MortgagesZ

By: Michael Challiner

The government predicts an increase of more than 2 million UK households over the next 10 years, due mainly to an increase in EU immigrants and a trend of smaller households. This obviously leaves a good opportunity for would be buy to let landlords, especially with the better buy to let rates we are currently experiencing and the extra tenants wanting accommodation.

So, what are the requirements of buying to let? Well, the main requirement of a buy to let mortgage is that the rent value of the property can cover costs of purchasing and maintaining the household. This can include mortgage payments, letting agency fees, building maintenance, building insurance, advertising, accountancy fees, management charges and any other associated costs. For example, licenses will be required for houses with more than 3 stories and more than 5 occupants. In fact, a general requirement is that rent covers 130% of the mortgage payments.

For example, a £100,000 mortgage will require potential rent of £520 per month. This is calculated from an £80,000 mortgage (after a £20,000 deposit payment) with an assumed rate of 6%. This example would command mortgage payments of £400 per month, so add your 30% to this and you come to the previously stated £520 rent. This appears to be a fair assessment when you consider the possible periods of time without tenants on top of all the previously mentioned house costs.

Fortunately for you, Council Tax is the responsibility of the tenants once they are occupying the house. However, you will be responsible for a percentage of the area rate if the house is unoccupied for more than 6 months. This will be a smaller percentage if the house is unfurnished.

Once paying tenants are in place, you will need to inform HM Customs and Excise of your new source of income. Expect a fine of £100 if you’ve not spoken to them within a month. Once you are making money from the house then taxes of 22 to 40% will be charged on any profit. Remember this is profit and not rent received so be sure to subtract mortgage payments that don’t cover the part paying the principle (this does incur tax unfortunately), and other related outgoings from this amount.

So, with all this information at hand you have decided to go ahead and purchase your buy to let household. The next question is where to buy this house. Obviously, if you want to manage repairs and any other issues with the house yourself, it makes sense to purchase close to your home town. However, if you are using an agent then this isn’t so important and you can buy in one of the more profitable areas.

(more…)

By: Peter Kenny

Tracker mortgages are one of the most common types of mortgage around, but they can be confusing if you are new to the mortgage world. Tracker mortgages have a number of benefits as well as dangers, and it pays to know about these before shopping around. If you are looking for a mortgage then here is some advice about tracker mortgages and if they are right for you:

What is a tracker mortgage?

A tracker mortgage is fairly similar to a normal variable rate mortgage, although the variations in interest are much quicker. A tracker mortgage follows the base rate of interest imposed by the Bank of England; any changes in the rate will be reflected in your mortgage payments. Whilst variable rate mortgages usually take months to change, tracker mortgages will change rates within 14 days of a new rate being announced. This means that you can more quickly benefit from any drops in the rate. The change is compulsory, and part of the contract of a tracker mortgage will state that the interest rate must change in accordance with the Bank of England within a certain timeframe.

What are the advantages?

The obvious advantage of a tracker mortgage is that if the interest rate drops, then your payments will drop within a few weeks of the change. This means your mortgage stays competitive and is always in line with the current market level. This mortgage is great for people who want their mortgage to reflect the changing costs of borrowing, but also don’t mind if their repayments fluctuate.

What are the problems?

The problem with a tracker mortgage is that if the interest rate rises, you will be left with higher payments almost straight away. If you are on a budget then higher payments could leave you in financial difficulty and unable to make your repayments.

(more…)

By: Michael Challiner

Based on an average priced property, it now costs an incredible £5,551 to move house in the UK and with mortgage lending hitting record highs it is now more important than ever that anyone moving or buying their first home is aware of any hidden costs.

Buyers tend to get caught up in the excitement of choosing a new home and run the risk of paying the price financially by not ensuring they get the best value from their mortgage.

If you’re willing to bargain over fixtures and fittings it also makes sense to look at the other ways you can get a better deal when you move. Borrowers should start with a mortgage as it will be, in the vast majority of cases, the most expensive commitment.

Early Repayment Charges (ERCs) are a part of most mortgages, but some have more favourable terms than others. Some only have ERCs during the initial competitive rate, whilst others have overhanging ERCs which lock a borrower in whilst still paying a lender’s Standard Variable Rate.

There is virtually no need for any borrower to have to accept overhanging ERCs with the competitive nature of the UK market and the number of deals available to consumers.

Taking a mortgage where there are only ERCs within the initial, favourable term makes sense for most borrowers but it may be a good idea for some to have no ERCs at any time. You are likely to pay a little more in interest for the privilege, but it can be the right decision for those who need the flexibility of not being tied in.

However, it is all too easy to get caught up in the now and forget about what might happen later down the line. Leaving your mortgage will incur exit fees. These have recently come under fire for unfairly penalising consumers and as a result, have become a vital part of the decision making process.

Exit fees come under a variety of names including, administration charges, sealing fees or deeds-release fees. They tend to be around £195-£295 but this figure is rising as lenders look to recoup lost revenue from competitive rate pricing.

It may not seem like a huge sum of money in the scheme of things, but these charges have seen an unnatural rise over the last three years and are a clear sign of lenders simply making money out of the consumer. At the very least, you should be aware of what the fees are on your deal in the first place.

Lower ‘Higher Lending Charges’ (HLCs) will apply to borrowers who do not have a large deposit. They are applied by lenders, usually on loans over 90% loan to value, who view these borrowers as a greater risk because they haven’t shored up their borrowings with a down payment.

However, first time buyers ma not need to put up with HLCs anymore as lenders are now coming out with more products for those wanting to borrow as much as 100%.

The industry is beginning to realise that whilst first time buyers may find it hard to get a deposit together, they are still more than capable of meeting monthly mortgage repayments.

Stamp Duty is more often than not more than likely to be the biggest individual cost to home movers outside of the actual purchase, costing Britons £5 million pounds a year.

Although the initial stamp duty charge of £125,000 is heavily publicised because of the potential burden to first time buyers, those moving or sometimes purchasing their first property need to be aware of the second and third bracket. Once a property reaches £250,000 the stamp duty charge jumps from 1% to 3%. The variations in stamp duty costs can be dramatic depending on the location of the property.

(more…)

By: Joseph Kenny

Buying a home can be an exciting and stressful time for anyone. While you may be excited at the prospect of owning your own home, especially if it is your first home purchase, the idea of choosing between all of the many different types of mortgages may leave you feeling confused and apprehensive.

Two of the most common choices you’ll find in the mortgage market are adjustable rate mortgages and fixed rate mortgages. Fixed rate mortgages are the most traditional type of home mortgage, offering a fixed interest rate that does not change throughout the life of your loan. There are a number of important advantages associated with this type of mortgage. First, if you are budget conscious, this type of mortgage will give you the peace of mind in knowing that your monthly mortgage amount will not change. You can budget the remainder of your financial obligations without worrying about a changing mortgage payment to throw things off.

An adjustable rate mortgage works differently. With this type of mortgage you may be able to obtain a lower interest rate than would normally be available with a fixed rate mortgage; however, the interest rate is not fixed. This means that your monthly mortgage rate may change as interest rates change. With such a mortgage you may not be able to regularly plan your budget due to such fluctuations. While there is usually a cap that will keep the interest rate from fluctuating too much, even a little fluctuation can be too much for some homeowners. Of course, there is also the possibility that interest rates will drop and if that is the case, because your mortgage is adjustable, your monthly payments will drop right along with the interest rate.

When deciding whether a fixed rate or adjustable rate mortgage is your best choice, you need to give thought to several factors. Ask yourself whether it is more important to be able to plan your monthly budget without wondering whether your mortgage will fluctuate or whether you would prefer to receive a lower interest rate in the beginning of your mortgage.

(more…)

By: Michael Challiner

There are some new types of Home Loans coming onto the market which are being advertised at present. Several of the mortgage companies are offering variation of them and they are being marketed as “lifetime” loans. So might this be the end of the short-term mortgage? Not necessarily so, it appears that there are still bargains out there for those prepared to shop around.

Mortgage brokers usually advise discounted short term mortgages and advise clients to regularly shop around after the two year discount has come to an end to obtain an even better deal. These clients are known to the insurers as “rate tarts”. But who can blame them for obtaining the best possible deal, especially as the broker does all the work for them, making the whole procedure painless and trouble free.

First of all, if you need to borrow over £150,000 the above advice is still without a doubt the very best and asking your broker to shop around for discounted rates is, in our opinion, essential.

For borrowers of less than £150,000, some of these new mortgages appearing on the market initially sound tempting. They are classed as low-rate “lifetime” loans. Abbey and Woolwich are two of the building societies offering flat-rate low cost home loans, amongst others.

The Woolwich has a lifetime tracker mortgage rate which has a guarantee of staying at 0.19 percentage points above base rate. At present the Bank of England’s base rate is 4.50%, therefore the rate is 4.69%.

Conversely, the Portman Building Society’s two year fixed rate plan presently stands at 4.19%, still cheaper than the Woolwich “lifetime”. You do, however, have to factor in the cost of shopping around, which we have listed:

·Legal fees £350 on average.
·Application fee £499.
·Valuation fee £300 on average.
·Deeds release fee £199.

This is worked out on a loan of £150,000. The above sums come to just under £1,350 and the saving on interest over the Woolwich comes out at £1,500. This means that there is a very small saving on the Portman deal at two years. You would need to find another tempting deal and be ready to switch to it at the end of this period as a 6.5 per cent rate would come into force otherwise.

(more…)

By: Carl Hampton

With hotspots like Las Vegas, much of California and Florida still enjoying a good real estate market, many banks and mortgage companies are now spreading out payments over 50 years to make them more affordable. Prior to these 50-year mortgages, interest-only mortgages were promoted and sold as the way to go. The real question here is which is better?

Let’s first digress on what an interest-only mortgage is. Interest-only home loans or mortgages aren’t as a general rule permanently interest-only. The bank or mortgage company will normally offer the borrower 2 to 5 years at interest-only; after that they must start paying off the principle. During this time, the principle has grown. A great many borrowers may find themselves unable to pay the higher payments that come at the end of this interest-only period. In this case, interest-only loans are similar to ARMs, and have similar default and foreclosure rates (higher than for regular fixed mortgages where the payment stays the same throughout).

The 50-year mortgage simply spreads your payments out over a longer time period and greatly increases the amount of interest you will payback; this also tends to reduce your build-up of equity. Alex Diaz Jr., Vice President of Statewide Bancorp in Rancho Cucamonga, stated that “the 50-year mortgage has particular appeal in California because prices are higher than the rest of the country. The 30-year fixed mortgage is great, but with gas prices so high, people we’re dealing with are concerned about making prices work, and the 50-year mortgage is something they’re starting to consider.” The real estate market has grown by leaps and bounds in California with the average home selling in excess of $300,000.

The 50-year mortgage was designed to do three things. First, it makes it much easier for someone to buy a home in these high price areas. Second, it can help buffer and insulate the borrower against a housing bubble or possible localized deflation. Third, it keeps the selling prices high. However, many so-called real estate experts will tell you that the interest-only loan does the same thing, but does it? The main problem with the interest-only loan is that it does not insulate or offer any protection for the borrower from increasing principle, negative equity (which can happen should there be a drop in housing prices), and, of course, those increasing payments when the term you agreed is over.

Keeping this in mind, plus the fact that there is only a very minor difference in initial payments (payments over the interest-only period), clearly the 50-year mortgage should be a better way to go.

If your budget allows, a good tactic to use is to make bi-monthly payments which will reduce the interest and term of the loan saving you many thousands of dollars. There are many lenders out there now offering this option to their borrowers. As they say, the real money in real estate is made from buying low and selling high.

(more…)