10 top tips on getting mortgage fit and remortgage ready – part 2
As we covered in part 1 of this two-part series, over 1.5 million people need to remortgage this year*. That’s a significant number of people who are likely to be switching from a UK mortgage deal of years gone by, when borrowing was much cheaper and monthly repayments were much smaller. For instance, the average 2-year fixed mortgage deal last month (March) was 5.76 per […]
10 top tips on getting mortgage fit and remortgage ready – part 1
As the weather begins to finally warm up and summer creeps closer, many of us will be thinking about getting our bodies beach ready in time for the holiday season. However, with over 1.5 million people needing to remortgage in 2024*, getting beach body fit shouldn’t be the only priority over the next couple of […]
How critical is critical illness insurance?
As an insurance broker in Maidenhead, we have a ‘top 10’ list of most frequently asked insurance questions – and this particular question is always on it. Sadly, it’s a question we can never answer. After all, how can anyone know when or if another person is going to get ill? Illness is generally something that people react […]
What’s next for the UK mortgage market?
It was all looking so good at the start of the year. The positive outcome of the much-touted mortgage wars that opened 2024 wasn’t just the fact that cheap UK mortgage deals seemed to be getting cheaper on a daily basis, but also the fact that consumer confidence began to increase. The UK’s housing market was moving again, the best mortgage deals that […]
Mortgage rates are rising (here’s what you can do to get ahead of the game)
As we covered in our last article, there has been a degree of mixed messages over recent weeks when it comes to UK mortgage rates. Some lenders have been putting them up, whilst others have been cutting them down – but it looks like rates may now be on an upwards trend after Santander and HSBC announced […]
Mortgage market mixed messages
If you’re not using a mortgage broker right now, then getting a mortgage must be a minefield. It’s certainly a lot more erratic than it was 15 months ago. Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen products being pulled, rates changing daily and, more recently, rates dropping to more competitive (if not wholly palatable) levels. But wait, things […]
The benefits of equity release (and two alternatives to consider)
Equity release mortgages – or lifetime mortgages, as we’ll be referring to them here – are big at the moment. In fact, data released by the Equity Release Council (the industry voice for equity release in the UK) highlights that over £700m in equity was converted into cash via this type of mortgage in Q3 of 2023 alone. So, what […]
How low will mortgage rates go?
So, the Bank of England has held the base rate at 5.25 per cent – again. As a Maidenhead mortgage broker, we find this very reassuring in as much as it suggests that the economy is stabilising. But what does it mean for those applying for a mortgage? Will mortgage rates go up or down as a result? And what […]
How protected are you?
Insurance can be a funny thing. As a society, we don’t think twice about insuring a phone, a bike or a watch, all three of which are essentially made of either metal or plastic (or a combination of the two). But how willing are we to insure against our own health? According to the Financial Lives […]
What are swap rates (and how do they impact mortgages)?
If you weren’t tuned into what interest rates are and how they affect your mortgage before 2023, then the chances are that you’re fully tuned into them now. Interest rates and inflation rates were all the rage in 2023, and now mortgage rates are coming down, too. However, not that many people know about swap rates – […]
Full steam ahead for first-time buyers?
It’s been tough for first-time buyers of late. And it often is in general, if we’re being honest. After all, a first-time buyer – by their very nature – typically has no property wealth in the form of accrued equity, and they’re often trying to enter the property market with a deposit that just about qualifies them […]
And cut
Our last two articles of 2023 focussed on the prospect of falling mortgage rates. After all, the UK economy seemingly began to stabilise towards the end of the year; inflation had fallen significantly and the base rate of interest was held at 5.25 per cent. Now, as predicted, mortgage rates are falling. And they’re falling fast. So […]
Ending the year on a good note
As a Maidenhead mortgage broker, we’ve been closely monitoring ongoing fluctuations in mortgage rates, the increasing base rate of interest and the rate of inflation. That shouldn’t be a surprise, of course – it’s our job! What was a surprise, however, was news published just before most of the nation finished for the Christmas break that […]
Mortgage rates set to fall in 2024
Our last article entitled ‘Are mortgage lenders about to tighten their belts?’ explored how our 2024 mortgage predictions, set out in this article, were potentially in jeopardy following recent news that the banks are set to restrict lending next year. However, following the Bank of England’s (BoE) decision to hold the base rate of interest at 5.25 per […]
Are mortgage lenders about to tighten their belts?
As is often the case with the financial markets – which, let’s face it, are essentially the economic equivalent of a rollercoaster – it doesn’t take too long before you’re blindsided by a new piece of information that has the potential to change the course of the next few months. Take last week, for example. We published […]
Things are FINALLY looking up
As a team of Maidenhead mortgage brokers that’s weathered a few economic storms and handled several periods of mortgage market turbulence over the last two decades since opening our Berkshire mortgage brokerage, there’s one thing we know for sure: nothing lasts forever. And, after what has felt like a particularly long and difficult period – one that began […]
What is the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme?
Before we get into what the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme is, let’s start by saying that following the Autumn Statement, which was delivered by Jeremy Hunt on the 22 November, the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme will now be available to help first time buyers get on the property ladder until June 2025. Up for the chop? The […]
2024 mortgage rate predictions
We’re heading towards the end of 2023 – and what a year it has been. It’s certainly kept our team of Maidenhead mortgage brokers on their toes. And now it’s approaching its end, our clients are starting to ask what’s in store for 2024. So, here’s our take. The going rate Having weathered a few economic storms […]
Should I get income protection insurance?
The answer to this question depends on your appetite for risk. However, as a Maidenhead insurance broker (that’s right, we don’t just do mortgages), we think that income protection insurance is a must – particularly if you’re self-employed, you’re reliant on Statutory Sick Pay, or if your employer’s sick pay terms aren’t particularly generous. But first, let’s explain exactly what income […]
Need help with self-employed mortgages?
As a Maidenhead mortgage broker that’s been helping self-employed people get on the property ladder for almost two decades, it never fails to amaze us how many people think that getting self-employed mortgages is the borrowing equivalent of climbing Everest. Yes, there are a few nuances – sometimes even challenges – to overcome. However, there are a lot of […]
Looking for a 5-star Maidenhead mortgage broker?
Okay, this one is a little more self-promotional than our usual mortgage advice articles. However, as a Maidenhead mortgage broker that’s recently hit over 200 Google Reviews with a 5-star average, we feel that good service is worth shouting about. Our recent article on how to choose a mortgage broker shared our top five things you need to think about when […]
Can I get an interest only mortgage?
According to an article in FT Adviser, which draws on research from Opinium, 44 per cent of mortgage brokers have seen an increase in demand for interest only mortgages. As a Maidenhead mortgage broker, our own experience is broadly in line with what appears to be a national average. Over the last two months alone, we’ve seen […]
How to choose a mortgage broker
For those of you who read our last article on the benefits of using a mortgage broker, then you should hopefully be more clued up when it comes to the value that mortgage brokers add during the mortgage application process. But how exactly do you choose a mortgage broker? Whether you’re a first-time buyer or a longstanding property owner, […]
Three benefits of using a mortgage broker
In all the years that we’ve been in business, perhaps the question we hear most of all is ‘why should I use a mortgage broker?’. Even now, in 2023, which is arguably the year when the benefits of using a mortgage broker have never been clearer, there can be confusion about exactly what it is mortgage brokers […]
A focus on… first time buyer mortgages
According to a recent story in The Guardian, the number of first-time buyers fell by 22 per cent between the months of January and August – a clear sign that for those trying to get their feet on the property ladder, getting a mortgage in the UK has been harder during the first half of 2023. As a Maidenhead […]
It’s not just the leaves that are falling – mortgage rates are, too
After a few turbulent months, in which mortgage rates have seemingly been rising in line with the Bank of England’s (BoE) base rate, the scales seem to be tipping as mortgage rates begin to fall. A number of fixed rate mortgage rates have now dropped below the five per cent mark for the first time in two months – […]
Should I fix my mortgage?
As a Berkshire mortgage broker equipped with a team of highly experienced Maidenhead mortgage advisers, it should come as no surprise to you that it’s our job to stay abreast of – and remain sensitive to – the mortgage market. So, when we came across a piece in inews.co.uk, which outlined how experts are predicting an end to the […]
Equity release focus: is a lifetime mortgage right for me?
It’s a good question, and one that we’re being asked a lot right now. In fact, as a Maidenhead mortgage broker that’s been in business since 2005, we’ve never seen as many people enquiring about taking equity out of their property as we have over the last two years. From paying down debt and funding home improvement projects, to […]