A good time for first time buyers?

Recent changes to the stamp duty threshold have attracted a growing number of enquiries from First Time Buyers (FTB) looking to take advantage of this short-term tax break in order to get their foot onto the property ladder.

This is a great time for FTBs to take the leap but as we continue to operate in a transitional lending marketplace, there are still many things to consider.

So, here are some tips for FTBs.

• Let’s start with a simple piece of advice. If you are an FTB considering purchasing a new car and a new house – purchase the house first. Financial commitments such as car finance repayments can quickly limit affordability on FTB applications.

• FTBs should also be aware that they need to declare ALL credit commitments. Income and credit-related scrutiny has, quite rightly, been ramped up from a lending perspective in recent times and clients must share all relevant financial commitments.
  

• An area highlighted by one of our top advisers is that FTBs can often overlook student loans as being a credit commitment, as these are automatically deducted from pay packets. However, most lenders will include this in their affordability calculations.

• It is often not necessary to instruct an independent surveyor for a Home Buyers Report and savings can be made by using the lender’s valuer to complete the report.  There are pros and cons to this, which any good adviser can walk you through.

• When purchasing the biggest asset of your life, invest in the right professionals and undertake some due diligence. Online conveyancers can appear to be a good low-cost option but may not necessary be the best option as this is purely a process driven approach. As opposed to a solicitor which acts in your best interests and provides professional advice. 

• An estate agent’s in-house broker can offer a simple solution to keep the mortgage and purchase with the same company. However, these are rarely independent “whole of market” brokers and tend to work from a restricted panels of lenders. This may limit your mortgage options and you may not get the best deal or most suitable mortgage.

This is a great time for FTBs in the right financial position to take the plunge but the importance of good, professional mortgage advice should not be underestimated in what remains a challenging time for many. If your interested in finding out more, why not speak to one of our advisers about how we can help you on this journey.

Lenders reject 33% of customers using comparison sites

It’s always a little surprising when customers contact us for a mortgage who have been totally unaware that they have had a number of credit searches carried out following recent searches for competitive renewal quotes on their home or car insurance via Comparison Websites.   I’m sure it will be stated somewhere in the small print, but the customers have researched a number of ‘comparison’ sites and ended up with a similar number of credit searches on their profile.  This, in a small amount of time can have a marked effect on your credit score, and as such, affect your ability to obtain finance, so always read the small print.

And according to Experian this week, lenders are rejecting 33% of customers using comparison sites as they do not meet their full lending criteria. Some 11,000 people were included in the analysis which examined eligibility inquiries made on price comparison websites and digital broker channels.  Its analysis also found that just 3.5% of people searching for a mortgage were eligible for every deal on the market.

With this in mind, a vast number of people still don’t think they can get a mortgage.  With so much negativity in the media, it is not surprising that many people think they have no options. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. There are more lenders and products available now than there has been for some time. Therefore, more options and choice for customers that may not have been eligible for a mortgage in previous times. This often does not include high street lenders though. These lenders could include a small building society located in a small village anywhere in the UK. Having access to a whole of market mortgage broker is the only way you’ll gain access to such a possibility.

The bottom line is that a mortgage is the biggest debt you’re likely to ever take on, so you need to do your homework and always seek professional advice.

Choosing the right mortgage is difficult - use a broker!

Choosing the right mortgage can be a difficult task.  Many people are swayed by the marketing leading and highly promoted incentive interest rates.  But actually, when you add on any lender fees, along with any valuation costs and look at the true cost over a period of time, these can sometimes prove to be more expensive.

Of course, this is the beauty of using a mortgage broker.  They will have access to many lenders that you have probably never heard of and products that are not usually visible to the public eye.  There is so much information readily available and over 11,000 mortgage products to choose from, but key information can get lost in translation.  Therefore seek advice.  Yes, it may cost you a small fee to have someone research the market on your behalf and make recommendations, having assessed your short to long term needs and requirements.  However, the broker will stand by their recommendation and, more importantly, it could save you thousands in the long run, versus choosing the wrong products yourself, usually from a single provider.

In addition, any professional will seek to build a long term relationship with you and contact you at the time your current rate is coming up for renewal to ensure you have access to the best rates available at all times.

This also goes for the Solicitors where they are needed to act for both yourself and the lender in a mortgage transaction.  Remember that on some re-mortgage products the lender will cover the cost of standard legal work and valuations.  HOWEVER, this is not always the best or cheapest option.  These can be slow, depending on the volumes received by the lender and sometimes it's better to pay the extra amount to get the job done quicker.

There are a huge number of legal firms in both local and more regional areas.  Prices vary from company to company and you can decide exactly who to deal with (assuming they are acceptable to the mortgage lender).  Shop around before committing and as with everything, make sure you read the small print!

A new 'Retirement Mortgage' for the over 50s

The Buckinghamshire Building Society has launched a new mortgage aimed at borrowers aged 50 and over who have an interest only mortgage but do not wish to sell their property when their current mortgage term expires. 

The Retirement Planning Mortgage has no maximum age and will allow customers to borrow up to 70% of the property value, 40% of which can be on an interest only basis.

Interest rates are calculated based on the borrower’s individual circumstances but are variable in all cases and start from 5.24%.  A minimum property value of £300,000 applies and this product is only available through a handful of distributors, including AToM.   Terms and conditions apply.

We’re hearing that a number of lenders are struggling to get enough qualified mortgage advisers into their branches in time for MMR (Mortgage Market Review) which comes in to effect on 26^th April.  This means that with such shortages on advisers, some borrowers are having to wait as long as a month to see an in-house mortgage adviser.  Remember that ‘whole of market’ mortgage brokerages could possibly offer these lenders products, and quickly, so review your options.
The number of house purchase loans shot up by 33% on an annual basis in February, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders.  The value of purchase loans in February reached £7.8bn, an increase of 47% from the same time in 2013.   A total of £3.5bn was advanced to remortgage borrowers in the month, up 29.6% from a year earlier.

Finally, The Newcastle Building Society has launched two new 95% loan to value products with no reservation or booking fees.  With rates starting from 5.39% (and a five year fixed at 5.49%), they will not set the world alight, but do present another option to a consumer needing a manual assessment, rather than a tick box high street lender.  At the same time the Mansfield Building society has reduced its 95% loan to value products by 0.5% down to 4.49% but only for those who live in their designated postcode areas.  Slightly restrictive lending!

Have a great Easter break!

Kids are back to school - make use of your spare time

The kids are back to school, the holidays are over and you may (or may not) be looking forward to peace and quiet and having some time on your hands. However, as the final few months of the year race towards us, maybe it’s time to start thinking about 2011 and what trials and tribulation this may bring. Without doubt, the only certainty in the current financial markets is uncertainty. When will bank base rate rise? Who really knows what is happening with house prices? Will 2011 lending become further restricted as the banks scrape and save(!)to pay back the £300bn lent to them via the Special Liquidity Scheme? All of these lean towards ensuring you review your current financial arrangements and ensuring you are on the best deal to see you through the medium to long term. Whether you require the security of fixing your payments for an amount of time, or whether you are a bit of a risk taker and might look at a short to a medium term tracker or discounted option, right now, both are available at attractive rates in the mortgage market. A quick review with an independent mortgage advisor who has access to the whole of market mortgage rates could be time very well spent.

On the other hand, we’re also seeing a vast increase in those purchasing a property for investment purposes. The Buy to Let market is rapidly increasing again as people turn to renting rather than purchasing in the current climate. Mainly due to their ineligibility to obtain a mortgage for whatever reason. Investors see this as a great opportunity to increase their investment property portfolios and taking advantage of the great rates in the market. Be advised though, if this is something of interest, lenders tend to charge large arrangement fees for setting up the Buy to Let mortgage and you may be eventually be subject to Capital Gains Tax at a later date, on any profit made on disposal of the property.

"bedside manner" counts, even from Brokers!

Mixed messages from lenders this week! One major high street lender is apparently 10% below its projected business target. This is great news as, shortly, we should see some highly competitive rates launched to attract new business, as we move towards the year end. Another lender who suspended lending last year is back, albeit with a limited product offering. But again, this is great news.
Conversely, some lenders are experiencing severe service issues and, despite being low on intake, have tightened criteria which curtails new business whilst offering a better service to customers. What you can get today, may not be available tomorrow.

As I reported recently, the last remaining self cert (no proof of income) lender withdrew from the mortgage market. They also took with them some great adverse product offerings. This has resulted in just a handful of lenders offering products to those who have incurred CCJ’s, defaults, bankruptcies/IVAs or who have poor payment profiles. The volume of business submitted to the remaining lenders has increased their exposure in this sector and one lender has already suspended certain products in order to stem the intake of new applications.

It really is becoming tougher to get a mortgage in the current climate and now, more than ever, you should do your homework and speak to a ‘whole of market’ mortgage adviser and compare all mortgages available. Even Martin Lewis, of moneysavingexpert.com, writes on his website “Ask ‘em – Are you Whole of Market”. If the person you are speaking to is not offering “whole of market” advice, i.e. they just review a panel of selected lenders, you may not be getting the best product for your needs and/or requirements. And remember, you can place your mortgage with whoever you like. You are under no obligation to anyone, despite what some may say! Everyone covets your business and there appears to be some underhand (and not necessarily compliant) tactics going on. Again, to quote Martin Lewis – their “bedside manner” counts! If you don’t like their stance, or they’re ‘forcing’ you to use them, walk away….!

Enquiries on the up!

18/9/09 - Over the last week or so, enquiries for new mortgages and remortgages have increased substantially. Funnily enough, we’re receiving a lot of enquiries from customers who have been drawn to some recent bank’s ‘headline grabbing’ rates. Yet when they’ve applied for these amazing products, the lender has been very picky and for no clear reason, declined to lend! Sign of the times! However, we’re more than happy to be of assistance! When choosing who to speak to about your mortgage, ensure that the company you are talking to, whether it be a mortgage broker, or an Estate Agents in house mortgage adviser, has access to the ‘whole of market’ (such as AToM) and not just a fixed panel of lenders. If they do not have access to the whole of market, they may not be offering you the best deal available to meet your requirements (whatever the incentive given to put your mortgage business via their company).
Getting a mortgage through the lenders in the current climates is still challenging. One day it’s easy to get a case through, the next, it’s a nightmare! So whatever you do, try to not give lenders any excuses to decline your application or refuse to lend to you. Try to pay bills on time, don’t miss payments where possible and especially not mortgage payments! Any missed (or sometimes late) payments will be registered on your credit file and this is normally used as the basis of a decision to lend to you. Even Insurance companies are now carrying out credit searches on people before issuing home or car insurances.
Finally, we’ve got together with Mercury FM and address Estate Agents to provide a free First Time Buyers Open day on Saturday 26th September at our premises in the Carfax, Horsham. We will be available to discuss all the mortgages available to First Time Buyers, including Shared Ownership and Guarantor Mortgages. Address will be providing a range of properties for sale, and you have the chance to win £10,000 by cracking the Mercury FM safe code! It’s well worth a visit, even if you’re not a first time buyer and looking for mortgage or property advice. You never know, a visit to AToM could put £10k in your pocket! We look forward to seeing you.