There are basically two reasons to live in a city. The first is because it’s where you want to be and the second is because it’s where you need to be for your work. Similar comments apply to “commuter-belt” areas. For people in the second category, the COVID19 pandemic may have served to push companies […]
Mortgages
Will COVID19 boost the remortgage market?
Although the housing market and the mortgage market are related, they are not quite the same. You can buy a house without a mortgage. You can also take out a new mortgage without moving home. There is nothing particularly new about this idea, it will, however, be interesting to see if the remortgage market is […]
How can I help?
In these troubled times, I know that so many people are concerned with their mortgage. I am still working with my clients over the phone and now have access to lenders and their contact details. The Bank of England has slashed interest rates what does this mean for you? The Bank of England has cut the […]
The financial realities of getting older
Life is full of challenges and possibly the single biggest challenge of longer life expectancy is working out how to finance it. There are more options than “just” pensions and even if you do go down the pension route (which is often a very sensible approach), there can be all kinds of considerations involved in […]
Help to buy is extended (and limited)
The Help to Buy scheme has been both extended and limited. It’s been extended because it now runs to 2023. It’s been limited because it’s now only open to first-time buyers. Another new twist to the scheme is that the government has introduced new price caps for properties bought under the scheme. Only London keeps […]
Mortgage prisoners may get early release
The introduction of new “affordability” criteria for mortgages created the, arguably rather farcical, situation of some people being told that they could not remortgage to a cheaper deal because they could not afford it and thereby being forced to continue using a more expensive mortgage product. These people have become known as “mortgage prisoners”, but […]