Tag: Mortgage broker maidenhead

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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: […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]