There are many government schemes designed to make buying a home more accessible for people who would otherwise struggle to generate a deposit. There are plenty of options to suit your individual situation. Shared Ownership is one of these schemes, and has grown in popularity in recent years. What do you need to know before … Read more
You’re looking to buy your first property. You’ve been renting for a few years now and you haven’t been able to put enough money aside for a deposit. You’re frustrated because most monthly mortgage payments seldom differ greatly to the monthly rent payment you’ve been making for years. You’re stuck. If any of that sounds … Read more
Critical illness cover and income protection are often confused. Many people assume if they have one, they don’t need the other. However, these policies and the cover they provide do offer different benefits. Let us explain the difference, and why it’s often worth having both. What is critical illness cover? Critical illness cover is a … Read more
Specialist lending is a phrase you might hear batted about by mortgage advisers, but what does it mean? Here is our guide to everything specialist lending. Lending is generally split into high-street or specialist. Specialist lending simply means receiving a mortgage loan from a lender who isn’t a high-street bank or building society. High-street lenders … Read more
Loan to income and loan to value (or LTV) are phrases you often hear in the mortgage industry. The two terms are easy to mix up, but they are very different. Both loan to income and loan to value are key factors used to determine how much you can borrow for a mortgage. Recently, there’s … Read more
Home insurance. It’s insurance for your home. Sounds simple, right? But what exactly does it cover? Well, we’re here to fill you in on all the details… Home insurance refers to both buildings and contents insurance. Buildings insurance is a requirement with a mortgage. If the structure of the property is damaged it should pay … Read more
Last year, a survey of 1,000 sales in the UK revealed that nearly half of the properties received a down-valuation. But what does this mean exactly and what can you do if it happens to you? A down-valuation is when a mortgage lender’s surveyor values a property lower than the current owner expects it to … Read more
The government has recently launched the latest version of the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme. You might be wondering if it’s right for you. So, here is our handy guide to the benefits and considerations of Help to Buy. Through the Help to Buy loan, the government lends first-time buyers money towards the deposit … Read more
Lifetime mortgages are a way of releasing equity from a property; exclusively available to homeowners aged over 55. That basically means they are a way of using the value of your home to free up some spending money. Intrigued? Then read on. First things first, before you make any decisions, speak to Guild Mortgage Services; … Read more
Life insurance is well worth considering; these policies can help your family financially should you pass away. However, if you’re one of the millions of adults in the UK with a BMI outside of the standard range, you may be unsure if you can benefit from this invaluable protection. Well, the good news is, it’s … Read more