Tag: Equity release mortgages

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 […]

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, […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 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 […]

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 […]