Stamp Duty – good news for first home buyers
Good news for people who are looking to buy their first home this week, with the government announcing that first home buyers who purchase property under £250,000 will be exempt from paying stamp duty. This is a great benefit for first home buyers and it will be a great saving which they could possibly now add to their deposit or it will simply allow more people who may not have previously been able to enter the market to purchase a home of their own.
David Smith from the Times commented that “Alistair Darling’s Robin Hood coup in last week’s budget was the two-year stamp-duty holiday for first-time buyers of homes up to £250,000, paid for by a permanent increase in the duty to 5% on £1m-plus properties. Clearly, there will be mixed feelings about this.
Despite the skepticism, stamp-duty holidays work, as previous experience has shown. Provided the bureaucracy can identify who is a genuine first-time buyer — a divorced wife or husband who was previously a joint owner will not count — this should give the market a boost, which is why the housing industry has welcomed it.”
Stephen Brown, Director of our Crouch End shop has said that “if we start seeing banks lend more then this will be a nice saving. Hopefully the stamp duty saving should be good for first home buyers as this will give more money to their deposit.”
Either way you look at it this will help more people purchase their first home which is a good thing!
19% leap in mortgage approvals
http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/article.aspx?cp-documentid=15538579
So, mortgage approvals are on the up…could this mean buyers are flooding back to the market? Well, I don’t think we should be too hasty, but things did take a bit of a turn for the better this February. Just having a quick look at our figures, our offer rate is up 43% in Febraury, compared to the previous month and our exchanges have increased by 10%. I think the figures speak for themselves, things are picking up.
Personally, I think it’s a really great time to buy right now and if I was in such a position I would definitely be snapping up a nifty little pad for a bargain price. Then just hold tight and watch it’s value go up again in a few years. What do you think?
Confused about mortgages?
Do you know the difference between fixed, discount and tracker 
mortgages? It’s all a bit of a mine field, especially if you’re a first time buyer!
The money saving expert is a great website that gives you plenty of tips on saving money and explains things in simple terms. Have a look at their tips on picking the right mortgage for you. It also features a calculator which can help you decide whether to ditch your fix rate mortgage.
If you’re still confused, I’m sure the friendly Financial Services team and Greene & Co, would be happy to give you some FREE advise. Visit their website. enquiries@greenefs.co.uk” target=”_blank”>Email them or give them a call on 020 7328 3280.
