one of the most popular BNPL services with 18 million customers in the UK alone, and offers interest-free payment options which is appealing to shoppers. However, does it affect a mortgage application?
16 days ago
We look at how to get the best Buy to Let mortgage rate, what's in store going forward, and options as a landlord with increasing costs.
25 days ago
Throughout this past week, lenders have continued to reduce their mortgage rates giving borrowers in the UK some welcome news following the change in global tariffs under US President, Donald Trump.
25 days ago
Did you know that buying a house, or relocating is in the top 10 most stressful life events?
Stress of course is an unavoidable part of life and there are many reasons why people experience stress, not just buying a house!
There are lots of effective ways to manage and reduce stress, check out our tips to help you.