It’s not easy to get out of bed in the morning’s is it? Let’s be honest, for many of us the Winter makes us want to hibernate. It’s cold, wet and dark… and although I like the thought of cosy nights in front of a warm fire, the reality is that, without a real effort, I’m likely to nod off due to the lack of daylight. To keep my spirits up and without wishing my life away, I tend to […]

Valentine’s is a special time to let someone know how much you care. The shops are filled with Helium Balloons, Teddies and Roses…. And yes, they are beautiful and make us feel special. But surely there is a bit more to it… What does love mean to you? To me, it’s solid, dependable, safe and secure. The one person I’d be lost without. If we’re lucky, we’ve all got one of those. Let me ask you the question… What would your […]

We love looking at how we can improve our homes and feel these are the top five interior design blogs and websites to keep watching for 2019. We are going to keep adding more bloggers as we find them. Mad About The House                Mad About The House was created by award-winning interior design journalist and author Kate Watson-Smyth, who has over 20 years’ experience writing for publications. This blog provides expert advice and […]

We know that everyone is getting in to the swing of 2019, however we have been sorting out our folders on our work stations and been reminded of last year’s experiences. We felt we had to share a few of our main office events. See what your local mortgage advisors have been up to …   June – The World Cup We organised a sweepstake for the World Cup, encouraging our clients, families and friends to choose a team. We […]

A great article from The Express that will help you take control of your money in 2019. Now could be the perfect time to think about your finances in order to set yourself up for a prosperous new year. Millions of people entered 2018 in debt as families increasingly struggled to stretch their savings to pay for Christmas. This time last year, a staggering 7.9 million people, around 16 percent of Brits, said they were likely to fall behind with […]

Using your Christmas cards to announce a change of address and ordering groceries online are among the tips from What Mortgage being offered to help people moving home over Christmas and New Year. According to estate agents, planning ahead is key to ensuring the added stress of moving, on top of the usual pressures of the festive season, do not become too overwhelming. However, experts from Harrison Murray Estate Agency and the Nottingham Estate Agency, which is part of Nottingham […]

More than 100,000 interest-only mortgages will mature this year – but that still leaves over 1.5 million interest-only home loans outstanding. The Telegraph looks at several solutions to repay. Mortgage watchdogs fear many people in this position “do not have an appropriate strategy” to repay loans. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said it will investigate how lenders are treating borrowers as their mortgages approach maturity. Billed as an easy way into the property market, interest-only mortgages were incredibly popular in the […]

The Telegraph look at how borrowing from parents can be a huge benefit to getting on the property ladder but also raises some common issues that occur. The “Bank of Mum and Dad” is estimated to lend more than £6.5bn to help children on to the property ladder, making it the ninth-biggest lender in the country and a bigger player than Clydesdale Bank. Parents helped provide deposits for more than 298,000 mortgages last year, representing 26pc of transactions. In most cases children are simply given […]

The Guardian helps someone who’s been advised to look into the help-to-buy scheme to boost our deposit but we’re not sure if that’s our best option. Q My partner and I have put our names down for a new-build property in north-west England, with the completion date in November or December. We expect to get a valuation of the property in July, which should be about £152,000 for a small two-bedroom house. By the time we are due to apply for a mortgage […]

Fixed mortgage rates have fallen to new lows, but home loan approvals have also fallen to their lowest level since September. There were 64,645 mortgage approvals for house purchases in April, the Bank of England said, a 2% fall on the previous month. Mortgage lenders have told of a fall in demand, despite the low rates on offer. One theory is that landlords might have brought forward purchases, to avoid the latest in a series of tax changes. From 1 […]