Monthly Archives: September 2011

Bad Estate Agents Tackled by Office of Fair Trading

The Office of Fair Trading has bad estate agents in its sights, after it set down new rules which will change how estate agents go about selling houses. While it might make life harder for them, they should mean less disappointment for prospective property buyers and sellers alike. While most Estate Agents go about their business [...]

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Help for First Time Buyers Needed: They Can’t Benefit from Lower Prices

A combination of low interest rates and a depressed housing market means that the cost of renting is now greater than that of buying a property. Logically there is no better time to buy the property you live in but there must be help for first time buyers if they are to achieve that. Research [...]

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DIY Conveyancing – Can I Be My Own Conveyancer?

While it is certainly true that the vast majority of buyers and sellers contract a conveyancer to carry out the various necessary processes of a transaction, there is absolutely no legal requirement to do so. You can be your own conveyancer, but is DIY conveyancing worthwhile? A site like ours is first and foremost designed [...]

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More Bad News for First Time Buyers: Rents Hit a Record High

The difficulty first time buyers are experiencing in buying a property is fuelling a steep rise in rents. ***Updated April 2012*** Figures released in August showed that the average rent in June 2011 stood at £876, the highest on record, as people either chose or were forced to continue renting as a result of the [...]

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New 100% mortgage deal launched

The 100% mortgage is back for the first time since the credit crunch. Aldermore look set to become the first lender to offer a deposit-free mortgage since they were heavily criticised as exactly the type of irresponsible lending that helped generate 2008’s economic crisis. So are we back to the bad old days? No. Aldermore, [...]

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Understanding Conveyancing: buying a property

Buying a property is expensive enough to be stressful, but the anxiety you feel can really be ramped up by a conveyancing process that seems slow and confusing. Hopefully the guide below will help you keep track of how it is unfolding. Pre-Contract Documentation Once a purchase price has been agreed between you and the [...]

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Understanding Conveyancing: Selling a Property

Selling a property can be a stressful and conveyancing can really contribute to that. It can seem like the whole process is taking far too long, and even when you consult with your conveyancer, some of the terminology can be unclear. Hopefully this guide to the conveyancing side of selling a property can help enlighten [...]

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First Time Buyers Hit by Increasing Deposit Requirements

The average deposit needed for a house is ten times the amount required 20 years ago, showing just how hard it has become for first time buyers to get on the property ladder. In 1990 the average deposit was £6,973 but that has now jumped to £65,924. Research by mortgage lender First Direct shows that, [...]

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How Does Shared Ownership Work?

Shared ownership is a UK government backed scheme to help people get onto the property ladder by sharing the cost of the mortgage with other people. This enables people to buy a house that otherwise would not be able to afford and can be a useful way for first time buyers to finally get on [...]

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Leasehold conveyancing

Leasehold conveyancing is very often more expensive than regular freehold conveyancing because of the extra work that is involved from the solicitor. Here are some reasons for this price hike: Your chosen conveyancing company must check your lease has been written correctly so that you do not suffer in any way legally and do not [...]

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