Michael Usher Mortgages Camberley

88 High Street,
Frimley, Surrey
01276 670777

Camberley’s Handy Man

on January 18th, 2010 by admin in category: Uncategorized | (0) Comment

When it comes to refurbishing your property in Camberley, I can recommend local handyman Trevor Sharp.

There is nothing he cannot see to turn his hand to.

Don’t expect him  build an extension to your house or add a new loft.

He doesn’t actually do jobs of that size, he concentrates on the small jobs, like small electrical jobs, small plumbing jobs, puts up shelves, tiling , painting etc.

He also will fit out bathrooms and kitchens, from start to finish.

Trevor is based in Camberley, but covers North East Hampshire.

His website is below..Tell him I sent you.

http://www.handymancamberley.co.uk/

Mortgage advice for young people

on June 11th, 2009 by admin in category: Personal Thoughts, first time buyers | (0) Comment

This week I was invited to give a talk to a group of young men and women who no doubt will become first time buyers in the not too distant future.

I was invited to Flour Daniel, one of the largest local companies.

The talk was centred around “Getting Your First Mortgage”.

I gave a powerpoint presentation, along with Matt Penfold a former Estate agent who now works with me in the Frimley office.

Matt showed using a graph continue

House Prices have risen in Camberley, but hold on.

on May 29th, 2009 by admin in category: Personal Thoughts | (3) Comments

House prices rose 1.2% in May on April, offering evidence of activity in the UK housing market, according to figures from the Nationwide building society.

The annual rate of house price falls eased from 15% in April to 11.3%, with a typical home now costing £154,016.

Over the past three months, house prices fell by 0.5% compared with the previous three-month period, the lowest quarterly drop since January last year.

But lets not get too carried away here.

These kind of headlines may sell newspapers and the information for the Nationwide is in the public domain. But I hope that people generally wont jump the bandwagon.

This could well be a false dawn and sellers might just be tempted to put up their prices too early, led by estate agents who promise to sell at a higher price than the market allows.

Although I am optimistic about the future of property in the local area and feel that prices will go up over time, the way this headline is being presented in the media, is that the green shoots of recovery have started.

I hope they have and certainly we are the busiest we have been for months, but we are still not out of the BIG R, officially anyway.

But there is no doubt that there is more confidence in the market. I know of one family who were gazumped last week when another buyer upped the price on a property being sold for £295k by £8k and we haven’t had that for a while.

But there is a definite shortage of property for sale as people have decided to stay in their existing home and get the builders in to extend. Plus of course it is so expensive to sell your property…..but don’t get me started on that.

Estate agent friends of mine report there 3 or 4 people going after 1 property and in this kind of scenario, the buyer has every right to put their price up because it is in demand.

So I say good luck to anyone who is in that situation, but I hope we don’t all get carried away and forget that a house is an investment for the future and one of the best investment you can make.

Plus one set of figures doesn’t give you the whole picture.

If I can be of help please contact me or one of my staff.

Michael

email: michael@mumsltd.co.uk

Video Advice From The BBC

on May 28th, 2009 by admin in category: first time buyers | (0) Comment

Hello First Time Buyers in Camberley, Frimley, Farnborough, or wherever you are in the UK.

I Came across this advice in a video from the BBC.

Thought it might be worth an airing here.

First Time Buyers Are In The Market

on May 27th, 2009 by admin in category: first time buyers | (0) Comment

There is no doubt in my mind that the housing market is feeling a little stimulated at the moment.

The local newspaper contacted me recently for comments, this is what I told them and they published the article last week.

Local mortgage expert Michael Usher has noticed a huge increase in the number of first time buyers visiting his offices in Frimley High Street.

“We have seen record numbers of first time buyers seeking our advice over the last month. They are doing the groundwork now in readiness for when the market changes.

We speak to a great number of estate agents on a daily basis and they are reinforcing what we are seeing, that the market is moving and that many more first time buyers are visiting properties and then trying to get their mortgage in place, in case they find the ideal property.

The market is changing and for the better, but the banks and building societies need to kick start the process and get more mortgage products on the market, especially for first time buyers.

Although there are some lenders’s headline rates being advertised at 3% or 4%, these are only available for buyers with larger deposits. Typically first time buyers have deposits of around 10% and for that kind of deposit you can get a mortgage with an interest rate of 6% and with a 15% deposit you can get a mortgage with a rate of 5.5%.

A lot of lenders will advertise these 3% low rates just to “hook you in”, to coin a term used in a TV advertisement, but these low rates do come with other financial costs, such as lenders fee or a high redemption fee.

When first time buyers come to us, we offer straight-forward advice, we tell them to continue viewing the market, to get a proper feel, to see what is available out there in their price range and to learn to negotiate, because the more they are out there the more they will learn. Then come back to us and we can give them proper advice and offer a choice of mortgages dependent on the deposit available”

Michael Usher is an independent mortgage adviser based in Frimley Surrey.

Getting a Mortgage in Camberley

on April 30th, 2009 by admin in category: Uncategorized | (0) Comment

If you are thinking of buying a house in Camberley, Frimley, Farnborough or anywhere locally, we can help you. In fact we would love to help you.

But a reality check is required.

TO GET THE BEST RATE AVAILABLE YOU WILL NEED A DEPOSIT OF 25% … YIKES….

If you are buying a property locally valued at £150k you will need £37,500 just as a deposit. Now how many first time buyers can find that sort of money.

Yes with a 25% deposit you can get one of those low rates advertised 3.45% or 3.6%.

But if you only have 10% deposit, you are going to get offered a mortgage with a rate nearer to 6%.

It makes life very difficult for first time buyers, those who are desperate to move (for various reason,s change of job,  divorce etc.) and a lot of people are suffering.

All that money pumped into the financial industry by our government with the aim of helping the banks, but the banks and building industry are not playing fair.

How can you ask a young couple or single person to find 25% for a deposit on a property in this area.

Nearly all of the industry experts are saying the house prices have bottomed out, meaning that property prices have probably reached their lowest price and many estate agents and Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors are saying the same.

Banks and buiding societies that have recieved all those Billions from us, yes us, should be now lowering their criteria for lending and those who have deposits of 10-15% should get those special “Headline Rates” that are advertised.

Once we get people buying houses, whether they be first time buyers or movers, we will also see those people buying furniture and other household goods, which will help the national and local economies.

Please note that mortgage products (deals) come out on a daily basis, we keep our finger firmly on the pulse and so if you are thinking of buying  a property, or re-mortgaging your property, let us know by giving us  a call and we’ll do our best  to give you the benefit of our experience and contacts.

We try hard to be the best in the area.

Michael