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Mortgages

edited January 2010 in Not Sports Related
Anyone changed theirs recently?
My five year fixed rate due to end soon and i'm in 2 minds whether to stick to another fixed ,paying slightly less than i am now.Or go for a tracker which looks very attractive at the moment but i've read some articles saying rates will go up this year and possibly quite aggressively if inflation starts to get out of hand.Anyone on here with an ounce of financial nous got any ideas?
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Comments

  • Hold on until after the election maybe?
  • I've plumped for an offset tracker with First Direct which seemed a great deal for me, 2.2% above base rate I think for life of the mortgage no early redemption fees and I like the offset bit a lot!
    http://www2.banking.firstdirect.com/1/2/mortgages/our-latest-mortgage-offers;jsessionid=0000c65fioxGT9iWHY5JOuE-AzQ:11jmjm8n8?clear=true
    Of course there will be pain when rates go up although any fixed rate deals available will have factored in forecasted trends. Be wary of short term deals I reckon, you usually have to stump up best part of a grand in fees - which you don't want to do every two years.
  • Just got my first mortgage and went for a 50% fixed, 50% floating. Was told that when the Floating started going up, I could switch over to a Fixed anyway.
  • There is no doubt the interest rate is only heading one way after the election whoever's in power. Labour are desperate to keep them down until then and the other lot have always used them as a fiscal measure.

    If you're happy with the rate you've been offered and it's already less than you're paying now, I'd go for the security of a fixed but everyone and their apporach to risk, redemption, etc, is different so probably worth the time and money spent with an independent financial advisor.

    So my advice is...don't listen to what anyone on here says :-)
  • I'm no expert but surely with the way the economy is right now, the interest rates won't go up by much?
  • On a slightly different tact...... my sons are 'thinking' of getting there first place and would consider buying somewhere, they seem to be opposed to renting.

    They could scrape up £20,000 deposit what is the amount they may need as first time buyers. They will not buy a cardboard /flat/ starter home so these tied deals like the apartments on the Kent/ SE river river will not be of interest.

    They are both in the building game, so will probably get a older house in an area they hope is up and coming. Quite where that is I have No idea!. There girlfreinds have good steady jobs, and they have a decent work record ( well as much as you can in the building game) Any positive advice. I think they will need a little bit more which means me stumping up!
  • Very hard to get a mortgage at the moment. A friend of mine was moving to a bigger place so already had a deposit of £75k, they found a place which was about 250k but no one will lend them the difference.
    They've never defaulted on there mortgage, have a combined income of about 40k but still can't get a mortgage.

    I'd make sure that someone is willing to lend your son before they go looking at places.
  • My view is that Base Rate will stay low for 12/18 months but will then increase fairly sharply. The way the economy is only a fool would increase rates and set the recovery back, possibly for years. Inflation will rise who ever gets into power in May - and if its a hung parliament I dread to think how bad things will be.
  • edited January 2010
    Thanks Plaaayer, what I had heard, I had heard that with a clean financial record, No bad debts CCJ, late payment etc it was beetween 10 and 20 percent.

    They were hoping to get something around the £200,000 mark each and there incomes are fine. So it looks like £40,000 a piece then on a £200,000 hovel!

    Should get a nice little garden shed/garage in Bexley village for that!. Hard pressed to think of a house under £200,000 in the village, except the ones in the high street and most of those need underpinning/ new roofs etc, or will do in the next 5 years except the new build stuff. There is some ex Bexley council stuff but that goes for at least that, probably £30,0000 more, did see one next to a pub, but that is a no no.... ( pissheads excluded)
  • edited January 2010
    [cite]Posted By: Plaaayer[/cite]Very hard to get a mortgage at the moment. A friend of mine was moving to a bigger place so already had a deposit of £75k, they found a place which was about 250k but no one will lend them the difference.
    They've never defaulted on there mortgage, have a combined income of about 40k but still can't get a mortgage.

    I'd make sure that someone is willing to lend your son before they go looking at places.


    If i've understood that right then even though they've got a 75k deposit they still need a 175k mortgage. But only have an income of 40k. So they're asking for over 4 times their salary which is why they might struggle to get one. It does seem crazy though with a 75k deposit, thats over 30%.
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  • We had to come up with 25% deposit last year (Feb / March - worst possible time) to get a decent-ish rate which is 3.4% fixed for 3 years.


    On £40k they should be able to get 175k because they have a nice deposit in place and the bank instantly have some equity if they can't keep up repayments and it gets reposessed
  • sorry to disapoint some of you here but rates are set to stay low for a number of years. Roger Bootle, former chief economist of HSBC has gone on record sayig that rates could stay at 0,5% for the next 5 years !

    I don't fully agree with him, but whilst I'm only a humble IFA and mortgage broker I would say that the base rate is highly unlikely to go up by more than 2% over the next 3 years and in 5 years time are stil unlikely to be above 5%.

    Therefore be wary of fixing above 4% over the next 2 or 3 years and if you can get a tracker around base + 3 for the same period go for it.

    As for 1st timers - you will need at least a 15% deposit to get a decent rate - anything less and you will be paying 6%+
  • edited January 2010
    [cite]Posted By: Chris_from_Sidcup[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: Plaaayer[/cite]Very hard to get a mortgage at the moment. A friend of mine was moving to a bigger place so already had a deposit of £75k, they found a place which was about 250k but no one will lend them the difference.
    They've never defaulted on there mortgage, have a combined income of about 40k but still can't get a mortgage.

    I'd make sure that someone is willing to lend your son before they go looking at places.


    If i've understood that right then even though they've got a 75k deposit they still need a 175k mortgage. But only have an income of 40k. So they're asking for over 4 times their salary which is why they'll struggle to get one. It does seem crazy though with a 75k deposit.

    Where they're moving from was there first place and had a deposit of about £30k I think and the place they bought was about 150k, which is why they can't understand why they can't get a mortgage now.
  • [cite]Posted By: Plaaayer[/cite]Very hard to get a mortgage at the moment. A friend of mine was moving to a bigger place so already had a deposit of £75k, they found a place which was about 250k but no one will lend them the difference.
    They've never defaulted on there mortgage, have a combined income of about 40k but still can't get a mortgage.

    I'd make sure that someone is willing to lend your son before they go looking at places.
    They mustn't have shopped around much, tell them to look at Halifax, they were stupid enough to lend me £126k!
  • edited January 2010
    Coming off a two year interest only tracker next month. Like others have said interest rates are only going one way (harder and faster than many believe imho) so fixing is a no brainer. I could only get a four year deal but if i could have found one i'd have taken a 10 year like a shot. Gl Carly.
  • I think it's because one of them is self employed that the won't lend to them, but the bank won't actually say that to them.
  • [cite]Posted By: Bournemouth Addick[/cite]There is no doubt the interest rate is only heading one way after the election whoever's in power. Labour are desperate to keep them down until then and the other lot have always used them as a fiscal measure.
    [cite]Posted By: HardyAddick[/cite]My view is that Base Rate will stay low for 12/18 months but will then increase fairly sharply.
    [cite]Posted By: golfaddick[/cite]sorry to disapoint some of you here but rates are set to stay low for a number of years. Roger Bootle, former chief economist of HSBC has gone on record sayig that rates could stay at 0,5% for the next 5 years !


    So who do we beleive?
  • With all the different packages on offer it's hard to choose the cheapest. My criteria was to get quotes for same amount and same length of loan. I'd then look at the total to be repaid, add on any fixed charges/penalty clauses and pick the cheapest.

    Last time that turned out to be Northern Rock!
  • # Plaaayer quote ..... I think it's because one of them is self employed that the won't lend to them, but the bank won't actually say that to them.

    Now that does make it clear. Used to be at least three years audited/certified accounts and they could be pickky! .
    The market does change, and seems to indulge in rent to buy/ first timers/investment/ etc......

    I would have thought the first rule of thumb was can the person afford it, and as others have stated, can they get there wedge back after repossession.......

    Having a solid, job ( now there is a challenge) and qualified, graduate, or professional surely counts for something., as well as working for an established company, (not two blokes and a transit, doing job and knock)

    Whatever happened to that Insurance indemnity scheme, bit like GAP finance on a car, I thought that was introduced to safeguard the banks!.

    Alway's felt the self employed have a rough time of it re mortgages! are they not supposed to be the cornerstone of enterprise!.......
  • sorry to disapoint you Ken, but the only thing that counts nowdays is the size of your deposit.

    If you have a 40% deposit (yes 40% !!) you can get the best deals going - a 10% deposit gets you zilch ! I deal mainly with doctors, probably one of the best paid, professional,recession proof sectors of the economy and they still need in excess of 10% deposit to get anything decent.

    If the public only knew how much they are being shafted by banks which have been bailed out by THEM, the taxpayer, there would be riots ! Even 5 years ago before the housing market went crazy the diferential between the Bof E base rate, lenders SVR's and typical rates available with a 25% deposit would likely to be around 1-2%.


    now, we have a B of E rate at just 0.5% and some lenders SVR's at over 5% - a 25% deposit will get you a fixed rate around 4.5% and a tracker at around 3%.........the banks are making money hand over fist !! The bank of England has reduced rates as much as they can and all lenders have done is to raise their margins and made more money.
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  • Aint that what banks are supposed to do and apart from the recent past have always done so more or less?
    I dont think they are there for me only themselves and their share holders. Although I'm sure theres more to it than that. When I had a mortgage I was given misleading advice which took 3 years to undo. I really feel for people trying to get on in life now days.
  • Anyone had any dealings with the mortgage firm ' ING direct ' ?
  • My current deal with the Nationwide is coming to an end and they keep sending me letters urging me to sort out a new deal - which obviously comes with a fee.

    Thing is, I revert to their "Base Mortgage Rate" which is guaranteed not to go 2% above base - so only 2.5% at the moment - and nothing else they offer is anywhere near that. In my view the tone of their letters is completely misleading - bordering on devious - as I'm clearly better off staying with what I've got and but that's obviously not a good deal for them.

    And to think, Nationwide are normally one of the better institutions - although that's not saying much really.
  • [cite]Posted By: carly burn[/cite]Anyone had any dealings with the mortgage firm ' ING direct ' ?

    I used to have savings with them - when I had savings! - when they first launched in the UK.

    Anyone with them should expect a cracking heaadline deal to start with, but then be prepared to get bent over and royally shafted at every opportunity if their savings accounts are anything to go by.
  • [cite]Posted By: Off_it[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: carly burn[/cite]Anyone had any dealings with the mortgage firm ' ING direct ' ?

    I used to have savings with them - when I had savings! - when they first launched in the UK.

    Anyone with them should expect a cracking heaadline deal to start with, but then be prepared to get bent over and royally shafted at every opportunity if their savings accounts are anything to go by.
    I have both savings & mortgage with them.
    Yes, the savings rate dropped, but so did the base rate.

    Re-mortgaged to them 3 years ago - all done in 20 mins on the phone.
    - Base rate +0.89% tracker for life (so currently on 1.39%).
    - No booking fee.
    - No legal fees.
    - Overpaymenta allowed.
    - Underpayments allowed if you've already overpaid.
    - No early repayment/exit fees
  • That sounds like a cracking deal F-blocker. Thought my 2.5% was good, but that's even better.

    As for their savings rate, I know all the rates came down but theirs fell more than most - once they'd cracked the market with their initial marketing/rates. All part of the game I spose.
  • [cite]Posted By: F-Blocker[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: Off_it[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: carly burn[/cite]Anyone had any dealings with the mortgage firm ' ING direct ' ?

    I used to have savings with them - when I had savings! - when they first launched in the UK.

    Anyone with them should expect a cracking heaadline deal to start with, but then be prepared to get bent over and royally shafted at every opportunity if their savings accounts are anything to go by.
    I have both savings & mortgage with them.
    Yes, the savings rate dropped, but so did the base rate.

    Re-mortgaged to them 3 years ago - all done in 20 mins on the phone.
    - Base rate +0.89% tracker for life (so currently on 1.39%).
    - No booking fee.
    - No legal fees.
    - Overpaymenta allowed.
    - Underpayments allowed if you've already overpaid.
    - No early repayment/exit fees

    Their best deal now is 2.29% above base rate which now incurs a fee of about £700

    Which is the best i've found at the mo
  • Yeah, it's great - we're currently overpaying as much as we can whilst the rate is so low.

    Savings rate - yes, it fell away slightly more, but the ones offering the high rates were people like the Icelandic banks & we know what happened to them!
  • Carly - I think I was lucky & got in quite early when they'd just started the mortgage side of the business.
  • golfaddick 1 day ago quote# 21
    sorry to disapoint you Ken, but the only thing that counts nowdays is the size of your deposit......

    Accept that for people like me ...... so what do the youngsters do....... rent !/ worry/live in my spare room.....

    I thought that finding £20,000 was bad enough to find when you are 21, not sure i could have scrapped up £20 when I was 21 doing my degree, now a days they are minus £20,000 at least.....if you are doing a degree.
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