Buying a home can be a stressful experience, which is why home movers and first time buyers in Coventry use a mortgage broker to help make sure their home buying process go as smoothly as possible. It’s comforting for our customers to know they have someone on their side, on hand to answer any enquiries they have.
A mortgage advisor in Coventry will ensure you obtain the cheapest mortgage to suit your needs. We take full responsibility for recommending the most suitable mortgage for you and package your application to the Lender in such a way to give it the best chance of success.
The same applies when you come to remortgage too, we like to know our customers are on the cheapest deal for the entire mortgage term.
If you’re looking at taking out mortgage advice when buying a home, we recommend talking to a mortgage advisor in Coventry. Your committed member of the Moneyman team will be able to help you work out how much your payments will be, as well as how much you may be able to borrow.
That said, different lenders have their own strict lending criteria, so it does help to speak to an expert. If you know what you can afford well in advance of making an application, it may help you avoid any potential future disappointment.
We aim to ensure all customers are informed about their mortgage application progress so you are fully aware of what is going on. If you have any questions, we are available seven days a week, ready to help you out in any way we can.
Mortgage Brokers work for the customer, not the Lender. This is something that is important to remember throughout your process. Our team are firmly in your corner, sometimes having to argue how strong an application may be, in order to ensure it goes through.
Our company process of requesting and checking your proof of income and bank statements ahead of time allows us to try and avoid any hurdles that may arise, hopefully before they can become a factor.
We also can help you choose the right type of survey for your property, as well as instruct a Solicitor on your behalf to carry out the legal aspects of your transaction.
We love to build up customer relationships and assist with future mortgage enquiries, whether as a buy to let landlord in Coventry with your portfolio or remortgage when your term ends. This often starts with an affordability assessment and agreement in principle prior to even finding a house.
Once your purchase is complete, a member of our team will keep in regular contact, and we will get in touch once more to discuss your remortgage options. We can then compare the market on your behalf as we did before to help you obtain the best remortgage deal available for your circumstances.
If you are a first time buyer in Coventry, you may not aware of what a mortgage agreement in principle is. A mortgage agreement in principle (sometimes shortened to AIP or DIP – decision in principle) is a document that demonstrates the lender believes, so far, you are a good candidate for a mortgage and are ready to go.
This shows both the estate agent and the person selling their home, that you are creditworthy as you have passed the lenders initial credit score. It’s important to remember though that this is not a guaranteed mortgage, as going for a full application will require even more in-depth background checks.
However, it is a good idea to get one done at the earliest opportunity for the following reasons:
When you are at the point where you would like to make an offer on a new home, you’ll find that the majority of estate agents will undertake due diligence and ask you to provide them with proof that you do in fact have the means to proceed with the property purchase.
Your proof will usually come in the form of bank statements, but can also be done using an agreement in principle. This is something that we can provide for you, usually within 24 hours of your initial appointment.
Once you have provided them with all this documentation, the estate agent will generally cease marketing the property and put a “sold” or “sale agreed” board up outside of it.
If you already have a mortgage agreed prior to making an offer on a property, this will definitely appeal to the seller, as this proves you are not making an offer on the fly and have actually put a lot of thought into how you’re going to fund the purchase.
This might persuade a seller to accept an offers you make that could possibly be under their asking price.
When it comes to purchasing a new or additional home, some customers like to try and run before they can even walk. They charge ahead all guns blazing, making an offer on a property without actually making sure they can proceed in the first place.
If the application then goes ahead and fails, this can result in disappointment that could’ve been avoided. The last thing you want to be doing is having your heart set on a new family home and then feeling down when it doesn’t work out the way you had hoped.
This can all be prevented by getting in touch with us at an earlier stage. Sometimes there are factors that may cause an application to fail, that given time and care with the help of a mortgage broker in Coventry, can be solved over time.
An example of this is, let’s say you have a disputed mobile phone bill that keeps cropping up. This is something that can be sorted with the appropriate action. Some think they’re on the voters roll when they are not. Give it a few weeks and that can be sorted too.
In some cases you might not be able to get a mortgage at all. If that does happen to be the case, it’s better that you are made aware of that now rather than mess people about. One of our dedicated mortgage advisors will be able to tell you what you need to do to improve your credit-worthiness for the future.
Let’s say in theory, you know that you have got a good credit rating and have never been turned down for credit, you’re registered on the voters’ roll and you’ve always keep up your monthly credit payments. What could possibly go wrong?
Well the truth is, you could approach 10 different lenders these days and get 10 different results from each of them! They all have their own lending criteria and calculate affordability in their own unique ways.
If you are Self Employed in Coventry it can be complicated further, as some lenders may take your net profit, whilst others are known to use your salary and divided. In some cases, you’ll find that lenders may even use your latest year, whilst others prefer an average over 3 years.
Being mindful of your borrowing limits is important as this will help you determine what your ideal price range will be. Ou dedicated mortgage advice team will be able to advise you of the maximum mortgage available to you. Also, more importantly, together we’ll work out how much you can afford to pay back on a monthly basis.
Now and again, we receive calls from tenants when the landlord has notified them and is considering selling their properties.
That said, it is much easier for landlords to sell to existing tenants than the open market. Tenants sometimes have the opportunity of deciding whether to accept or reject it before the landlord offers it to others.
The Government has re-evaluated tax reliefs previously afforded to landlords, leading many landlords to pay more tax than before, hence selling their properties. A prevailing situation for landlords.
On the other hand, more severe investors often keep their properties as they view it as a long-term arrangement and a sound investment despite legislative changes.
There are various reasons why a landlord might choose to sell their property to you. These include and are not limited to:
Not only are there advantages to landlords, but there are potential advantages to sitting tenants who are considering buying the property as a first time buyer in Coventry:
Some lenders will allow any discount the landlord offers you as part/all of your deposit if the agreed price is well below the open market value. It may even be possible for a tenant not to have to put down any deposit at all.
We tend to find nowadays that more parents are gifting a deposit than ever before. Realistically, the “Bank of Mum & Dad” is now within the UK’s top 10 biggest lenders.
It’s no surprise how many younger people struggle to save enough for a deposit and lean on their parents or friends to help gift part of the entire housing deposit. Some parents or other family members, such as grandparents, are now gifting amounts upwards of £24,000.
Hundreds have become reliant on a family member every year, hoping to help them onto the property ladder. When speaking to some customers, we found that they felt a sense of personal responsibility.
It’s no surprise why many need that extra support, an increase of property prices, that has gone way over the average wage, leaving many unable to save for the deposit on their first home while coving the expenses of rent and utility bills. That said, it’s become more apparent if there is only one income supporting the household or being a sole applicant.
While renting may seem helpful in the short term, it can harm any chance people have to save for a mortgage deposit in the long run. Some decide to move back in with their parents to help save up the necessary costs for a larger deposit. Surveying 1600 parents who had helped their children out, many went on record as saying they had used their savings to do so.
Another concern is that some said they had withdrawn from their pension schemes or equity to gift a deposit. Essentially, this is them putting forward any inheritance their child would receive.
To read about what could be available to you, read our help to buy mortgage in Coventry service page, or check out our first time buyer in Coventry service page. If you like to arrange to speak with a mortgage advisor in Coventry, please feel free to get in touch with us today.
If you are looking at buying a property in Coventry, choosing to do so is not something you should decide in a day. It requires careful planning and preparation over time.
You’d be surprised at the number of people we deal with regularly, who are more spontaneous in their buying habits and have therefore neglected to prepare for a mortgage.
First time buyers in Coventry have their reasons as to why they decide to jump into such a significant financial commitment, this includes:
By not preparing for a mortgage, you are leaving yourself open to potential issues with your mortgage application. Some of the standard mortgage hurdles we find customers face include:
Saving up your deposit for a mortgage can be a challenge, especially if you are renting at the moment from the council or private landlord.
As you have significant outgoings and essential purchases each month, limiting what you can save in-between.
Have you ever considered seeing if anyone can give you a hand with a gifted deposit? We find that this is a regular occurrence with first time buyers in Coventry, as family members or friends will try and help whenever they can.
That said, most lenders do prefer gifted deposits from family members rather than friends. If a family member or friend is looking to help, it’s best to give them as much notice as possible to get their finances in order! Just remember, a gifted deposit is a gift, not a loan.
Getting an up to date credit report is not an incredibly difficult task. We recommend Check My File, as they can collate the data from different sources into one for you to compare.
Once you have downloaded a copy of your credit report, you can send it to a mortgage advisor in Coventry, who will look at it for you.
They will know precisely what sort of things the lenders will like to see and what they do not want to see.
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When lenders look at your bank statements, make sure there are not many unnecessary bank charges or gambling transactions. You will need to provide the lender with a reasonable explanation of what happened on your account and how you plan to resolve this going forward if any issues crop up.
We realise that Accountants try to minimise the tax liability for their customers. That said, there is nothing to stop you from submitting another set of accounts earlier than you might typically do.
Especially if your business has developed in the last 12 months, some lenders consider overlooking previous years’ figures if the latest ones are more beneficial to a lender.
If anything is covered related to you, we may be able to help. Our team of mortgage advisors in Coventry love a challenge, so do feel free to get in touch!
Usually, you will get asked what your credit is when you apply for a mortgage. A large range of factors can affect your credit score. One of them being the fewer addresses you have on your record, the better your credit score.
As mentioned, fewer addresses on your file can benefit your mortgage application but don’t go about this in the wrong way.
We do find applicants, especially first time buyer in Coventry, keep their previous addresses on their records. Regardless of this being accidental or a way to keep their credit score lowering, either way, it needs updating.
Other things you will need to update could be anything from; bank statements, credit cards and electoral roll information. Many believe that ignoring this information on their won’t negatively impact their credit score, when in fact, it can cause a lot of damage.
For example, you could get an unpaid ticket sent through your old address. Therefore, unless you notify the post office. Therefore, unless you let the post office know so they can forward all your mail, the longer it gets unnoticed, it can result to a CCJ.
If you have a CCJ on your credit file, this could result in losing points on your credit file which in turn will ruin your credit history making it difficult for you to get your mortgage application accepted.
Prior to submitting your application, you need to have a thorough check of your application. Begin with your address by checking that the address on all of your accounts (credit cards / current accounts) and electoral roll are all registered to your current address.
More importantly, this applies to applicants currently living in rented accommodation hasn’t changed their address from their previous property.
To check that you haven’t missed anything, it’s always a good idea to double-check everything when applying for a mortgage. Check that you have the correct address as well as updated information which will all help towards your mortgage application.
Furthermore, you need to know the exact date when you moved into your rented apartment / new home and when you moved out. If you do not know these dates, you can be at risk of having a cross over meaning it could show that you were living in two different addresses at once.
This will result in confusing the lender which could cause damage to your credit file or mortgage application.
It can be a huge benefit to have a mortgage broker in Coventry by your side. They will support you throughout the process and make sure your application is in the best position for mortgage success. Our team will make sure everything is updated correctly and will be there to answer any of your questions.
You need to show the lender that you are in a serious position to take on this big financial commitment. This can be achieved by evidencing your deposit and showing you have saved it up and been precise in updating all your information including your address, these r both brilliant ways to impress them.
In the circumstance where you have an outdated address linked to one of your accounts, your lender will see if any of your addresses needed updating. This could show a lender that you haven’t taken things seriously.
To conclude, we do strongly recommend that you check up on your file to make sure that your application is in a position to be accepted as well as show your lender you are in a serious position to proceed. If you are wanting an expert to look at your application so it’s ready to go, book in a free mortgage appointment in Coventry, and contact our team.
Here at Coventrymoneyman, we have a team of mortgage advisors in Coventry who are available 7 days a week. Whether you are going through the mortgage process for the first time or looking at moving home in Coventry.
Once you decide that you are ready to move and buy a new home, there are two different routes you can take. You can pay the house off upfront or take out a mortgage on the property and pay the rest off over a fixed term.
Both options will come with high costs, however, obviously buying a house with cash is the most expensive option. Paying with cash will mean that you pay the exact price of the property, whereas, if you take out a mortgage, you’ll be paying off the property over a long period of time.
If you can afford it, buying with cash is an excellent investment. Whether you’re planning to live inside the property yourself or you want to use it as a buy to let in Coventry, buying with cash can sometimes speed up your moving home process and potentially put you in front of others who are want to take out a mortgage.
If you’re approaching a property with a cash offer, it’s likely that you’ll have an advantage over applicants who are planning to take out a mortgage. One of the reasons why this is the case is due to reliability.
When a seller looking for a quick sale, they will usually choose a cash buyer over anyone. Having a cash offer often eliminates the chance of getting trapped in a property chain. A property chain occurs when a property is being sold to a buyer, however, they can’t move in yet as they’re still trying to sell their current home and sort out their mortgage. This process can repeat, resulting in homeowner after homeowner struggling to move out as they’re waiting for their buyer to move out.
Not being caught up in a property chain shows your reliability, you can progress straight through the affordability part of the process. As a mortgage broker in Coventry, we would still advise having a property survey carried out on your property. You won’t need a mortgage valuation though.
A quick and easy process of moving home in Coventry is what everyone wants. Making a cash offer often means that you’ll get through the process a lot quicker than had you taken out a mortgage.
You will not need a mortgage if you are paying via cash. However, as a mortgage broker in Coventry, we can safely say that on some occasions the mortgage process can be just as quick as paying by cash. It’s our job to provide a fast and friendly service in Coventry.
When you take out a mortgage, you’re essentially taking out a loan. You’re tieing yourself into a deal with 25+ years of potential mortgage payments. When you choose to purchase through cash, you won’t be making this commitment.
Also, you will not receive any interest. If you don’t have fixed mortgage payments, it’s likely that they’re going to increase slightly over time due to the internet on your mortgage. If you’re a cash buyer, this can never happen as you’ve already paid it all off.
If you don’t have the funds available to pay by cash, you’ll have to take the mortgage route.
If you would rather save your life savings than use it on an upfront property purchase, you could save money short term by taking out a mortgage instead. Depending on your credit score/file, getting a mortgage will usually require a minimum of a 5% deposit (5% of the property’s value).
Getting a mortgage will let you pay off your home in monthly instalments. Paying monthly will allow you to pay back a small amount at a time rather than the whole chunk at once.
If a property listing reads “cash buyers only”, we’d advise that you take caution with the property. This won’t affect you if you’re taking out a mortgage, you’re probably dodging a bullet anyway!
It’s likely that the property has been listed as this as it needs lots of repairs doing on it. Lenders won’t want to lend you money for a mortgage on a property that is in very bad condition.
Despite the fact that it’s not required, we always advise that you get a property survey carried out on any property, no matter which type of buyer you are.
Going into a cash purchase without help from an advisor may put you at a slight disadvantage to someone who has one by their side. Our mortgage advisors in Coventry will make the process as simple and as easy-going as possible.
It’s our job, as a mortgage broker in Coventry, to deliver you with fast and friendly mortgage advice service. Contact our mortgage team and we can assist you through the whole moving home process in Coventry.
Did you know that we can also help you make an offer on a property, arrange an AIP within 24-hours and perform a free affordability assessment on you? Get in touch today for a free consultation in Coventry.
Typically, you’ll find that the highest interest rates come with long-term fixed-rate mortgages. This is why it sometimes may be best to fix your mortgage in short term.
Even though a short term fix could potentially save you money further down the line, you’ll have to frequently review and renew your mortgage because of it. When you’re remortgaging in Coventry, depending on how the economy is and what deals are available on the market, you may be able to access a good rate during every point of remortgaging.
At the point of remortgage, you may end up finding a better deal than your previous, or you could end up being on one that’s a little more expensive, you’ll never know until you start looking!
If you’re looking to fix your rate for longer than 2 years, you may be better at looking for products with a fixed term between 3 and 5 years.
As a mortgage broker in Coventry, we’ve found that the most popular fixed-rate products are in 5-year terms. These deals are neither too short nor too long. A 5-year term will also add the security of constant monthly payments for the foreseeable future.
There’s really only one negative to fixing into a 5-year term. Overall, your payments may work out more expensive than if you had taken out a 2-year product and then a 3-year product, but not by much.
If you wanted to take out a fixed-rate mortgage for even longer, for example, a 7 to 10-year fixed-rate product, you may need to try and approach specialist lenders as there are a limited number of these deals on the market. By choice, these deals aren’t the most popular of choices amongst home buyers and owners. This is down to the length of the term. Also, you won’t get much flexibility whilst being fixed into a mortgage with a long term; they may also come with expensive setup fees and rates.
You also need also consider the additional fees that come with remortgaging. Be aware of costs such as booking and arrangement fees. Usually, a booking fee will be charged upfront, whereas an arrangement fee will be charged upon completion. You may get the option to incorporate these fees into your mortgage payments, this will not only increase your payments each month but also increase the total amount paid for the fees as their costs will increase due to the interest.
Did you know that if you have the funds in place to so do, you can pay off some of your mortgage early? If you want to remortgage now rather than waiting till the end of your term, you can pay off your fixed-term total and remortgage early.
However, if you choose to do this, it’s likely that you’ll be charged with an ERC (early repayment charge). This is because you are tied into a deal for a set period of time, so paying it off early and remortgaging will cost you. You should continue if you are okay with paying the ERC.
Your ERC total is taken from a percentage of the amount that you still owe on your mortgage, not your term. For example, if you have £200,000 left on your mortgage, you may get something like a 2% ERC which is £4,000. If a current deal is available on the market that is better than your current one, it may be more beneficial for you to take the ERC and remortgage early as the product may go.
As a mortgage broker in Coventry, we always advise not to chase ‘headline’ deals. You should know that more often than not, the deals with the lowest rates come with the highest arrangement and setup fees.
For further fixed-rate and remortgage advice in Coventry, please get in touch today. We have helped 1000s of customers secure competitive fixed-rate products in the past, and we want you to be next!
Even if you are not married and aren’t looking to settle down and have kids at any point in the near future, it is likely that you will still benefit from taking out life insurance in Coventry. No matter your personal circumstances and life choices, if you are a single homeowner, there are still plenty of justifiable reasons to take out life insurance.
Having a life policy in place can be a big support to your family in dealing with any apparent debts after your passing, such as any remaining mortgage payments that need to be made.
Typically, the purpose of taking out life cover is to cover the costs of any mortgage payment debts. The policy will usually be set up to automatically pay out a lump sum, equivalent to the mortgage cost, in the event that the policy holder (the person with the life cover) passes away whilst still having outstanding monthly mortgage payments.
If you are living with a partner or you have children, the insurance might even be extended into an income boost provided to your dependants, in order to cover any living costs.
The reasoning for that particular extra protection may not be necessary for single cover applicants, but taking out some insurance to cover your mortgage is still worth doing to ensure your payments are securely paid off when you’re gone.
If a single homeowner passed away before their mortgage balance has been paid off, their bank or building society can look to pay off that balance from their late customer’s estate, i.e., their collective belongings (accumulated assets is a term people use for this). This will be something of worth they can sell, like a car.
Quite often when these cases arise, we find that the property will get sold at auction in order to pay off the remaining balance. If the home happens to fall into negative equity, the lender has every right to demand that the difference must be made up by the estate.
As an alternative to this, the lender can demand that the property be sold with any surviving family members not being able to make up any shortfall on the balance. As if this wasn’t bad enough, if the probate process is drawn out (the probate is the period of time where the individual’s estate is handled), the lender can actually continue to add interest charges, increasing the total amount of the balance that needs to be paid. Morally questionable, but unfortunately not illegal.
Taking out life insurance will help protect your family and/or estate from these problems from occurring.
If you are looking at the options you have for taking out life cover in the future, please get in touch and book yourself in for a free consultation with one of our dedicated protection advisors in Coventry.
No matter if you have plans of becoming a first time buyer in Coventry or are already a homeowner, we feel this is something better sorted now than left too late.
A life insurance policy can also mean that if you have any children or grandchildren, they can be left some form of inheritance, regardless of if there is equity in the home.
No matter if you are a first time buyer in Coventry, looking to take that initial step onto the property ladder, thinking of moving home in Coventry, or looking to Remortgage for any potential Home Improvements, the concept of overpaying, even by a minor amount, can make a huge difference in the amount on the interest you pay back over the course of your mortgage term. The earlier you look at overpaying, the better the effects of your extra mortgage payments.
Whether or not this is done, depends on the homeowner. Some may choose not to down this route, whilst some struggle to afford these additional payments. A lot of the time though, it comes down to life getting in the way.Even still, if you can, overpaying is the ideal thing to do when you take out a mortgage. Let’s be honest though, there’s always something new and flashy we’d rather buy, as opposed to making an extra payment on the mortgage.
Part of the problem here is remembering to overpay. It’s not something that’s particularly likely to cross your mind too often. Possibly when your mortgage only has a few years left, but the impact at that point isn’t as great as it could have been if you’d done it earlier.
An easy way to make overpaying part of your routine is to set up a standing order paying your lender each month. Even better, organise it so that it goes out the same day as your mortgage payments. This way, it just feels like one amount and you will become used to this.
By using a standing order, you’re in control. Unlike a direct debit which the receiver controls, you can easily cancel a standing order if your financial situation changes. Whilst it would be a shame to stop overpaying, at least you would benefit from the overpayments made up until that point.
Overpaying your mortgage is a great habit to get into. You don’t need to pay huge amounts unless you feel you can. But you’ll be grateful toward the end when you realise you’ve been able to shave a year or two off your repayments.
If you overpay, some mortgage providers will even let you make reduced payments or take a payment holiday if you have been overpaying for a while. Before taking a payment break though, it’s important to check with your lender that you are eligible to do so as you could face a negative mark on your credit report if you’re not.
If you need any extra specialist mortgage advice in Coventry, make sure to get in touch and we will see what we can do to help!
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