The end of a calendar year is often a time to reflect on the old year and make plans for the new. It has particular relevance in finance because the start of a new calendar year means the end of a financial year. This can have major implications for tax and hence financial planning in […]
Top Tips For Letting To Young Adults
Young adults move out of the parental home for a variety of reasons. Often these are to do with study or work. For example, students may want to be near their university. Apprentices may want to be nearer their work. Young adults can be an interesting demographic for landlords. Here are some tips on entering that market. Choose the specific […]
Are House Prices Due For A Fall?
House price rises don’t have to be followed by falls. In fact, they don’t necessarily have to be interspersed with plateaux. They cannot, however, simply keep storming ahead in defiance of both logic and affordability criteria. This means the UK housing market is arguably long overdue for a cooling-off period. This raises the question of […]
Is It Still A Seller’s Market?
The introduction of the SDLT (Stamp Duty) holiday sparked a frenzy in the housing market. Realistically, it was only to be expected that the end of the tax break would lead to a slowdown. Just like people, there’s a limit to how long markets can run at maximum speed. The key question, however, is, how […]
Are Tracker Mortgages The Best Option After All?
Before 2008, the big choice for homebuyers was between interest-only mortgages and repayment mortgages. Now, it’s between tracker mortgages and fixed-rate mortgages. Both tracker and fixed-rate mortgages can be (and usually are) issued on a repayment basis. There are, however, significant differences in what they can mean for your finances. The basics of trackers vs […]
How To Navigate The Mortgage Market If You’re Self Employed
On the surface, it may seem like the employed and the self-employed deal with two completely different mortgage markets. Actually, the same rules apply to both mortgage markets. They also manifest themselves in much the same way. If you understand this, it becomes much easier to navigate the mortgage market when you’re self-employed. The basics […]