Mortgage News, Insights & Advice
All the latest UK mortgage news, insights and advice from the world of mortgage lending and Oportfolio
5.5X Income Mortgage Available For First Time Buyers
Is it possible to get a 5.5X income mortgage? That is a very common question that I am hearing more and more. Mainly because borrowing money is becoming more difficult. When I first started working in mortgages and property, there were plenty of purchase schemes...
HSBC Mortgage Rates Smash Competition At 3.81%
HSBC mortgage rates have truly smashed their competition to smithereens by introducing a product with an interest rate as low as 3.81%. Although not currently the absolute lowest rate on the market, HSBC has beaten many other high street banks so far in the rate war...
Nationwide And Barclays Cut UK Mortgage Rates To 3.78%
In what is quickly becoming something like a UK mortgage rates price battle, lenders are firing rate reductions left, right, and centre. Paving the way for some very favourable mortgage opportunities for the remaining four months of 2024, leading into 2025. I have to...
Meet James Brook From Novello Chartered Surveyors
In part two of our 'Meet the property professional' series, Oportfolio Mortgages spoke to chartered surveyor James Brook FRICS, co-founder of Novello Surveyors. Novello is a RICS chartered surveying firm covering locations across London, the home counties, and...
Santander Credit Card Mortgage Criteria
Although a generally generous mortgage lender and a big name player in the UK mortgage market, Santander has come under criticism in the past for their attitude towards credit commitments when assessing mortgage affordability. However, Santander have recently...
Should I Have A Tax Return?
When looking at getting a mortgage as a self-employed person, it can be difficult to get your head round exactly what you need to provide and what the mortgage lenders will need to see. For things like product transfers, chances are that the lender is unlikely to ask...
Mortgage Lenders Are Hungry For Business
Official figures released by the Bank of England this month shows that UK inflation has dropped for the second month in a row in December 2022. Figures show that inflation was at 10.7% in November and had dropped to 10.5% in December. Not a huge drop but much better...
What Is a Property Surveyor & What Do They Do?
One of the most important elements of the property purchase or property finance journey, but perhaps the most overlooked. Property surveying is an essential part of the home finance narrative arch, but unfortunately a lot of people are completely in the dark about...
Average UK House Price Increased In January 2023
The entire property news industry and admittedly ourselves too, reported at the end of 2022 that the average UK house price would more than likely tank in 2023 as an increased cost of living and a subsequent reduction in the amount of people interested in purchasing...
“Inflation Will Come Down Sharply” – Chief Economist
In a promotional video released today by multi-national wealth management group Investec, Chief economist Philip Shaw has claimed that he predicts that inflation in the UK will likely come down very sharply as the overall outlook of the developed world economy starts...
Is Your Area A Mortgage Payment Hike Hotspot?
At the end of 2022 mortgage rates in the UK increased to levels that I think we can fairly say that no one expected. This was mainly due to a mismanagement of taxes and budget by the government at the time. Products offered by lenders originally at sub 2% were coming...
Can You Get Buy-To-Let Mortgages Based On Rental Income Only?
Are you a budding entrepreneur looking to get into the property game? Have you seen how lucrative a living you can make from receiving rental income? Well this blog might just exactly what you need if you are looking to build your property empire. In this blog, we...
Free Mortgage And Finance Webinars In 2023
Looking for help with finances? Mortgage rates and products putting you in a spin? Want a place to get all the information, help and guidance you need at the click of a button? We are well into the 3rd decade of the 21st century now, so why would anyone waste time on...
Halifax Mortgage Changes You Need To Be Aware Of
Historically, getting a Halifax mortgage has always been a pretty safe option. One of the main players in the UK mortgage market, Halifax has always offered high loan to value, competitively priced, and low fee mortgage products. Even in times of economic struggle,...
Accord Announces New 80% Mortgages
Mortgage lender Accord have issued an email out to all subscribing mortgage brokers today to announce that they are launching some new 80% mortgages with a range of different rates and products. Here is a breakdown of what these new products are: Accord are reducing...
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