Do you have an interest only mortgage?

At Enable Independent we understand some of the issues behind individuals buying homes with an interest-only mortgage. An interest only mortgage offers a much lower rate of mortgage, as typically they only pay the interest and not the capital amount borrowed.

Mortgage lenders have long dismissed any talk of growing problems facing borrowers with an interest only mortgage, but more and more people who have signed up to these types of mortgages are going to find it harder to pay back the money they have borrowed on their loans, when low performing endowment policies just don’t make up the difference at the end of a mortgage term. 

Interest-only mortgages can offer a solution if they are used efficiently, backed up by  a solid repayment plan. However banks in the past have sold interest only mortgages with people who couldn’t afford to pay it back, and this coupled with the failure of the endowment industry have left many homeowners without enough funds to pay off their home.

There seems to be a looming squeeze on people approaching retirement – this has been caused by a lack of financial planning concerning pension planning and mortgage planning. People who have trusted banks to give them the best advice for their futures, didn’t realise until recently they were only driven by their sales target.

The generation who took equity out on their homes in the boom years, and then spent the money of their lifestyles without properly preparing for their interest only loans to expire. The only saving grace will be that property rises are looking to rise again, so they could have the possibility of down-sizing to pay off their loans.

If you are stuck with a interest-only mortgage and feel as though you would like some independent, plain, honest advice on how to implement a plan to pay off the capital on your home, then why not give one of our independent advisors a call.

Issued by: Enable Independent Financial Life Planners
 25c North Street, Bishops Stortford, Herts CM23 2LD
Telephone: 01279 755950 - Fax: 01279 657339
Enable Independent Financial Life Planners is a trading style of Enable Independent Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
It is important always to seek independent financial advice before making any decision regarding your finances. If you would like any assistance, please contact us.
NOTHING CONTAINED IN THE ARTICLES SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS GIVING INDIVIDUAL FINANCIAL ADVICE. 

Second Step on the property ladder?

Enable's Independent Financial Advisors understand that a home to live and grow in is vital to well being.  But making that step up from a first-time buyer to a second home has risen almost threefold in the last decade. And in our experience parents like to help their children take steps forward.

A resent, Lloyds TSB report found the price difference between a typical first-time buyer flat and the semi-detached home desired by many "second steppers" has risen from £14,000 10 years ago to almost £41,000.Researchers said nearly half of first-time buyers live in flats, which average £148,502 in value. The typical price for a semi-detached house, the type of property often favoured by second steppers, stands at £189,312, meaning they face a 27% premium to trade up.Second steppers in the South East face the biggest percentage premium at 52%, equating to almost £85,000 to make the jump to their second home.

Stephen Noakes, Lloyds TSB mortgage director, said: "Second steppers face a number of tough challenges and in many ways have been the hardest hit by the subdued housing market, so it is unsurprising that they are struggling to fund the gap needed to trade up to their preferred second home. Parents have long been helping to fund their children's first home but many are now having to provide further support as they move up the ladder."

Enables Independent Financial Advisors can help you or your children to plan for your next big step with mortgage and savings advice.

Property investment.....what you need to know

In 2007, property investors had a roller-coaster ride.  As a result, many surviving investors gravitated towards the high-end, prime or luxury market, particularly in coveted areas with low supply such as central London. But remember real wealth management can be global and long term. Most financial portfolios will contain some property and at reputable wealth management providers like Enable our IFA’s can advise.

Another part of the world where property is at a premium is Hong Kong which remains the world’s most expensive place to buy a home, and prices have gained more than 78 per cent since early 2009 on record low mortgage rates and an under-supply of new units.

Closer to home – and in spite of the fact that properties worth more than £2m are now subject to 7 per cent stamp duty, a rise of 2 per cent from the Budget in March – the number of transactions in the UK remains largely unaffected. There were 1,518 property sales worth at least £2m in 2011, a rise of 5 per cent from 1,442 sales in 2010 and the highest number in this price bracket since records began in 1995. Purchases of properties topping the £2m mark were also 2 per cent higher in 2011 than at the peak of the housing market in 2007. In addition, the number of properties selling for more than £5m rose by 22 per cent from 128 in 2010 to 156 in 2011, providing further evidence of strength at the top end.

The Secret Of Long-Term Financial Success

As Independent Financial Advisors, Wealth Management is key to our activities at Enable. As with all other IFA’s we are always looking for the best way to make returns over the medium term.  At Enable we always advocate diversity and learning form others success and mistakes. One fund manager who also prefers not to put all her eggs in one basket is Margaret Lawson, co-fund manager of the SVM UK Growth Fund, a 12-year-old portfolio.

Lawson has seen the fund endure a difficult 2011, when it fell 8.2 per cent (A share class), falling behind  the FTSE All-Share Index of UK stocks by 4.7 per cent, but over the longer term, this is a strong fund. Since its launch in March 2000, the fund has delivered a cumulative performance of 74.8 per cent, beating the index by 44.6 per cent. (Lipper data at 29 February, 2012.)

One of the “unique selling points” of a fund like this is how its managers divide it into three categories: its “core” holdings, “tactical” holdings and “alpha kickers”. A “core” segment holds the low-risk, robust selection of stocks that are rotated infrequently; a “tactical” segment contains stocks that are chosen for their exposure to shorter-term trends, such as changes in the economic cycle, and “alpha kicker” segment, which gets its returns from firms undergoing significant change and where shares often trade at a discount and offer potentially large returns.

Enable can see the benefit of being able to adjust the share that these three segments have of the total fund so that performance can be maintained and losses curbed in different economic conditions: recession, strong growth or sluggish growth, our IFA’s are always available to discuss your Wealth Management strategies.

Rental Properties - your rental portfolio

The new from the Association of Residential Lettings Agents (ARLA) states that increased demand for rental property is sparking a renewed interest in the PRS in parts of the UK. If you are looking to invest in property achievable rent levels on residential property have risen in the last six months, according to 60 percent of ARLA member agents, and have outperformed other investment classes consistently for the past two years.

The average period for which a rental property is empty in between lets is just 2.7 weeks per year, down from an average four weeks two years ago. Ian Potter, Operations Manager at ARLA, said: “Three quarters of our members are reporting that demand for rental property is outstripping supply and, with rental returns currently at 5 percent, anyone thinking about investing a property to rent could be well-placed to consider their options in the coming months.”

“Our research shows that prudent landlords are moving quickly to expand their portfolios, with almost a quarter (23 percent) reporting that they have bought properties in the last year. The most popular regions for investment are the North West, Midlands and Central London. In contrast the Rest of London saw the fewest landlords buying property.

Reputable IFA’s like Enable of Bishop’s Stortford could help you look at your investment portfolio with a view to a buy to let mortgage even if it was appropriate to your means and plans. Not everyone is cut out to be a landlord, but at the same time a good letting agent should be able to help you navigate the market should you choose to invest.

Safe as houses...

Recent industry data seems to indicate that buy to let property investment continues to be one of the best ways to invest at the moment.

Statistics from the Halifax reveal house prices increased by 1.2 per cent in October with the average home in the UK now valued at around £163,311 and the rental market has continued to go from strength to strength as first time buyers struggle to get on the property ladder.

Almost four million homes were designated in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) in 2010, providing homes for one in six households and the Countrywide agency says rental properties now take an average of just 12.7 days to be let, with an average of five prospective tenants competing for each property.

Ray Withers, director of buy to let experts Property Frontiers, added: “With demand outstripping supply in the buy to let market, those with enough capital to invest in the growing buy to let arena are benefiting from some of the highest monthly returns on record.”

Perhaps unexpectedly the North West has enjoyed a 20 percent rise in rental rates this year alone and in Liverpool demand is outstripping supply probably due to the reduction in home ownership and the number of new homes being built (well below the Government target of 250,000 per annum). Meanwhile, demand for accommodation in and around the city centre also continues to rise as more students and young professionals enter the area.

Independent Financial Advisors like Enable of Bishop’s Stortford can help you look at your investment portfolio.

When to buy a house - Safe as Houses

In the news recently the National Housing Federation’s independently-commissioned Oxford Economics Report predicts:  Home ownership in England will slump to just 63.8% over the next decade - the lowest level since the mid 1980s – locking an entire generation out of the housing market.  According to a new study,  huge deposits, combined with high house prices and strict lending criteria, have sent home ownership into decline in recent years and the downward trend will continue for the foreseeable future.

The Federation warned the housing market will be plunged into an unprecedented crisis as it forecast steep rises in the private rental sector, huge social housing waiting lists, and a house price boom – all fueled by a chronic under-supply of homes. 

According to Oxford Economics, who were commissioned to produce the forecasts: 
In England, the proportion of people living in owner occupied homes will fall from a peak of 72.5% in 2001 to 63.8% in 2021.

In London, the majority of people living in the capital will rent by 2021 with the number of owner occupiers falling from 51.6% in 2010 to 44% by 2021.

The North East will be the only English region to see any increase in owner occupier numbers over the next decade, rising marginally from 66.2% to 67.4%.

The average house price in England will meanwhile rise by 21.3% over the next five years from £214,647 in 2011, to £260,304 in 2016,

As investors what should you do? If you own a property hold on to it if you have the capital maybe buy to let is not such a bad idea again? Enable IFA's in Bishop Stortford can help you talk through what to do.