<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588850790998458316</id><updated>2011-07-31T10:06:06.470+01:00</updated><title type='text'>MORTGAGES SK12</title><subtitle type='html'>An independent mortgage advice service that treats everyone as individuals.</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://mortgagessk12.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4588850790998458316/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://mortgagessk12.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>Graham Brooke</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09145467750194350011</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>5</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588850790998458316.post-2024430534428940389</id><published>2011-03-30T10:38:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2011-03-30T10:38:45.820+01:00</updated><title type='text'>Upturn in Loans Approved - Good news for homebuyers</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Helvetica Neue&amp;quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"&gt;The Bank of England has today revealed mortgage approvals rose in February.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Helvetica Neue&amp;quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"&gt;According to the Bank, there were 46,967 loans approved in the month, up from January’s 46,152.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Helvetica Neue&amp;quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"&gt;The level of approvals was broadly in line with analysts forecasts of a level of 46,800.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Helvetica Neue&amp;quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"&gt;In the meantime, the number of remortgaging loans approved totalled 35,725 in February – a 26-month high and up from January’s level of 33,972.  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Helvetica Neue&amp;quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"&gt;However, despite the improvement, the housing market is still expected to remain subdued throughout 2011 as demand for housing is expected to stay weak as a result of the uncertainty surrounding the economy and the Government’s massive spending cuts.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Helvetica Neue&amp;quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"&gt;Last week, the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) revealed a slight rise in the number of new mortgages approved by the major banks in February.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Helvetica Neue&amp;quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"&gt;According to the BBA, the number of new mortgages approved in the month stood at 29,923 – marginally better than January’s level of 29,159, albeit lower than economists forecast of 29,350.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Helvetica Neue&amp;quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"&gt;In other news today, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed the UK economy contracted by 0.5% in the October to December period – slightly better than the second estimate of 0.6% but unchanged from the first estimate. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4588850790998458316-2024430534428940389?l=mortgagessk12.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='related' href='http://www.mortgagessk12.co.uk' title='Upturn in Loans Approved - Good news for homebuyers'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://mortgagessk12.blogspot.com/feeds/2024430534428940389/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://mortgagessk12.blogspot.com/2011/03/upturn-in-loans-approved-good-news-for.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4588850790998458316/posts/default/2024430534428940389'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4588850790998458316/posts/default/2024430534428940389'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://mortgagessk12.blogspot.com/2011/03/upturn-in-loans-approved-good-news-for.html' title='Upturn in Loans Approved - Good news for homebuyers'/><author><name>Graham Brooke</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09145467750194350011</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588850790998458316.post-8999750225126175402</id><published>2010-02-16T14:27:00.000Z</published><updated>2010-02-16T14:27:49.369Z</updated><title type='text'>First Time Buyer? Need a Deposit for a house? Here's how to get one....</title><content type='html'>&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;....if you need a deposit to get on the property ladder then why not think about organising a Vendor Gifted deposit. So how does this help you get a deposit? Simple. With Vendor Gifted any discount negotiated on a property could be used towards a deposit. This is obviously&amp;nbsp;great news&amp;nbsp;for anyone trying to get on the property ladder.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="color: #cc6600; font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;So how does it work?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;Here is an example of how a deal like this would work: Let's say that you find a property advertised at £100,000. The property would value at this price but you manage to negotiate a buying price with the vendor at £85,000. Now you need to get the seller to price the property in the sale contract at £100,000 and give you £15,000 back at completion (on paper).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;The net result is that you have a mortgage for £85,000 as you would always have done. The vendor receives £85,000 as they would always have done, however the bank is now satisfied that the need for a deposit has been met.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="color: #cc6600; font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What's the catch?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;There isn't one, it's completely legal and above board. When organising a Vendor Gifted deposit there are two rules which must be met. Firstly you need to find a bank that accepts this method of providing a deposit. Secondly, the surveyor must agree that the asking price is fair. This is not a way to inflate the asking price to make it look like a deposit is there.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="color: #cc6600; font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;So which Banks will lend money using a Vendor Gifted deposit?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;Lenders such as the Woolwich and the Halifax will accept applications from buyers who wish to use this method of deposit.&amp;nbsp; (* correct at time of publication February 2010)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="color: #cc6600; font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What's the next step?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;Contact Graham Brooke to discuss how he can help you use this shortcut to buying a home if you don't have a deposit or with any other mortgage related matters. &lt;span style="color: #990000;"&gt;Tel: 01625 875352 or Mobile: 07774 744150 or Email: &lt;a href="mailto:contact@mortgagessk12.co.uk"&gt;contact@mortgagessk12.co.uk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4588850790998458316-8999750225126175402?l=mortgagessk12.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='related' href='http://www.mortgagessk12.co.uk' title='First Time Buyer? Need a Deposit for a house? Here&apos;s how to get one....'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://mortgagessk12.blogspot.com/feeds/8999750225126175402/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://mortgagessk12.blogspot.com/2010/02/first-time-buyer-need-deposit-for-house.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4588850790998458316/posts/default/8999750225126175402'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4588850790998458316/posts/default/8999750225126175402'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://mortgagessk12.blogspot.com/2010/02/first-time-buyer-need-deposit-for-house.html' title='First Time Buyer? Need a Deposit for a house? Here&apos;s how to get one....'/><author><name>Graham Brooke</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09145467750194350011</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588850790998458316.post-7505860145329405395</id><published>2009-09-16T08:57:00.002+01:00</published><updated>2009-09-16T09:10:21.282+01:00</updated><title type='text'>Why use a Mortgage Broker?</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;Why should anybody use an intermediary when you can walk into any number of lenders on the high street? Most high streets are dominated by the big banks and building societies, and you probably already have a reasonable relationship with the branch you bank with.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;However, getting a mortgage is a much bigger financial responsibility than maintaining a current account or getting a personal loan. It is likely that it will be the biggest investment of your life. It’s all the more important because it involves your home. Hence it is vital that you use a specialist broker.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Advantages of using a broker:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most brokers can source mortgages from the whole of the market. This means that a broker can source a mortgage from every product available on the market today. Brokers can source mortgages from specialist lenders tailored to your individual needs. High Street lenders will only ever recommend a mortgage from their own limited range. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#cc9933;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mortgages SK12 can source mortgages from the whole of the market. Call us today.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Due to the levels of business many brokers give to lenders, they can give extra clout to your mortgage application. Your application may be considered borderline on a certain lender’s criteria, but given the amount of trust often built up between the lender and broker they can give you the benefit of the doubt.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color:#cc9933;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mortgages SK12 have favourable relationships with lenders. Call us today.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;Brokers often negotiate special rates with lenders (sometimes with high street lenders) that are not available anywhere else. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#cc9933;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mortgages SK12 get exclusive rates that are not available on the high street. Call us today.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color:#cc9933;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This information is intended for use in the United Kingdom (UK) only. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you need mortgage advice please call us today for a chat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color:#663333;"&gt;Te&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:#996633;"&gt;lephone:  07774 744150                                                                                                               Email : &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:contact@mortgagessk12.co.uk"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#996633;"&gt;contact@mortgagessk12.co.uk&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4588850790998458316-7505860145329405395?l=mortgagessk12.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://mortgagessk12.blogspot.com/feeds/7505860145329405395/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://mortgagessk12.blogspot.com/2009/09/why-use-mortgage-broker.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4588850790998458316/posts/default/7505860145329405395'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4588850790998458316/posts/default/7505860145329405395'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://mortgagessk12.blogspot.com/2009/09/why-use-mortgage-broker.html' title='Why use a Mortgage Broker?'/><author><name>Graham Brooke</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09145467750194350011</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588850790998458316.post-7801515790890120734</id><published>2009-08-19T12:27:00.002+01:00</published><updated>2009-08-19T12:34:41.214+01:00</updated><title type='text'>Independent financial advice a top priority</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;During the first quarter of 2009, unbiased.co.uk – the free independent advice search facility – received almost 115,000 enquiries from consumers looking for independent financial advice. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The research revealed, with 31% of all enquiries, retirement planning advice as the top priority, followed by investments and savings advice at 24% of total enquiries.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you need to review your mortgage, retirement plans, investments or savings, contact Mortgages SK12  to receive your independent financial advice&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#660000;"&gt;Telephone: 01625 875352 or email:&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a href="mailto:contact@mortgagessk12.co.uk"&gt;contact@mortgagessk12.co.uk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;(Source: unbiased.co.uk)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4588850790998458316-7801515790890120734?l=mortgagessk12.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://mortgagessk12.blogspot.com/feeds/7801515790890120734/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://mortgagessk12.blogspot.com/2009/08/independent-financial-advice-top.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4588850790998458316/posts/default/7801515790890120734'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4588850790998458316/posts/default/7801515790890120734'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://mortgagessk12.blogspot.com/2009/08/independent-financial-advice-top.html' title='Independent financial advice a top priority'/><author><name>Graham Brooke</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09145467750194350011</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588850790998458316.post-8686501214364879641</id><published>2009-08-10T14:22:00.003+01:00</published><updated>2009-08-10T14:30:58.815+01:00</updated><title type='text'>August Mortgage News from Mortgages SK12</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;After a bad year for the housing and mortgage market, what does the second half of 2009 hold in store? The Council of Mortgage Lenders expects gross mortgage lending in 2009 to reduce from £258bn to £145bn.  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;CML also predicts net lending to be negative as homeowners scurry to repay mortgage debt and banks look to balance the interests of savers and borrowers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;Of course, lower house prices and interest rates also present opportunities. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;How would you like to pay off your mortgage early? Well, one way you might achieve this is with an offset or current account mortgage, a mortgage offering much flexibility to homeowners. One symptom of the continuing credit crunch is the severe lack of available mortgage products from which to choose, but Mortgages SK12 may have the answer.  They can search the whole market to get you the right mortgage for your circumstances.  Give them a call to discuss how they can save you money on your mortgage. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Arial;color:#993300;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Telephone:  01625 875352 or &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Arial;color:#993300;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;email: &lt;a href="mailto:contact@mortgagessk12.co.uk"&gt;contact@mortgagessk12.co.uk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;(Source: CML 18 December 2008).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4588850790998458316-8686501214364879641?l=mortgagessk12.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://mortgagessk12.blogspot.com/feeds/8686501214364879641/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://mortgagessk12.blogspot.com/2009/08/august-mortgage-news-from-mortgages.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4588850790998458316/posts/default/8686501214364879641'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4588850790998458316/posts/default/8686501214364879641'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://mortgagessk12.blogspot.com/2009/08/august-mortgage-news-from-mortgages.html' title='August Mortgage News from Mortgages SK12'/><author><name>Graham Brooke</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09145467750194350011</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>
