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Demystifying Mortgage Myths for UK Buyers: Unveiling the Facts

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Purchasing a home is a significant milestone, and understanding the mortgage process is crucial for UK buyers. However, the mortgage landscape is riddled with myths and misconceptions that can confuse and mislead potential homeowners. To help you make informed decisions, we’re here to debunk some prevalent mortgage myths specific to UK buyers. By shedding light on the facts, we aim to empower you with the knowledge necessary to navigate the mortgage market confidently.


Myth 1: A large deposit is required to secure a mortgage in the UK.

Fact: While a substantial deposit can be advantageous, it is not always a prerequisite to obtaining a mortgage in the UK. Many lenders now offer mortgage products with deposits as low as 5%. Additionally, government schemes such as Help to Buy and Shared Ownership provide alternative paths for buyers with smaller deposits. It’s essential to explore different lenders and schemes to find the best option that aligns with your financial circumstances.


Myth 2: Fixed-rate mortgages are always the superior choice.

Fact: Fixed-rate mortgages provide stability by locking in a set interest rate for a specific period. However, they may not always be the best option for everyone. Variable or tracker rate mortgages, which track the Bank of England’s base rate, can offer lower initial interest rates and potential savings if interest rates decrease. When deciding between fixed and
variable rates, consider your financial goals, risk tolerance, and current market conditions.


Myth 3: Self-employed individuals struggle to secure mortgages in the UK.

Fact: While obtaining a mortgage as a self-employed individual may require additional documentation and proof of income, it is entirely possible to secure a mortgage in the UK. Lenders typically request two years of self-employed accounts and tax returns to assess income stability. Consulting mortgage brokers with expertise in self-employed applications can be beneficial, as they can guide you through the process and increase your chances of approval.


Myth 4: Overpaying on your mortgage is always the best financial strategy.
Fact: While overpaying on your mortgage can reduce the overall term and interest paid, it may not always be the optimal financial strategy. With historically low-interest rates, investing extra funds in other areas such as pensions, Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs), or higher-yield investments might yield better returns. It’s crucial to evaluate the opportunity cost and consult with a financial advisor to determine the most suitable approach for your long-term financial goals.


Myth 5: Mortgage pre-approval guarantees mortgage approval.
Fact: Mortgage pre-approval provides an initial indication of the amount you may be able to borrow, but it is not a guarantee of final mortgage approval. Pre-approval is based on preliminary information and is subject to a comprehensive assessment of your financial situation, credit history, and property valuation. To ensure final mortgage approval, it’s vital to complete the full application process and meet all lender requirements.

Conclusion:
By separating mortgage myths from facts, UK buyers can make informed decisions and navigate the mortgage market with confidence. Remember that a large deposit is not always required, fixed-rate mortgages may not always be the superior choice, self-employed individuals can secure mortgages, overpaying may not always be the best strategy, and mortgage pre-approval does not guarantee final approval.

Empower yourself with knowledge, seek expert advice, and explore various mortgage options to find the best fit for your home ownership journey in the UK. Hub Financial are on hand to do all of this with you, with a wealth of industry experience, whole-of-market access, and a drive to achieve the very best for our clients to help them make the aspirational a reality.

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Mortgages

Buying a new home is exciting and one of the most significant purchases you will make, so we want you to enjoy the experience and be happy with your decision. If you are looking to purchase your first home, move to a new property, re-mortgage your existing home, or purchase a buy-to-let property, we are here to assist and make the process as stress-free and efficient as possible.

The first step is to obtain a decision in principle for you. This ensures you will be approved for a mortgage subject to further checks. With unlimited access to the whole of the UK mortgage market, and a proven track record of acquiring mortgage approvals for the most complex of situations, we will then source the best possible mortgage deal to suit your individual needs and circumstances.

First-time buyers
Buying your very first property can be an incredibly daunting prospect. It’s hard to know where to start. That’s why we’re here to help and guide you through the entire process. We will provide tailored advice based on your current circumstances and future plans, ensuring that you are aware of all potential costs associated with buying and owning a property. We will then source the most suitable mortgage deal to suit your budget, objectives, and repayment preferences.

Re-mortgage
A re-mortgage is used by existing home owners for a number of reasons. They may wish to move to a new home, switch to a better more suitable mortgage deal for their current property, consolidate debts, or increase their borrowing to carry out home improvements.

You can re-mortgage with the same lender or with a new mortgage lender. Many mortgage deals come with a discounted interest rate for the first few years. When these end, it is common for homeowners to source a new deal that offers a lower interest rate, a new fixed rate or discounted interest rate.

If you are thinking about re-mortgaging your existing home, there are a number of important factors that must be taken into consideration to ensure it is the right time to switch mortgages and the best decision for you and your family in the long run.

For example, will the mortgage lender charge valuation and solicitor fees? Will your final repayment be higher or over a different period of time? Will you have to pay an early repayment charge on your current mortgage? These are the types of considerations we will look at carefully to ensure you get the very best mortgage deal.

Think carefully before securing other debts against your home or property. You may have to pay an early repayment charge to your existing lender if you re-mortgage.

Your home is at risk if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or other loan secured on it.  

Buy-to-let
If you’re considering purchasing a residential property as a buy-to-let investment, there are specific types of mortgages available that differ from standard residential mortgages. We will provide tailored advice and source the most suitable mortgage deal based on your deposit and whether your main aim is to acquire monthly rental income or achieve long-term capital growth.

Adverse credit history
Obtaining a mortgage when your credit history is less than perfect can be an obstacle, but it’s not impossible. It may affect how much you can borrow and the interest rates you are offered, but there are lenders who provide mortgages to home buyers with adverse credit. At The Mortgage Hub, we have an exceptional track record of helping clients who have faced financial difficulties secure a suitable mortgage deal that enables them to buy their new home.

Insurance

When acquiring a mortgage to purchase a new home or buy-to-let property, it’s important to protect not only yourself, but your investment. It is therefore essential to take out adequate insurance in the event of fire or floods, theft, accidental damage, illness or bereavement, unemployment, separation, or any other eventuality that could put your home at risk. We’ll look at your protection needs and tailor your cover to your lifestyle.

We can provide you with advice and competitive quotes on the types of policies that are relevant to your circumstances. We are an Exclusive Associate of Vitality; therefore we are tied to Vitality and only recommend their products, in the event of Vitality declining a client we can look at other providers. The most common types of insurance we advise for home owners and landlords include:

Buildings & Contents

Mortgage lenders insist that homeowners insure their properties with adequate buildings and contents cover. This type of policy will normally insure your residential home or buy-to-let property, (as well and fixtures, fittings and contents) against damage caused by fire or flooding, lightening and storms, subsidence, accidental damage, escape of water, theft and vandalism.

The policy you choose should be sufficient to cover the rebuild cost of your property. The best deal is usually acquired by taking out a joint buildings and contents insurance policy. However, if you buy a flat that is managed by a factor, you may find that buildings insurance is already in place for the entire apartment block. This is something we will check for you when you purchase your new property.

Life Insurance

Whilst most people insure their cars, homes and other valuable belongings, many don’t insure themselves. Life Insurance provides a valuable safety net for your family if the unthinkable should happen, helping them financially during a difficult time. Many policies include terminal illness benefit, too.

Critical Illness Cover

This type of policy aims to ensure you are financially protected against the impact that being diagnosed with a specific critical illness could have on you and your loved ones. It is common for this type of cover to be added to a life insurance policy.

Serious Illness Cover

Serious Illness Cover helps protect you financially if you fall ill. This will pay you out a cash lump sum based on the severity of your condition – meaning that you can focus all your energies on making a full recovery.

Unlike typical critical illness cover, this pays out for the less severe conditions as well as the more critical ones. So if you get ill and need to claim, this insurance will give you a percentage of your cover depending on how severe your condition is. This means that if a condition gets caught early on, the insurance provider will pay out a portion to alleviate the stress, but you’ll also have the rest of your cover should you need to claim again and again.

Income Protection

Most homeowners would find it difficult to cover their mortgage payments if they were unable to work. We never like to imagine that we’ll face ill health or accidental injury, but it’s important to protect yourself and your home just in case. An Income Protection insurance policy may be affordable and is intended to provide income to help replace any lost earnings as a result of illness or injury.

Redundancy & Unemployment Cover

This type of policy provides short-term income protection, usually for up to 12 months, if you are unable to work as a result of involuntary redundancy. Some income protection policies also combine sickness and accident cover, as well as unemployment.

Landlords’ Insurance

If you purchase a buy-to-let property, a standard home insurance policy may not provide sufficient cover. Landlords’ Insurance is usually the best choice. This type of policy usually includes buildings insurance, but it could also cover things like loss of rent, compensation claims from tenants, legal cover, loss of income if your property is damaged, and property owner’s public liability.

Some insurance covers are based on an assessment of the health of the applicant. Most insurance companies are unlikely to cover previous or existing medical conditions, customers should always refer to policy documentation and seek advice in order to understand what the policy does and does not cover before making an application. You should never cancel any existing insurance policies without seeking advice and ensuring you are adequately covered and on risk with any new policies you set up

Our Services

At Hub Financial, we provide impartial advice on every type of mortgage for every type of client, including first-time buyers, existing home owners looking to remortgage, buy-to-let investors, and customers with adverse credit. With extensive knowledge of the complex mortgage market, and established relationships with all leading UK mortgage lenders, we have access to the whole market and are able to source and secure the most competitive mortgage deals for even the most complicated and delicate of client circumstances.

To ensure everything runs smoothly from start to finish, our team of experienced mortgage advisors can also help you to find your next home or investment property. We will arrange property viewings on your behalf, provide feedback to estate agents and sellers, handle all negotiations on your new property to secure the best price on your investment, provide advice on Home Report surveys, and arrange a reputable solicitor to finalise the sale of your home and/or purchase of your new property.

When you buy a new property, it’s critical that you take measures to protect yourself and your investment as much as possible in the event of illness, unemployment, separation, or any other significant change in circumstances. In addition to our mortgage services, we can provide advice and competitive quotes on the various types of insurance you may require as a home owner or buy-to-let landlord.

In addition to essential Buildings and Contents cover, the most common types of insurance policies you may wish to consider are Life Insurance, Critical Illness, Income Protection, Redundancy & Unemployment, and Landlords’ Insurance. If you’re not sure what you need or what these policies cover, we will provide you with all of the required information to help you make an informed decision on what’s best for you and your family

Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage

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