Residential Blog

The latest residential mortgage market news, advice and views from our resident experts at Mortgages for Business

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• Opportunities for HBoS Mortgage Holders

  Fantastic opportunity for HBOS mortgage holders

• House Prices UP in January - 06/02/2009

  The average price of UK homes rose by 1.9% in January from December's figure, according to the Halifax.

• Droplock Options (having your cake and eating it?) - 29th January 2009

  Should I take a fixed rate mortgage or a tracker rate residential mortgage? If I had £1 for everytime I was asked this right now, I could be retired before the next Bank of England meeting.... now theres a thought.  Droplock is a product which allows you to make the most of a low and potentially reducing base rate now, with the option to switch to a fixed at any time without paying penalties.

• Rates go down and things are looking up! - 29.01.2009

  Today has seen the launch of what I would class as a 'stunner of a deal'.  The low rate 2.29%, 1 year fixed rate combined with competitive arrangement fees and a reasonable lock in all tot up to a very attractive package.

• Time to Fix? - 27th January 2009

  Guessing the bottom of the market is never easy. Whilst those that are on tracker rates or indeed lender’s standard variable rate are reaping the benefits of historically low interest rates there is also a feeling that this will not last forever.

• Mortgage Express Amnesty - not just for Mortgage Express! 23rd January 2009

  A lot of lucky people have had a letter from Mortgage Express informing them of the amnesty on early repayment charges if they redeem their mortgage from February to the end of June. 

• Credit Crunch - the perfect time to number crunch 19.01.2009

  Its Monday. Its January. Its cold and we are in a recession. However, today I was able to give a customer some really good news. I was able to save her some money. And not just a few quid either! I actually reduced her monthly outgoings by £351.66 and overall £2,940 over the next two years – something I don’t think any of us would turn down at the moment. I appreciate the numbers don’t stack up but let me explain further.

• The loan to value gap - 08.01.2009

  We are still all doomed according to the press!

• Crosby Report and a glass of Shiraz! - 16.12.2008

  What better way to spend a Monday evening in the run up to Christmas, than to sit down with a nice glass of shiraz, the heating cranked up to tropical proportions, and read James Crosby’s final report and recommendations on Mortgage Finance.

• Time to SWAP? - 09.12.2008

  On completing my Financial Planning qualifications, fortune telling was not one of the modules covered off.  Pity.