Brunel Independent Mortgages

No issues about paying out in the event of a claim, but are they competitive? It used to be normal that lenders insisted you took their insurance; this is no longer the case. Although most do charge an administration fee (typically £25-£40) if you do not take their insurance. However, you can usually save more than this amount by arranging it through your mortgage broker, provided they are “whole of market” of course.

For first time buyers it’s definitely a struggle in this area. Low income, high property prices etc. How did you manage to buy your first house? Is the Government doing enough to help first time buyers? The stamp duty threshold at £125,000 still means that most first time buyers have to pay it. Some designated “affordable housing” still seems to be difficult to obtain for the average first time buyer.

A very topical one at the moment, some are predicting as high as 7% or more! Rates were at 6% for the majority of the year in 2000. Could it be we have short memories? At that time we considered rates to be low in comparison to nearly 15% in October 1989. But we have benefited from low rates for the last few years. Does the concern about interest rates make you think twice about moving to a new property?