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 […]
mortgage
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 […]
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 […]
The End Of The Summer Housing Market
Children are back at school. Students are back at university. Strictly is back on TV. All the signs, therefore, point to summer being over and autumn getting started. Now, therefore, seems as good a time as any to look at what that could mean for the housing market. Increased reliance on listings and virtual viewings […]
How much mortgage can you have?
Currently, the only hard-and-fast rule on the size of mortgages is that your mortgage has to be affordable to you. It’s down to each lender to determine how they interpret that. Specific policies can and do vary. There are, however, some general points that tend to remain consistently valid. Here is a quick guide to […]