Selling your house can be very stressful – the process can take a long time, and there is always the risk of getting stuck in a chain, meaning that you are dependant on your buyer selling their own house before they can complete the purchase of yours. There is also the risk of a chain breaking down at the last minute because their own property sale has fallen through, which means you have to start all over again. Read More
London House Prices start to fall
House prices in the capital are falling, and have dropped by an average £28,000 in the last month alone, as experts warn of a property-led downturn in investment affecting the economy next year.Read More
Quick Property Buying Companies Add New Dimension to UK Housing Market
Over the last decade investing in property has been a hugely profitable strategy. Those who bought investment properties in 1996 were purchasing an asset with a gross yield of more than 9% financed with borrowing at interest rates below 7%. Read More
Homeowners may be forced to sell
Many UK homeowners with patchy credit histories may be forced to sell their properties on the market next year, as lenders get tough.
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) warns that, due to the recent credit crunch many homeowners will face higher mortgage payments. Read More
Lenders cracking down on sub prime mortgages
Mortgage lenders in the UK are planning to get tough with the tens of thousands of homeowners that have taken out sub prime mortgages intended for borrowers with less than perfect credit histories. Read More
“Negligent” lenders increasing risk of repossession
A number of mortgage lenders are offering home buyers loans that they are unable to repay, according to the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and thereby creating the risk of repossession.Read More
Should you sell and rent back?
Should you sell and rent back?
With increasing numbers of homeowners facing problems keeping up with mortgage payments, sell and rent back solutions are becoming more and more popular.Read More
10 tips to stop mortgage arrears and house repossessions
With rising interest rates, more people are getting into mortgage arrears recently; while the number of repossessions is tipped to rise next year. Here are ten steps to help borrowers stop mortgage arrears from building up and risking repossession. Read More
Rise in number of home repossession for 2008
Home repossessions are set to rise dramatically next year, and will reach levels not seen since the 1990s house price crash, according to figures released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders. Read More
Why has the number of property cash buyers increased so dramatically?
According to the FT, the number of companies offering quick house sale solutions has increased dramatically over the last couple of years. There are now more than 200 companies that offer homeowners a fast house sale. This figure has risen from around 25 property cash buying companies about a year ago.Read More
Why might you need a fast house sale?
The number of companies offering quick house sales has increased recently, and there are now over 200 such companies in this sector, up from around 25 just a year ago. So why are people looking for a fast house sale? Read More
What is a property cash buyer?
There are many people and companies on the internet that advertise themselves as a property cash buyer and, if you are looking to sell your house fast, it’s important to be aware of the differences between them. Read More
House repossessions rise again
House repossessions rose in the first half of the year, by 30% on the same period in 2006, indicating that some homeowners are struggling with the five recent interest rate rises.
The figures are from the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the industry body, which laid the blame on two factors:
An increase in sub-prime mortgage lending, where the higher risks from lending to people with poor credit histories means those arrears more often lead to repossessions.Read More
How to stop a house repossession
How to stop a house repossession if you have fallen behind with your mortgage or any other loans secured on your home and you are under threat of repossession. There are a number of ways to deal with the problem:Read More
Tips on dealing with debt
How you deal with your debt problems depends a lot on both the size of the debt, and the extent to which the problem has been allowed to build up. For smaller debts, making a few cutbacks may be enough, but more serious debt problems require more drastic action.
Do the maths
To start to deal with the problem, you will first need to sit down and work out exactly how much you owe. Not facing up to the problem means that you will start getting County Court Judgements and worse. As a rule of thumb, if your debt repayments take up more than a fifth of your budget, then you are in the danger zone. Read More
Quick house sales hide the true extent of repossessions
Repossession figures do not give a true picture of the extent of the national debt problems, as many homeowners with debt problems are opting for fast house sales in order to avoid repossession.
This is the verdict of litigation specialists Moore Blatch. They say that, while the numbers of homes that are repossessed often hits the news, this fails to account for the hidden majority that are sold before the repossession process reaches its conclusion.Read More
UK sub prime mortgages set for growth
Sub-prime mortgages are set for strong growth in the UK over the next four years, according to market analyst Datamonitor.
Datamonitor predicts that the market for this type of mortgage will be worth £31.5bn by 2011, compared to £24.6bn in 2006. Read More
Why are debt conscious homeowners facing repossession?
With the UK increasingly faced with a mountain of debt, last month the Bank of England announced that the country’s consumer debt had reached a massive £1trillion many are inclined to blame people not managing their money properly, or being shopaholics.
In addition, some point the finger at householders who have overstretched themselves to get a mortgage the Council of Mortgage Lenders said banks will lend an extraordinary £360billion in mortgages before the end of 2007. Read More
Complaints about estate agents on the rise
The number of complaints to the Ombudsman for Estate Agents (OEA) rose by 41% to a total of 8,472 in 2006.
As a result, 586 cases were referred for formal review and resolution. 18% more than in 2005, though the largest number of complaints to the OEA occurred in 2002. Read More
Is sell and rent back the right option for you?
If you find yourself in severe financial troubles, the only solution to the problems may well be to sell your assets. For most people, the main asset of any significant value will be a house or flat.
When this property is your family home, this can be a very difficult decision to have to make. The thought of having to give up your biggest asset is bad enough, but when that asset is your home as well this makes the decision even more difficult. Read More
Broken property chains and why they happen
A broken property chain is one of the most stressful and annoying experiences for people looking to buy or sell property.
In many property deals, the various buyers and sellers are linked to each other, with one transaction often dependant on another. If one buyer or seller backs out of a deal, it can have disastrous effect on the whole chain. Read More
Selling inherited property
If you are selling inherited property, there are a number of decisions to be made. You may wish to live in the property yourself, rent it out or sell it. There may be taxes to be paid on the property you inherit, or you may have jointly inherited the house or flat with others.
It is important to get organised here, and ensure that any outstanding debts or taxes or paid up. In addition, it is important to decide what you want to do with the property. Read More
How to Stop Repossession of Your Property Fast
According to the BBC only 4580 homes were repossessed by mortgage lenders in 2019. This represents the lowest number of repossessions since 1980.
However, the most recent government statistics show that mortgage repossession claims (the first stage towards repossession of a property) have started to rise from a low base in 2015. This may well translate to more repossessions in 2020, so what can you do to stop the bailiffs knocking on your door?Read More
Avoid repossession with a quick house sale
With recent interest rate rises three in the past six months are more planned more people are beginning to struggle to meet mortgage payments and, in the worst cases, battling against repossession.
With 10,000 people going insolvent every month, and according to Recent data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), 17,000 homes were repossessed in 2006, a rise of 9% on 2005.Read More
Public sector workers priced out of most UK towns
Research by the Halifax has revealed the difficulties faced by public sector workers, and first time buyers in general, finding that these groups are priced out of up to 70% of Britains towns.
Halifax looked at the affordability of houses for five different key workers, nurses, teachers, firefighters, the police, and ambulance workers.Read More
Divorce. Selling your home
Of all the problems involved in separation and divorce, sorting out what to do with the matrimonial home can cause the most anxiety, as the family home normally represents the largest asset a couple own.
More than 150,000 marriages in the UK end in divorce every year, and Norwich Union believes that up to 35% of these couples are forced to sell their house or flat to cover the cost of their divorce.
Even in cases where one or other partner gets to keep the house as part of the divorce settlement, they may not be able to afford the upkeep of the house, bills, mortgage payments, and council tax with only one income.
The dramatic rise in house prices over the last few years has raised the divorce stakes even higher. In some areas of London a house worth £70,000 in 1993 is now worth upwards of £400,000.
Over 50s choosing to sell and rent back
Increasing numbers of wealthy older people are choosing to sell their homes and rent them back. Letting agents report that they are seeing more over-50s choosing this option.
The desire to free up cash to enjoy life is one of the reasons for this trend of selling to rent, or the fact that children have left home and the house is too big. In addition, many want to avoid the prospect of avoiding leaving their families with a large inheritance tax bill.Read More
Over 60s face Mortgage debt time-bomb
According to research from Key Retirement Solutions has revealed that a quarter of homeowners over the age of 60 still have outstanding mortgage debt.
The research showed that retired people, or those close to retirement who had not yet paid off their mortgage owed an average of £31,000 each.Read More
Guide to Property Chains
Buying a house, along with divorce and the death of a loved one, is one of the most stressful experiences life can throw at us. When a buyer wants to sell their property it can result in a number of properties being dependant on one another. If one sale falls through, it can scupper the whole chain.
In fact, a recent survey by Spring Move found that over 2.2 million sellers in England and Wales have seen their house sales fall through in the last five years.Read More
Stop Your House Being Repossessed
A recent Times column by Stephen Gerlis, a District Judge at Barnet County Court, looks at the risks people in debt face, and the powers that creditors and courts have to take steps to recover that debt.
With 10,000 people going insolvent every month, a 65% rise in mortgage repossessions, and the UK’s population in a combined £1,300bn of personal debt, the county courts are kept busy.
Interest rate rises mean higher monthly mortgage repayments and, with these increased expenses not being offset by similar rises in incomes, people face an increased risk of losing their homes. Read More
Auctioning repossessed homes
The BBC carried a story recently on a Torquay woman who lost out on £22,000 after her flat was repossessed and then auctioned by receivers.
The flat was sold by receivers at an auction in London for just £60,000, but just six weeks later it was sold on at another auction for £82,000, meaning that Mrs Smith lost out on £22,000.
This practice, which is standard for borrowers who are unable to stop the repossession of their homes, reveals how some borrowers fail to get the best price for homes when the worst happens, and they are unable to meet mortgage payments.Read More
