Smart people plan ahead
The boy scouts have it just about spot on with their short and sweet motto: Be Prepared. There is no dilly-dallying around the fact that we are in the middle of a recession, with the phrase ‘credit crunch’ being thrown around like a hot potato.
The people that are in the best position are those forward-thinking individuals who planned ahead and made sure they had a little something put aside for hard times. Indeed, if we lived our lives abiding to the ever insightful scout handbook, we would “always be in a state of readiness”.
The majority of us, though, are all in the same boat – struggling a little in these times of doom and gloom. Even the local Supermarkets seem to have taken pity on us and are offering special ‘credit crunching’ offers,
For most people, the bulk of their money is tied up in their house – it is a necessity for our comfort and shelter, but also the area of our lives where it is notoriously difficult to make cutbacks. The bills just keep coming; electricity, phone, gas – not to mention the ‘daddy’ of all bills, the mortgage. But for first time buyers or those people looking to juggle their funds a little, there are ways to make owning a home a little less of a burden.
The first and most important thing is to find the right mortgage to suit you and your lifestyle. This is where you can be a bit of a smarty-pants, because if you shop around and compare mortgages then it is likely you will find one that can make your finances look a little healthier and happier. There are many mortgage styles to choose from, but two key options are a repayment mortgage where you pay a little at a time, or an interest only mortgage, where you only pay off the interest on the loan and then pay a lump sum at the end.
Mortgage providers are also now legally obliged to provide customers with a ‘Key Facts’ document, meaning everything should be laid out for you in crystal clear terms. If we return to the wisdom of our trusted scout handbook, we are advised to “do the right thing at the right moment”, meaning now would seem the right time to compare mortgages and look toward a brighter financial future.
So despite the horror of financial headlines, it is still possible to find mortgage deals that suit all you persona and financial needs.
Paul McIndoe writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.