Home buying with a helping hand
Apr
Nicola Wicks of Northwood speaks to Leon Pisani and Steven Pyne of Mortgage Advice Bureau North Cardiff on how the best mortgage advisors can help you find your dream home in Rhiwbina and North Cardiff
What advice would you give first-time buyers or homemovers looking in the area?
It is always important to be ready. If you are a home mover, you need to have your house valued, on the market and ideally sold subject to contract. As there are so many buyers out there, a vendor is not going to accept an offer from you if your house is not sold and you are not in a proceedable position – so if serious about moving get a professional estate agent such as Northwood to come out to give you a fair and honest valuation.
If you’re a first-time buyer, then it is incredibly important to ensure you have an ‘Agreement in Principle’ or an ‘AIP’. This is essentially a certificate from a lender that evidences you are proceedable, the loan amount requested is affordable and you have passed a soft credit check. This generally means that the lender will accept a full application from a client, subject to an acceptable valuation of the property you wish to purchase.
The common misconception is that applying for an agreement in Principle will have a detrimental effect on a client’s credit file. However, most lenders now will only carry out a ‘soft check’, which will not have any impact on your credit file at all. Having an AIP will ensure you can begin making offers on properties right away and puts you in the best possible position.
Is it a good time for current homeowners & landlords to re-mortgage?
We have spent a lot of time during the last 12-months arranging re-mortgages for clients who wish to raise funds for home improvements or simply looking to secure a lower rate and achieve a lower monthly payment. There really has never been a better time to do this given how low-interest rates currently are and we have saved our clients thousands of pounds this year. This applies to both homeowners & landlords.
What are the advantages of using a trusted broker such as Mortgage Advice Bureau North Cardiff?
Both myself and my colleague Steve have both worked and lived in North Cardiff for a number of years, we know the market extremely well and our local knowledge of the area has been a huge help to our clients. We also both come from an estate agency background and so have a real understanding of the whole house buying process from making the offer to getting the keys.
As part of the Mortgage Advice Bureau network, we have access to over 99 lenders and a number of exclusive rates. We can arrange purchase, Re-Mortgage and buy to let applications, as well as any insurances that maybe needed upon moving in. We also charge no fees for an initial consultation, and this can be done over the phone or face to face.
Finally, we pride ourselves on managing the customer journey and speed of service. We keep in regular contact with our clients until exchange of contracts and are there to offer advice whenever needed.
Ready to start your moving journey in 2022?
Get in touch with Leon or Steven for the latest mortgage advice or Nicola at Northwood for the best local insights or a free market appraisal.
1A & 1B Heol Y Deri, Rhiwbina,
Cardiff, CF14 6HA
02920 521400
www.northwooduk.com
