Exciting news at last for house hunters – especially first-time buyers!The Nationwide has extended their Helping Hand mortgage, which lets buyers borrow up to six times their income, to buyers with only a 5% deposit! They are the first major high street lender to offer this to first-time buyers. The Helping Hand mortgage is available …Read More

There are so many different types of insurance, that it can be confusing. And sometimes people get so bamboozled that they give up! But with so many uncertainties in life, it is best to have some cover – if only to protect your home and your belongings and to provide for your loved ones, in …Read More

A Happy New Year to you all! The start of a new year is a great time to take stock and maybe even save some money. Everyone is feeling the pinch, with rocketing fuel costs and overall increases in the cost of living. So, taking a look at your monthly outgoings is more sensible now …Read More

The end of one year and start of the next gives us a moment to reflect and to consider what is likely to happen in the mortgage and housing market in the coming 12 months. There is no doubt that 2022 has been a turbulent year, with house prices continuing to rise dramatically and then …Read More

A lot happening in the housing market at the moment. Today, the Chancellor announced a cut in stamp duty, with the threshold before you start paying doubling from £125,000 to £250,000, which will help homebuyers. Someone buying a £270,000 house will see their stamp duty bill fall from £3,500 to £1,000, a saving of £2,500. …Read More

Summer is upon us and it’s time to relax and unwind! But sadly, it can also be a time when burglars are at their busiest, so as part of your plans for the summer check that you are properly insured. According to the police, during the summer people become more relaxed about closing and locking …Read More

Commentators are predicting a slowdown in the property market, which might not be such a bad thing. The Halifax last week reported that mortgage activity was showing some signs of easing back and some estate agents are saying that rocketing house prices might be starting to slow. I haven’t seen much evidence of that here …Read More

In the last couple of weeks, I have signed more people up for longer, five or 10-year-fixed rate mortgages than I have for many years.And that’s a good and sensible thing, as we are going through a very uncertain period.At home, the cost of living is rocketing, inflation is rising and to combat it, the …Read More

A pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis, job losses at home and conflict abroad, we are living through frightening and uncertain times.It is during periods such as this that we count our blessings and value the things we hold dear – our health, our family and friends, our home.There is very little that we can do to …Read More

The Bank of England’s decision to raise the base rate by 0.25% will mean more costly mortgages for many.This is the second rate rise in seven weeks, as the Bank acts to lower inflation.For those on tracker mortgages, it will mean their bills will go up straight away and for those on their lender’s standard …Read More