Tag: Banbridge

Increase in remortgage activity.

There was a 12% rise in remortgage instructions in February according to the LMS.

The most popular main aim when remortgaging was to lower monthly payments, cited by 28% of borrowers. The survey by the conveyancing firm says 42% of borrowers increased their loan sizes in February. Popular reasons for increasing mortgage loans was home improvements and to consolidate more expensive debts to a cheaper mortgage rate.

46% of those who remortgaged took out a five-year fixed-rate product, which was the most popular product last month. 45% opted for 2 year fixed rate products. Borrowers are unconvinced about pending rate reductions despite mortgage lenders factoring this in with lower interest rates.

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House prices not affordable except in Northern Ireland

The average cost of a home in England was £298,000 in the 12 months to the end of March last year, equal to 8.6 years of average household income, the latest official data shows.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) calculates this affordability level on an annual disposable household income of £35,000 during the period. An acceptable level of house price affordability is at five years of household disposable income.

It adds that since 1999 “house prices have increased twice as quickly as household incomes in England; house prices in Wales and Scotland have also increased more rapidly than incomes, but the differences are more moderate”.

The department points out that average house price to disposable household income ratios were 5.8 years in Wales – based on homes priced at £205,000 and £35,000 average incomes.

In Scotland, the ratio is 5.6 years – based on homes priced at £185,000 and £33,000 average incomes.

While in Northern Ireland the ratio is 5 years — based on homes priced at £160,000 and £32,000 average incomes.

The ONS says for low-income households, average-priced homes in all four countries have been “unaffordable” since 1999, when it began collecting data in this series.

It says only the 10% of highest-income households in England could afford an average-priced home with fewer than five years of household income in the financial year to 2023.

This is in comparison to Northern Ireland where an average-priced home was affordable with an average household income.

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Reduction in 5 year fixed rates

The average five-year fixed mortgage rate is now 4.66%, down from 5.33% 12 months ago according to the Rightmove weekly mortgage tracker

The data shows the average two-year fixed mortgage rate is now 4.92%, down from 5.76% a year ago. A significant reduction of 0.84%.

The property portal calculated that the average monthly mortgage payment on a typical first-time buyer type property when taking out an average five-year fixed, 85% loan-to-value (LTV) mortgage, is now £1,093 per month, down from £1,159 per month a year ago.

Meanwhile, the average 85% LTV five-year fixed mortgage rate is now 4.69%, down from 5.40% a year ago, while the average 60% LTV five-year fixed mortgage rate is now 4.05%, down from 4.91% a year ago.

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