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Find a rated tradesman
Want to add value to your property, make your house a home, or sell your place fast? With 1,000s of tradesmen nationwide, rated and recommended by previous customers, this is the smart way to find a reputable tradesman.
Buy of the week: Camden Town
This two-bedroom flat has a pretty park on its doorstep, while buzzing Camden Town is only 10 minutes’ walk away. Big sash windows and high ceilings give a spacious feel and there’s a private garden with a studio/home office (£525,000).
Swap of the week: Willersey, Glouc
This little Cotswolds beauty is just across the road from the village green and duck pond. For £530,000 you get beams, exposed stone walls and an open fireplace, plus four bedrooms, a useful attic room and lush gardens to enjoy.
Life-changer: Trescowe, Cornwall
For a project brimming with potential, what about this coastal home, yours for £545,000? The family space includes six bedrooms, while its collection of outbuildings overlooking an acre of gardens could become income-generating holiday lets.
Spotlight on Camden Town
The shops and markets clustered around the high street and canal make Camden one of the most colourful of London's neighbourhoods. The area's period homes and loft-style apartments attract a mix of homebuyers.
Property search
In a bit of a fix
Our lawyer Fiona McNulty looks at the penalties that may apply when ending a fixed-rate mortgage early
© Malcolm Willett (www.willett-ink.co.uk)
I have a fixed-rate mortgage and, therefore, am not benefiting from the really low bank rate at the moment. Is there any point in me trying to get out of the fixed rate so I can change my mortgage to a tracker or something? That way I could save money just in case I am made redundant.
Answer: Contact your lender and explain the situation about your employment and your concerns. If you end a fixed-rate mortgage early, a fee, known as an early redemption penalty, is likely to apply.
This may be a substantial sum and you must consider carefully whether the savings you will make by changing your mortgage will be worthwhile after you have paid off the penalty.
If you have a particularly cheap fixed-rate mortgage, even if your fixed period has expired, you may still have to pay a redemption fee. A tracker mortgage will allow you to take advantage of the current cheap Bank of England base rate but do remember that a tracker mortgage moves with that base rate and so, though the base rate is very low now, your interest rate will increase if the base rate goes back up.
In addition, to obtain a new mortgage, even if you remain with the same lender, your property will have to be valued and, if the value has decreased, you may be unable to get a mortgage for an amount equivalent to your current mortgage.
What's your problem?
If you have a question for Fiona McNulty, email legalsolutions@standard.co.uk. We regret that questions cannot be answered individually.
Fiona is a partner in the property team at Thring Townsend Lee & Pembertons Solicitors www.ttuk.com.
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