Archives

Why personalised equity release advice matters more than ever

Equity release is having a moment. In fact, the Equity Release Council’s latest quarterly market report, which was released in November, showed how total lending rose to £639m in Q3, up from £636m in Q2 and 4 per cent higher than the same period in 2024*. As a Maidenhead mortgage broker, we’re not surprised. With the cost […]

Time to reduce buy-to-let mortgage stress?

For existing and prospective buy-to-let landlords, getting a buy-to-let mortgage can sometimes be a stressful experience.  And even though we’re a Maidenhead mortgage broker that manages buy-to-let mortgage applications every day, we recognise that the aptly named buy-to-let stress test can be … well, stressful. However, our team of Berkshire mortgage advisers feel that there is a reason why applying for a buy-to-let mortgage should become less stressful in […]

Is now a good time to remortgage?

Last week, the Bank of England (BoE) took the decision to cut the base rate of interest from 4.75 per cent to 4.5 per cent. The move, which will undoubtedly be welcomed by mortgaged homeowners, brings the base rate down to the lowest it’s been since 2023. But what does the interest rate cut mean for mortgages? And, […]

Rethinking mortgages in 2026 

It’s hard to believe, but 2025 is almost over. And, as one year comes to a close, it’s only natural to think about the next one.  Now, at the beginning of this year, we asked our team of Maidenhead mortgage advisers to make a note of key themes, topics and questions that kept presenting themselves when in conversation with […]

Spotlight on … the Modern Method of Auction

As a Maidenhead mortgage broker, it’s probably no surprise that we’re asked a lot of mortgage-related questions on a daily basis.  However, from this vantage point, it’s very easy to spot new trends, themes and topics of interest, as the volume of questions about them simply increases. And one topic that’s garnering a great deal of interest at […]

£55 for over 55s

A blanket national giveaway, to everyone aged 55-years-old and above, from a Maidenhead mortgage broker this is not. Can you imagine? At around seven million people in the UK aged 55 and over, that would amount to a staggering £385,000,000! However, what we’re about to reveal is still a pretty good giveaway to those considering the benefits of […]

Base rate cut sees two-year fixed rate mortgage deals in the spotlight

So, the Truss Turnaround (an ‘unofficial’ term coined by our team of Maidenhead mortgage brokers) begins.  At the beginning of August, the Bank of England (BoE) cut the base rate from 4.25 per cent to 4 per cent in a move that will have undoubtedly caused a collective sigh of relief from mortgage brokers, not to mention borrowers, […]

5 reasons to use a mortgage broker

Yes, we know what you’re thinking … this headline is EXACTLY the type of headline you’d expect to see in an article prepared by a mortgage broker.  However, as a Maidenhead mortgage broker that prides itself on offering honest, balanced and professional mortgage advice (and let’s not forget the great Google Reviews we’ve accrued that support this), we know […]

How will Renters’ Reform affect buy-to-let mortgages?

Okay, so we might be jumping the gun with this one. After all, whilst Renters’ Reform is set to happen towards the end of this year (or the beginning of 2026), it hasn’t happened yet.  However, as a Maidenhead mortgage broker, our view is that it’s better to be prepared as early as possible.  Now, if you’re a landlord, […]

Is 2025 the year of the equity release mortgage? 

It’s official: equity release is off to a flying start in 2025.  As an equity release mortgage broker in Maidenhead, we’re delighted to hear that this form of lending, which we’ll refer to as lifetime mortgages throughout this article, is going from strength to strength.  But what is a lifetime mortgage? And, more to the point, why is this […]

Why the term ‘commonhold’ could get more … common

Irrespective of whether you’ve ever purchased a flat, you’ll no doubt be familiar with the term leasehold. However, changes proposed by the UK government could see this type of homeownership become a thing of the past in the not-too-distant future. A white paper published last month by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, entitled Commonhold White Paper: […]

Less than three months to go for first time buyers

If you’re struggling to get back in the work groove after a restful festive break, then you’re not alone. In fact, an American study revealed that 50 per cent stated how they feel drained for a week after returning to work after a holiday. However, if you’re a first-time buyer then there’s good reason to shake […]

Getting a mortgage in 2025

The festive season is a time that really focuses the mind – and it’s really focussed ours. Mainly in the sense that it doesn’t feel that long ago since we last wrote a piece looking ahead to the next year.  However, after quite an interesting (and by interesting we mean erratic) year for mortgages, we thought that […]

Getting to grips with the mortgage application process

As a Maidenhead mortgage broker that’s been helping people throughout the UK secure mortgages since 2005, we’ve heard some interesting opinions and perspectives on what exactly a mortgage broker does behind the scenes. Many liken what we do to the dark arts, which is as far from the truth as it gets. So, in order to pull back […]

What does the budget mean for mortgages?

Firstly, it’s worth pointing out that at the time of writing, the Bank of England has cut the base rate of interest from 5 per cent to 4.75 per cent – its lowest level since 2022. As you might expect, this decision is hugely welcomed by our team of Berkshire mortgage brokers. What this means for […]

A welcome boost for first-time buyer mortgage applicants

In our last first-time buyer mortgage article, we predicted that the best first-time buyer mortgage deals might be on the horizon. However, we didn’t expect to be so close to that horizon.  Only weeks after publishing the piece, it was announced that first-time buyers now have access to first-time buyer mortgages that lend up to six times salary. Six times! That’s an astonishing […]

On the road to recovery

As a Maidenhead mortgage broker, there are very few things more pleasing to the ear – and probably the ears of our clients, too – than news that the housing market is on the up. After all, if the housing market is doing well (and homeowners’ property equity is growing in the process), then so too […]

Is the buy-to-let mortgage back?

If you remember the buy-to-let market of old, then you’ll know that it was once a sure-fire way of generating rental income and building property wealth.  In the past, demand for buy-to-let mortgages was incredibly high and getting a buy-to-let mortgage was a relatively straightforward task for those looking to build a property portfolio. As a Maidenhead mortgage broker that’s been […]

First-time buyer mortgage hotspots

This is Money has revealed the top 10 first-time buyer hotspots, following a study by Halifax into the most popular locations sought by those new to homeownership. And, as a Maidenhead mortgage broker, it was pleasing to see that Slough, which is only a stone’s throw from us, made it onto the list. According to the survey, […]

A spotlight on … critical illness insurance

It’s hard navigating the amount of insurance products available to buy these days. After all, you can get insurance for anything and everything (cold feet insurance, for example, which covers expenses lost due a bride or groom’s last-minute change of heart is testament to this!). However, whilst there are some insurance products you can arguably […]

Are cheap mortgages for over 50s becoming a problem?

Lifetime mortgages can be a good alternative to short-term mortgages for over 50s

Well, if you read The Express you might think so. After all, in a recent news article on mortgages for over 50s, it reported on how a warning has been issued on the back of statistics highlighting that searches for short-term mortgages for over 50s are on the up. According to The Financial Conduct Authority’s Chief Operating Officer, Emily Shepperd, […]

What you need to know about … IT contractor mortgages

IT contractor mortgages can be more challenging to achieve - but not with a good mortgage broker

As a Maidenhead mortgage broker that’s been in business for almost two decades, we’ve built a reputation as being not only an award-winning mortgage broker, but also a specialist mortgage broker. And whilst we’ve become experienced in a number of specialist mortgages over the years, the one we’re going to focus today is IT contractor mortgages. But what is an IT contractor mortgage and […]

What does a Labour government mean for mortgages?

Well, it’s finally happened. After months of speculation and pre-election polling, all of which centred on how Labour was going to win the election, they went ahead and won it – and by a landslide, too.  But now Labour is in power, and with Sir Keir Starmer in charge, what can we expect from the […]

What a surge in housing demand means for mortgages

If you regularly read our articles, then you’ll no doubt be aware that the mortgage market has been pretty turbulent over recent months. And although we’re a Maidenhead mortgage broker that’s tasked with navigating the choppy waters of the mortgage marketplace at a professional level, we’ve also been riding the waves just like the homeowners […]

Could we be the best Maidenhead mortgage broker?

There’s nothing like an award win to make you feel invigorated about the work you do. Of course, as a Maidenhead mortgage broker that’s been delivering what we feel is award-winning work since 2005, we don’t need an award to validate our work – but it’s certainly nice to be recognised at a national level. […]

How will the general election affect mortgage rates?

If it’s not one thing, it’s another. From rollercoaster mortgage rates to wide speculation over whether or not the Bank of England (BoE) will begin to cut the base rate of interest, the mortgage market has almost become as dramatic as a UK soap opera. And now there’s something else to throw into the plotline: […]

Mortgage rates down, house prices up

As a Maidenhead mortgage broker, we LOVE good news about mortgages, especially when they’ve been few and far between of late. It’s a bit like a prolonged bout of sunshine after a largely wet bank holiday weekend (sound familiar?) – a huge relief! So, when news came in this week that estate agent Savills has predicted that […]

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 […]