For sale by owner may work in a busy housing market (although it may not get you the best price for your home even then). When the market is slower, however, trying to sell your home yourself can be a seriously bad idea. It’s generally far better to find a reputable estate agent and commit to working effectively with them. Find the right estate agent Begin your search for a reliable estate agent by seeking referrals from individuals in your circle who have recently bought or sold properties within your locality. Additionally, you can go through online reviews and ratings and authenticate the agent's credentials, such as their licenses and certifications. If possible, interview multiple agents to compare their expertise, communication skills, and promptness. During the interview process, inquire about their track record, marketing strategies, and fees to make an informed decision. Set realistic expectations Setting realistic expectations is crucial when working with an estate agent. It is essential to have a clear understanding of the current market conditions, such as the availability of properties, the demand for properties, and the prevailing prices. Your agent can provide you with valuable insights and data to help you make informed decisions and set realistic expectations. To set realistic expectations, you should be open to compromise and be willing to adjust your goals and priorities based on the market conditions and your budget. For example, if you are selling your home, you may need to be flexible about the asking price, the timing of the sale, or the repairs and upgrades needed to make your home more attractive to buyers. Trust your agent's expertise Trusting your estate agent's expertise is a crucial aspect of working with them effectively. After all, they have the knowledge and experience required to navigate the market and help you achieve your goals. It is important to trust your agent's advice, insights, and recommendations to make informed decisions throughout the process. To build trust with your agent, it is essential to listen to their advice and ask for their opinions regularly. They are there to help you, and their expertise and experience can provide valuable insights that you may not have considered. Be open to new ideas and suggestions from your agent, even if they differ from your initial thoughts or preferences. Trusting your agent can help you make better decisions and avoid common pitfalls that many buyers and sellers encounter. Their experience can help you avoid overpricing or underpricing your property, making costly mistakes during inspections, or overlooking important details during negotiations. Trusting your agent can also help you achieve your goals more efficiently and effectively, such as selling your property faster or finding your dream home within your budget. Communicate clearly and regularly Clear and regular communication is an essential aspect of working effectively with your estate agent. Communicating your needs and preferences, asking questions, and providing feedback can help your agent understand your expectations and provide you with the best possible service. To communicate effectively with your agent, it is important to be honest and specific about your needs and preferences. In particular, you need to be clear about whether your priority is to achieve the highest possible price or the quickest possible sale. In the real world, you can generally have one or the other but not both. Asking questions is also a vital part of effective communication. Don't hesitate to ask your agent about any concerns or doubts you may have about the process. By doing so, you can gain a better understanding of the market and make informed decisions. Providing feedback is another important aspect of clear communication. By sharing your thoughts on properties, marketing strategies, or any other relevant topics, you can help your agent adjust their approach to better meet your needs. Technology also plays a vital role in facilitating communication with your agent. Email, text messaging, and video conferencing can be used to stay in touch and exchange information quickly and conveniently. For mortgage advice, please get in touch. For estate agents we act as introducers only.

For many people, getting a mortgage is essential to be able to buy a house. What’s more, after you’ve bought your house, you’re probably going to need to remortgage periodically. It, therefore, makes sense to think about how you can persuade a mortgage lender to say yes. Here are some tips to help. Take care of your credit score Your credit score plays a huge role in determining whether or not you will be offered a mortgage at all. It will also influence the terms you are offered. Having a high credit score will make it more likely that you will qualify for products with lower interest rates. This can save you a significant amount of money over the lifetime of the loan. Credit scores take time to build and benefit from regular maintenance. This means that you should treat them as a work in progress. If you already have a mortgage, then the payments you make towards it will help to nurture your credit score. If you’re renting, see if your landlord will report your rent payments to the credit agencies. If they won’t, see if you can self-report. Use a mortgage broker Mortgage brokers as intermediaries between potential borrowers and lenders. They are not, however, just “people in the middle”. They have extensive knowledge of the mortgage market and leverage this to find the best mortgage options for your unique financial situation. Their market knowledge is complemented by expertise in negotiation. For example, a mortgage broker may be able to secure you more favourable terms and/or rates than you would have achieved on your own. Using a mortgage broker can therefore save you a lot of money. It can also save you a lot of hassle. Working with a mortgage broker means that you have somebody to guide you through the application process. Even people who’ve had mortgages before can benefit from this. It can be invaluable for first-time buyers. Be realistic about how much you can borrow This point can actually be divided into three parts. Firstly, be aware of how much lenders are likely to be prepared to offer you regardless of what property you want to purchase. Secondly, be aware of how much lenders are likely to be prepared to lend against any given property. If you’re buying rather than remortgaging, keep in mind that a mortgage pre-approval is a fairly high-level agreement. The lender will need to see the specifics of the property before making a final offer. Thirdly, be aware of how much you can realistically afford without overstretching yourself. Lenders should check this but you should give this point serious consideration yourself. Have all your documentation ready before you apply Documents such as bank statements are usually quite easy to get quickly. In fact, you can probably just download them from your online account. Keep in mind, however, that you will probably have to show ID. Many forms of ID expire. If yours is coming close to its renewal date, then allow yourself plenty of time for the process. Make sure you complete the application form correctly This may sound like stating the obvious but it does matter (a lot). If you’re using a mortgage broker, they will usually guide you through the application process. If you’re not, however, then you’ll need to complete the form on your own. Give yourself plenty of time to do so. Read the form thoroughly so you’re totally clear on what is being asked of you. If you have any doubts, stop, clear them up and then go back. If you’re filling in a paper form, you can just put it away somewhere safe until you get the answer you need. If you’re filling in a form online, you can usually save it. Just remember to keep a note of your login details.

Spring is traditionally a busy time in the property market. Just how busy it is, however, depends on various factors. Many people involved in real estate will have been awaiting the spring statement with great interest. As it turned out, there were no measures aimed directly at the property market. Overall, however, it was still arguably good news for the sector. The economic outlook Probably the key news from the spring statement was that the UK’s outlook seems to have brightened somewhat. Previous forecasts predicted that the UK’s economy would shrink by 1.4%. Now the predicted shrinkage is just 0.2%. Whether or not this qualifies as good news is a matter of opinion. At the very least, however, it is less bad. The better news is that the UK economy is projected to grow from 2024 to 2027 (inclusive). Inflation is projected to fall Average inflation for 2023 is predicted to be 6.1%. It is expected to end Q4 2023 at 2.9%. This is (just) within the Bank of England’s target range of 1% to 3%. It’s also a fall of over two-thirds from its Q4 2022 peak of 10.7%. Inflation is a double-edged sword for the property market. On the one hand, general inflation is part of what contributes to house-price appreciation. On the other hand, excessive inflation can lead to serious affordability issues that can cripple the property market. Either the inflation itself leaves people less able to buy property or it leads to higher interest rates. These make mortgages more expensive (and hence less affordable). The property sector is highly dependent on the availability of mortgages. This means that anything that makes them harder to get is bad news for it. Assuming the fall in inflation is organic (i.e. not just a response to higher interest rates), it could bring welcome relief to the property market. In fact, even if it is, initially, just a response to interest rates, it could still be good news. Once inflation is tamed, interest rates may be able to come down again. It’s also worth remembering that interest rates are still fairly low by historical standards. The UK has a long way to go before it gets anywhere even close to double-digit interest rates. Unemployment will remain low Unemployment is projected to rise by a maximum of 1%. This projection is, however, a very interesting one. The chancellor’s spring statement was clearly strongly focused on getting the economically inactive back into work. Specifically, it was aimed at getting early-retirers and home-making parents back into the job market. If the chancellor’s moves succeed, it is very possible that the UK will actually have greater numbers of people in work despite a technical increase in unemployment. If so, then the boost to the UK’s economy might be greater than the raw figures might suggest. This would be excellent news for the housing market. Corporation Tax increases From April, businesses with profits of more than £250,000 will pay 25% Corporation Tax. Those with profits of between £50,000 and £250,000 will see their Corporation Tax increase to some extent but not the full 6%. Those with profits of less than £50,000 will continue to pay corporation tax at 19%. There are two reasons why this could be very relevant to the property market. Firstly, many property investors are now working through limited companies. They may find themselves forced either to pay the extra tax or restructure. Secondly, it could lead to businesses looking for ways to cut their costs. This could see firms that have retained office space either giving it up or downsizing it. This could potentially then create a ripple effect in the residential property market. At this point, however, that seems unlikely. Many knowledge workers will already be set up to work from home. For advice on mortgages please do get in touch FCA does not regulate some forms of Tax planning, for this service we act as introducers only.

If you’re self-employed and a homeowner or (potential) homebuyer, then now is the perfect time to have a mortgage check-up. After everything that’s happened, your financial situation may not be the best. Don’t, however, let that deter you from securing a suitable deal. Instead, use your business skills, strategy and help to get the mortgage you deserve. Set yourself a deadline for action If you’re a homeowner then you need to have a new deal ready before you are switched to your lender’s standard variable rate (SVR). Depending on your mortgage, you may be able to change deals earlier than this. Whether or not it makes sense to do so will, of course, depend on your circumstances. You should, however, definitely monitor the situation. If you’re a (potential) homebuyer then, in theory, you simply need funds in place before you complete. In practice, securing a mortgage (in principle) can help a lot with your home search. It reassures a seller that you are capable of making good on any offer you make. Ideally, therefore, you should start arranging your mortgage as soon as you realise you are serious about buying a property. Keep in mind that the level of demand can influence how long it takes to get a mortgage. Autumn is generally a fairly brisk time in the housing market so processing times may be longer. Demand may slow as winter arrives but this is also the time when staff are very likely to be on holiday (or off sick). Get professional help The UK has a lot more mortgage lenders than you might think if you just go by the adverts you see. What’s more, even if you have heard of a lender, you may not be aware of all their products. By enlisting the help of a mortgage broker, you can vastly increase your chances of finding the right mortgage product for your needs, wants and budget. In essence, a mortgage broker’s job is to assess your situation in much the same way as a mortgage lender. This will give them an idea of what products you could potentially access. The key difference between a mortgage broker and a lender, however, is that a mortgage broker works for you. They will therefore work with you to determine which product is the best fit and help you to put together your application for it. Going to a mortgage broker, therefore, reduces the likelihood that you will end up with multiple “hard” (visible) searches on your credit record. You may very well be accepted on the first product you apply for. Even if you don’t (for example, you choose to chance your luck slightly), you should still expect to find a good fit relatively quickly. A mortgage lender will only recommend you to apply for a product if they think you have a decent chance of getting it. Remember credit issues aren’t necessarily dealbreakers Credit issues weren’t necessarily a total dealbreaker even before COVID19. Post-COVID19 (and Brexit), it’s arguably in lenders’ best interests to be at least somewhat flexible about them. Of course, how much flexibility you may get will depend greatly on the lender. That’s part of the reason why having a mortgage broker can be so useful. It’s literally part of their job to know just how much flexibility lenders are prepared to offer applicants with credit issues. Realistically, the level of interest you get from lenders is also likely to depend on how attractive a candidate you are overall. Having a big deposit can do a lot to make lenders view you favourably. You might not even need to have the money in your bank account. If you have a reasonable expectation of releasing funds through the sale of your current home, this may be enough. At a minimum, show plenty of evidence of solid financial management. For mortgage advice, please get in touch YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE

As a first-time buyer, there are, essentially, two steps to getting a mortgage. Firstly, you need to work on making yourself an attractive prospect to lenders. Secondly, you need to decide what kind of mortgage you want. Here is a simple guide to help. Making yourself an attractive candidate to lenders The exact qualification criteria for any mortgage will depend on the mortgage itself. With that said, lenders will assess candidates on similar points. This means that the general approach to making yourself an attractive mortgage candidate will apply to all lenders. Here are the key areas you need to address. Deposit When it comes to deposits, the golden rule is that bigger is better. With that said, there may be limits as to how much of your deposit can be gifted to you. Rules on this vary by lender. Saving in a Lifetime ISA (LISA), can be a useful way to boost your deposit. Just remember that LISAs can only be used to buy a first-time property or pay for retirement. If you withdraw money for any other purpose, you will be penalised. Affordability Affordability is essentially calculated on three factors. These are, the loan-to-vehicle (LTV) ratio, your current and predicted income and your current and predicted expenses. The LTV ratio will be set by your deposit and the price of the home you wish to buy. This leaves your income and expenses. Keep in mind that lenders will want to be reassured that you can afford the mortgage over the long term. This means that stability generally works in your favour. Try to avoid making any changes in the 6 months prior to applying for a mortgage. Certainly, do your best to avoid making any drastic ones. Also, remember that lenders will usually ask to see 6 months of bank statements. The main reason for this is to confirm that your financial standing is what you say it is. Checking your bank statements will, however, also give lenders a good idea of how well you manage your money overall. This means it’s advisable to be careful where you spend your money in the 6 months before applying for a mortgage. In other words, even if you can afford to splurge, it’s generally safer not to. You can always do it later, after you get your mortgage. Credit record Building up a credit record takes time so you should start working on it as early as you can. As you come closer to applying for a mortgage, keep a particularly sharp eye on your credit record. You need to identify them as quickly as possible to give yourself the best chance of getting them addressed before you apply. Deciding what type of mortgage is right for you These days, if you’re buying a home to live in, it’s largely taken for granted that you will want a repayment mortgage. For completeness, you can still get an interest-only mortgage. These are, however, now very niche. This means that your real choice is between a fixed-rate and a tracker mortgage. As the names suggest, fixed-rate mortgages have a fixed interest rate for an agreed period. Tracker mortgages are set at a certain level above the base rate. They move up and down as it does. Objectively, neither type of mortgage is better or worse than the other. Fixed-rate mortgages are not necessarily more economical than tracker mortgages (or vice versa). With that said, fixed-rate mortgages do bring a guarantee of stability. This can be particularly useful to first-time buyers as they will have minimal equity in their homes. It can therefore be well worth looking at taking out a fixed-rate mortgage as your first mortgage. Once you have built up more equity in your home, you can reassess when you come to remortgage. For mortgage advice please get in touch

Debt is sometimes a pretty-much unavoidable fact of life. It would be nice, for example, if we could all afford to buy houses out of cash savings, but for many people mortgages are the only feasible way of owning a home. While “good” debt may have a purpose, it can still be an advantage to be rid of it and “bad” debt (such as credit card debt) is generally something which should be dealt with as quickly as possible. So why do people keep carrying debt? Here are 3 common debt excuses – busted. I don’t have any spare money In fairness, this may seem to be true, in some cases it may actually be true, but ironically the tighter your budget is now, the more important it is to deal with debt. Here’s why, debt often becomes cheaper the less of it you have. Take credit card debt, say you maxed out a credit card and now you’re making the minimum payment each month to pay it off. Chances are most of your payment is actually going on the interest on the debt rather than paying off the debt itself. If you pay extra, more of your repayment will go on reducing the debt – and that means less interest the following month. So if you don’t seem to have any spare money, start by taking a long, hard look at your finances and accounting for, literally, every penny you spend to see if there’s any way at all you can eke out a little money to put towards your debts. If there really isn’t, then you need to look at ways of making extra money. The good news is you can earn up to £1K of extra income (over and above what you make in paid employment) without paying tax on it. This means that by becoming a micropreneur, you can potentially have another 1K a year to pay down your debts. It may not seem a lot, but it can make a huge difference. I don’t want my kids to think they’re different from their friends They are different from their friends. They’re your children and, clichéd as this may sound, quality time is the best gift you can ever give them. The memories you make will be with them for a whole lot longer than the latest must-have toy all their friends have. If you still need convincing, remember that children learn from their parents and they take those lessons with them into adulthood. Sensible money-management is one of the most important skills anyone can have in the modern world and parents need to set the example they want their children to follow. If you teach your children how to tell the difference between essentials and desirables and how to resist the temptation to pay for the latter on credit, you’ll be setting them on the best financial path for adult life. You may also be sparing them the burden of having to work out how to look after you financially in later years when they are working adults and you would like (or need) to retire. When X happens then… This one comes up all the time in all kinds of contexts. When Christmas is over then I’ll take out a gym membership. When the children are at school then I’ll start studying again. When I get a pay rise, then I’ll start paying off my debts. In fairness, in some cases, waiting does make sense, but in many others it’s just a way to put off dealing with a problem you’d rather ignore. In the case of debt the golden rule is “take action now”. The longer you leave debt, the more interest will be added to it.

You may be eager to buy a house but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re ready to buy one. Before you start getting too absorbed in the property listings, make sure you’ve considered these five points. Do you have current photo ID? You’ll need either a driving licence or a passport to apply for a mortgage.  If either is due to expire any time soon, then organize renewals as a priority.  Remember this can take time even under normal circumstances. How does your credit score look? Your credit score is a major factor in the mortgage application process. If it’s less than stellar you have two options. Option one is to look for a mortgage deal that is open to people with poor credit. Option two is to improve your credit score and then apply for a mortgage. From a financial perspective, the best course of action would be to run the sums on both options and see which delivered the best result. Of course, in the real world, there may be many other factors to consider. For example, if you know you need to move home anyway, you might prefer to take out a bad-credit mortgage even if it is more expensive than renting. That way, you’ll only have to go through the hassle of moving once instead of twice. Whatever you do, make sure that you take care of the sort of basic administration which can affect both your credit score and the lender’s checks. In particular, make sure that you’re on the electoral register at your current address. Also, make sure that all key service providers (like banks) have your correct address details. Are you covered for moving costs? If you’re a first-time buyer you still get a discount on Stamp Duty. In fact, you may not have to pay anything at all on properties worth up to £250,000. If not, you definitely need to factor this into your considerations. You’ll also need to think about surveying and conveyancing fees and mortgage arrangement fees. You may be able to roll any or all of these into your mortgage. If you do, however, you’ll be paying interest on them for the duration of the mortgage. Last but definitely not least, you’ll need to think about the cost of getting yourself and your belongings to your new home. There may be some flexibility on this cost. For example, you could move your belongings yourself instead of hiring movers. In principle, however, you should generally expect it to cost something. You need to be able to afford all of these and still have enough money left over to satisfy your lender’s deposit requirements. Ideally, you should have some money on top of this so you can be sure you have a bit of room to manoeuvre if you need it. What is your five-year plan? Even if you’ve ticked all the boxes so far, you might still want to hold off buying a house. Per the previous comment, buying a home involves paying a lot of upfront fees. Over time, these fees will usually be negated by the increased value of your property. You should, however, be prepared to allow roughly five years for this to happen. If you’re not totally confident that you can pay your mortgage and various other bills for the next five years, then you should think very carefully before committing to buying a house. If you do go ahead, you should be aware of the fact that you could end up having to sell for a net loss. Can you get pre-approved for a mortgage? Getting preapproved for a mortgage lets you know your home-buying budget. Remember, however, that it’s a limit, not a target. It also sends a message to sellers that you’re a serious buyer. This can give you an edge if there are competing offers. For mortgage advice please get in touch

Getting on the property ladder can be hugely challenging. When you’ve made it, however, it can be hugely rewarding. If nothing else, you're building up equity in an asset rather than handing over rent. If you’re thinking of buying your first home in 2023, here are some tips to help. Maximise your deposit There’s still time to open a Lifetime ISA (LISA). You can put up to £4K PA in it and get a 25% bonus at the end of the (financial) year. If you only have a Lifetime ISA for one year, this will only be £1K. It is, however, £1K of free money. If you’re looking to buy a home in 2024 or beyond, then you should certainly look at a (LISA). If you can save more than £4K PA, then you will need somewhere else to put your money. A regular Cash ISA is likely to be your best option. If it’s your only ISA, (for that year), you can save up to £20K PA in it. You don’t get a bonus but you do get your interest sheltered from tax. If you’ve been investing to build up funds, then you’ll need a plan for converting your shares into cash. It may be advisable to get help from a financial advisor. Work on your credit records Ask your landlord if they will report your rent payments to the credit bureaux. If they won’t, then consider signing up for a rent-reporting service. At the very least, keep a close eye on your credit records. If you see any unexpected events, follow up on them promptly. Mistakes do happen. If they happen to you, you need them corrected before you apply for a mortgage. Check whether you qualify for assistance to buy The two Help-To-Buy schemes (Equity Loan and Mortgage Guarantee) are not the only forms of assistance for first-time buyers. There is also the First Homes Scheme. The main qualification criteria for this scheme are set by the government. Local authorities can, however, fine-tune these criteria. You, therefore, need to check the details for your local area. Shared ownership can also be a way to get on the property ladder at a relatively low cost. Many shared-ownership schemes have a path to buying the property outright. Again, check the details of the scheme(s) in your local area. Find a mortgage broker A mortgage broker will be able to assess your finances and advise how much you can really afford to spend on a property. They will also know where you are most likely to get the most suitable deal It’s impossible to overstate the importance of getting the best possible deal on your mortgage. Remember, mortgages may have relatively low interest rates (compared to other credit products). They are, however, for very large amounts. This means that getting anything less than the most suitable deal can get very expensive very quickly. Get pre-approved for a mortgage Ideally, you should be pre-approved for a mortgage before you even start looking for a place to buy. There can, however, be a bit of leeway here, especially in a slow-moving market. If you do happen to see a property that’s a good fit for you, you can try approaching the seller. As long as they are convinced that you are a serious buyer, they may let you view the property. Being able to tell them that you have at least started the mortgage pre-approval process may do a lot to get them to take you seriously. Line up a conveyancer Good conveyancers are always in demand, even when the housing market is relatively slow. Do your best to find a reputable conveyancer in your area before you start your home search. This can make the process towards completion both much quicker and much easier. For mortgage advice, please get in touch We do not advise on investment products, and we act as introducers for it

In the UK, demand for rental accommodation tends to be consistently strong. If you have a spare room, you might want to tap into this demand. What’s more, you can earn up to £7500 a year tax-free under the government’s rent-a-room scheme. If this sounds good, here’s a simple guide on how to turn your spare bedroom into extra cash. Decide what you want from a tenant Probably the first question you need to answer is what sort of lease you’re willing to offer. To do this, think about these key questions. Do you want a full-time tenant or somebody who’s only there on weekdays? Do you want a long-term tenant or a short-term tenant? Do you want to let the room to a single person or a couple or are you open to either? Then think about your lifestyle and what that means for house rules. In particular, you will need to set a position on the following: Smoking/vaping Pets Noise levels Working from home Visitors particularly overnight visitors and/or children Lastly, think about how much you’re going to need to get on with your tenant personally. In other words, how much interaction are you going to have with them? If your paths are likely to cross fairly often, what sort of person will you be compatible with? Be clear on what you can offer The laws of supply and demand apply both ways. In other words, the more you can offer, the more interest you’re likely to get. The more interest you get, the more scope you have to charge a relatively high level of rent and/or be selective about your tenants. Prospective tenants need to know what they can expect: In the local area In the house and room From you personally Think about points such as: The local amenities Transport/parking Overall accessibility (especially for people with mobility issues) The facilities in the house (especially the internet and the number of bathrooms) The size and condition of the room itself (and whether it has its own bathroom). For completeness, if you want to participate in the rent-a-room scheme, the room will need to be furnished. Think about any aspects of your lifestyle that a prospective tenant might want to know about. In particular, do any of the following apply to you? Smoke/vape Have children Have pets Have a lot of visitors WFH/keep odd hours Prospective tenants will also need to know what terms you want to set. In particular, you will need to cover the following points. The rent and payment frequency (e.g. weekly/monthly) The deposit The contract length and any break period The arrangement for bills/CT For completeness, if you are using the rent-a-room scheme, the £7500 cap is for rent only. It is permissible to charge council tax and bills separately. Create a listing that's honest but sells A listing should highlight everything you can offer. At the same time, be careful to avoid creating a misleading impression of what the tenant can expect. All that will happen is that you get interest from people who will end up disappointed. Select your tenant When you are letting out a room in your home, there are generally two parts to tenant selection. Firstly, you find somebody you believe you can get on with (insofar as that’s necessary). Secondly, you undertake practical checks. For example, you may want to take references and/or do a credit check. If you are feeling particularly cautious, you may want to do a criminal records check. Keep in mind that a prospective tenant may want to undertake due diligence on you. You will need to decide for yourself how much information you are prepared to disclose. Set up a lease It’s easy enough to find lease templates to buy or even download for free. It can, however, be worthwhile paying a lawyer to draw one up for you. For more advice please get in touch

Houses are major purchases. That means both sellers and buyers are highly motivated to get the best value they can in any transaction. With that in mind, here are some tips for sellers looking to get the best price when selling a house. Be realistic about what the best price is The best price for your house will depend partly on the overall state of the market. It will also depend partly on your position as a seller. In other words, how long can you afford to wait for a buyer who will pay top price? The quicker you want to sell, the more pragmatic it can be to drop your asking price. You can, however, still work to make your home as attractive as possible to buyers. This will maximise your chances of achieving the asking price (or even higher). Be prepared No buyer wants to start the process of buying a home only to have the seller pull out of the sale. Do everything you can to reassure them that you are serious about moving. In particular, try to collate all the documents that will be required for the conveyancing process. Most buyers will very much appreciate sellers that actively help to make this go smoothly. Understand what upgrades can add value to your home In general, you want to avoid making any major changes to your home in the run-up to selling it. Firstly, a feature that appeals to you may not appeal to buyers. Secondly, even if it does, it may not appeal to them enough for you to recoup your money on it. Thirdly, if the work takes longer than expected, it may negatively impact the sales process. By contrast, it can be very worthwhile looking at any upgrades that could potentially expand the usable area of your home. Then look at the best way to leverage this. For example, lack of parking is a common issue. Can you secure some kind of parking space that you can transfer? If you can expand your home, could you secure the necessary planning permission before you put your home on the market? If your home could be better reconfigured internally, could you provide plans for this? These kinds of steps can help you to monetise the potential of your home without a high upfront investment. Deal with any outstanding repairs and maintenance Most buyers just want to move in and get settled. They may be happy to do their own decorating. They do not, however, want to deal with repairs and maintenance. Some buyers may even see outstanding repairs and maintenance as a red flag. Deal with them before you put your home on the market. Declutter and deep clean Clutter is a distraction for everyone. When you’re selling a home, it’s a distraction that can cost you money. You’re probably going to want to declutter before you move anyway, so why not start the process early? If you need time to go through your belongings, try looking for a storage facility you can access easily. Move everything but essentials into it and then declutter from there. Make sure you can put everything else into some form of closed storage. Baskets with lids can be invaluable here. They’re particularly good as hiding places for children’s toys. Once you’ve decluttered, give your home a top-to-bottom, wall-to-wall deep clean inside and outside. If you have a garden, put this in its absolute best condition too. You may be amazed at what a difference it makes to the desirability of your house. Banish smells before viewings Ignore the oft-repeated sales advice of scenting your home before buyers arrive. You have no idea how a buyer is going to react to a particular smell. In particular, avoid having fresh flowers at home. They may trigger allergies. If you have pets, make sure that your home is entirely free of pet odours. It’s best to remove the pets themselves as well. For mortgage advice please get in touch

For many people, the cost of living is biting hard. This means that they literally cannot afford any nasty surprises. Having the right insurance cover is a key source of protection against this. With that in mind, here are some tips on how to get the right cover at the right price and maximise your chances of having any claim accepted. Work out what you need to cover If you have a car, then you need third-party insurance. It can be worth getting fully-comprehensive. The price difference between this and third-party only can be smaller than you’d think. After this, your priorities are usually your life, your house, your health and medical bills and legal bills. Your life and your house are fairly obvious. They may not apply to everyone. For example, life insurance only applies to people with dependents. With that said, dependents can be more than just children. It could mean broader family, friends or even pets. Likewise, health and medical bills can relate to pets as well as people. They can also relate to making sure you have an income if you become unable to work through accident or illness. For example, you may want or need Payment Protection Insurance, Income Protection Insurance and/or Critical Illness Cover. Having insurance for legal bills can help to protect you from having to settle unreasonable claims against you because you cannot afford to fight them. This may seem excessive but it is an issue even at the best of times. Right now, many people are likely to have a particular incentive to be aggressively litigious. Again pet owners should be particularly cautious here as should cyclists. You should also look to cover anything essential to your everyday life, health and/or wellbeing. For example, if you rely on your bicycle to get to work, then you probably ought to insure it. Work out who you need to cover It can be worth covering non-income-earners (e.g. home-makers) and even children as well as income-earning adults. Non-income-earners are generally contributing to the home in some other way. For example, they often have caring responsibilities. This means that, effectively, they cushion the family from potentially crippling expenses (e.g. childcare). If they become unable to carry out their usual tasks, then somebody else will need to step in. Family and friends may be able to help out for a short period but probably not for a long one. Realistically, however, even for short periods, it can be reassuring to know you can afford professional help. Children may not contribute financially to the family. Again, however, if they become ill, it can become expensive for their family. For example, parents may need to take time off work and incur extra expenses such as hospital parking. This means that having at least some level of insurance cover can be a wise precaution. Getting the right deal for your insurance Getting the right deal for your insurance and maximising your chances of a claim being accepted are really two sides of the same coin. In simple terms, the less risk you appear to be, the less you will be charged for insurance cover. Insurance risk is determined by two factors. These are your level of cover and the likelihood of you making a claim. This means that the first step in getting a suitable deal for your insurance is realistically assessing the level of cover you need. For example, if you only need life insurance to pay off a mortgage, then you can reduce it as the amount you owe goes down. Similarly, if you have home buildings cover then you need to cover the rebuilding cost of your home, not its market value. Your second step is to take all reasonable precautions to reduce the likelihood of you needing to make a claim. For example, if you’re a smoker, giving up can significantly reduce premiums for certain types of insurance. Ideally, you should have active proof of any statements you make when you apply for insurance or if you make a claim. You should therefore keep any documents (or photos or videos) that could possibly be relevant. You don’t, however, need to keep them on paper. Electronic records are usually perfectly acceptable. For more information, please get in touch For building and contents insurance & payment protection insurance we act as introducers only

Money cannot buy you love, but disagreements about money can strain even the most loving of relationships. The reality is that if a relationship is to have a long-term future, couples must be prepared to reach agreements about managing their finances and both parties need to be happy with, and willing to stick to, these agreements. Here are 5 steps to making that happen. Take stock of where you are now Regardless of whether you are just officially becoming a couple or whether you have been together for some time but never (properly) addressed the issue of managing money, you need to have a starting point for your financial journey. So, where are you both now? Singly and jointly lay out your income, expenses, debts and assets. Check that your sums add up, in other words if you get to the end of the month without actually knowing where your salary has gone, it's time to start tracking it. Decide where you both want to be going into the future Think about where you want to be in one, five and ten years from now. What is important to you both and what is important to each of you individually? Map out a plan for your future together and work out how much your ideal life is going to cost. Start to build a map which links your current situation to your future dreams Realistically speaking, you may not be able to achieve your plans in your initial “ideal” time-frame. That is fine, it will give you a starting point and get you thinking about short-, medium- and long-term goals and realistic time-frames in which to achieve them. Financial planning is largely a balancing act between addressing current needs and wants and preparing for the future so take some time to think about what is really important to you in the here and now and what you are prepared to give up now so as to be better prepared for the future. Decide on whether or not you are going to have a joint account Joint accounts can be very convenient in terms of managing household expenses. Both parties can pay into them and shared bills can be paid out of them. This means that, in principle, either or both halves of the couple can manage household expenses. The challenge with joint accounts is that the account holders can have very different views on what constitutes reasonable expenses and withdrawals. One way to address this issue is to keep a joint account for household and other clearly-joint expenses and for each individual to have their own bank account into which they pay themselves and allowance to do with as they please. This can also provide a safety net in case of any issues with the joint account, e.g. banking outages. Make the effort to understand each other's point of view If one half of a partnership is a habitual saver and the other is an easy-come-easy-go spender, conflicts can arise out of frustration with these different habits. Instead of getting angry or upset, talk to each other and make the effort to understand why it is important to for the saver to save and for the spender to enjoy living in the moment. Then work to find a way to accommodate both your needs. For example, if the spender has a stressful job and likes to have some fun at the weekend, maybe they could start taking their own coffee to work instead of stopping off at a coffee shop and using the money they save to finance going out at the weekend.