First-time buyers

April activity up despite general election uncertainty

Housing market activity in April was stronger across the board than at the same...

Nationwide surpasses £1bn Save to Buy mark

The Nationwide Building Society has said that over 8,000 homes have so far been...

Lloyds cuts two-year fixed rates

Lloyds Bank has cut rates on its two-year fixed rate mortgages for first time...

Halifax Intermediaries unveils FTB cashback offer

Halifax Intermediaries has launched a 1% cashback offer of up to £2,500 for first-time...

Barclays improves Family Springboard proposition

From 6 May, first-time buyers obtaining the fee-free Barclays Family Springboard mortgage will see...

Lloyds posts £660m loss from TSB sale

Lloyds Banking Group has reported underlying profit of £2.18bn for the first quarter of...

Annual Help to Buy repayments £180 cheaper than renting

Latest data suggests that first-time buyers who have used the Help to Buy mortgage...

NAEA: election behind fall in demand

The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) has reported that demand for property is...

Large rise in ‘prime London’ FTB sales

Marsh & Parsons’ latest London Property Monitor has found that while investors continue to...

MAB: typical deposits fall to 12-month low

The average primary salary of a purchase mortgage applicant fell to its lowest point...

Estate agents back Labour’s stamp duty plan

The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) has welcomed Ed Miliband's stamp duty pledge. Earlier today,...

Labour to announce FTB and rent control initiatives

Ed Miliband will today outline Labour's pledge to scrap stamp duty for first-time buyer...

Halifax Intermediaries cuts higher LTV rates

Halifax Intermediaries has reduced rates by up to 0.4 percentage points on its higher end loan...

Aldermore moves into Help to Buy: equity loan space

Aldermore has launched a Help to Buy: equity loan scheme through a group of...

COMMENT

Buy-to-let at 30: the mortgage that changed Britain’s housing market

John Heron helped create buy-to-let when landlords had almost nowhere to turn for finance. Thirty years later, he and Paragon Bank's Louisa Sedgwick reflect...

Harpenden’s expat move could be bigger than the numbers suggest

Harpenden Building Society’s move into expat mortgages this summer has been good news for brokers and borrowers. But I think its importance goes beyond...

We need to wait to get a clearer picture

It's been a week where the political and economic backdrop has moved almost as fast as rates themselves, and it's worth taking stock of...

Leasehold valuation reform: the consultation is asking only half the question

The Government's consultation on leasehold enfranchisement valuation rates is important because it will help determine what leaseholders pay to extend leases or buy freeholds,...

What commonhold will mean for mortgage lenders and brokers

Commonhold is often presented as the straightforward alternative to leasehold. It removes the freeholder, gives flat owners greater control and avoids some familiar problems...

Latest news

PMS reports double-digit growth in mortgages and protection

PMS Mortgage Club says it is on course for its strongest performance in five...

Property firms urged to engage early with digital home-moving reforms

Property professionals have been urged to start testing digital home-moving processes now rather than...

DPMSG launches consumer guide to Smart Property Data

The Digital Property Market Steering Group has launched a consumer-focused video explaining how Smart...

Together joins Equity Release Council as later life market broadens

Together has become a member of the Equity Release Council as the specialist lender...

PROFILES