‘Astonishing’ recovery for mortgage market
At the height of lockdown, dire predictions of economic disaster, huge job losses and a deep property market slump were relentless. It seemed there was no good news to be found. While uncertainty still prevails, sparks of hope are beginning to creep in, though infection rates started to rise in early September. New data from […]
The post-lockdown trends ruling the property market
The property market is gradually recovering. After an interesting few months, clear trends are now emerging that look set to dominate the market for some time. Pent-up demand speeds up sales With the property market open once more and buyers galvanised into action by pent-up demand and incentives such as the temporary Stamp Duty holiday, […]
Happy street name – more valuable home?
Do you fall into the 92% of people who aren’t bothered about the street name when they are looking for a new home? If so, newly published research might make you change your mind. According to a new study1, this seemingly insignificant characteristic has the potential to seriously impact your property’s value. In fact, streets […]
In the News
Contactless payments the new norm According to research1, the pandemic has accelerated the transition to contactless payments, with two thirds (66%) of card transactions in the UK now contactless. The contactless limit was increased from £30 to £45 on 1 April. Almost half (45%) of UK adults – surveyed between 10-12 April – admit their […]
Protecting your Investment Portfolio
The pandemic has placed immense pressure on financial markets across the globe. Markets hate uncertainty and, in recent months, that has been one commodity not in short supply. Heightened volatility, however, does always demonstrate one investment certainty – the importance of portfolio diversification as a means of guarding against market turbulence. Time to take stock […]
In the news
EQUITY RELEASE RATES RISE FROM ALL-TIME LOWS Rates on lifetime mortgage deals are beginning to rise from record lows, with the average equity release rate for fixed and variable rate deals rising in March and in April1. While those considering taking out a lifetime mortgage will likely want to take advantage of lower rates, equity […]
Buyers move further for new builds
Buyers of new build properties are willing to move 56% further than those purchasing second-hand homes, according to Savills1. New builds are clearly a more attractive proposition for buyers, drawing households an average of five miles from their previous home, against 3.2 miles for households moving into an older property. The research also revealed regional […]
Home working opens new horizons
One effect of the coronavirus epidemic has been the pressure placed on many people to find viable ways of working from home, aided by technology. Where insurance, security, connectivity and any local planning constraints allow, it’s likely that a significant number of these workers may continue to be wholly or partially home-based after the virus […]
Timing pays off for the early bird ISA investor
Early tax year ISA investors could be thousands of pounds better off, according to research1 looking at the investing habits of hypothetical ISA investors over the last 10 and 20 years. The study concludes that if you were an ‘Early Shirley’ and invested your full ISA allowance on 6 April for the past 20 tax […]
Making sense of pensions withdrawals
Research1 has revealed that one in five over-55s with a private pension withdrew a lump sum during 2019, although the study does suggest that, for many, this was probably not a financially sensible course of action. ‘Stash the cash’ The most popular reason for accessing pension wealth was to put the money into a savings […]