How The January 2021 Lockdown Will Affect The Property & Mortgage Market in Birmingham
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced new national restrictions for England until March during Lockdown. Additionally, it came to be that you can still purchase and even move house during Lockdown under certain circumstances.
Property Market remains Open in Birmingham
On 4 January 2021, the UK will be once again going into a national lockdown. The following day, all changes would affect the 5th, with specific sectors staying active during the next six weeks. Working similar to the November 2020 lockdown, the property market would continue to open for business as usual, which means you will still be able to take up house viewings, push on with your property purchase and put your home up for sale.
It is essential to point out that you may continue to experience delays with some businesses. Solicitors and Surveyors are once more in need of more stringent restrictions, leading their services to take a bit longer. We can foresee that will be a mad dash of customers attempting to take full advantage of the Stamp Duty Cut before that eventually comes to an end.
Safety Measures for Home Movers in Birmingham
We want to advise everyone looking at moving home in Birmingham, to stay safe during the process and ensure you’re following all the proper guidelines. If you find yourself needing a reminder, please consult the latest government guidance about protecting yourself and others whilst moving home.
90% Mortgages are Still Available to Buyers
We are delighted to confirm that yes, ‘90% mortgages’ are still accessible. We see signs more frequently that lenders are more optimistic in the UK property market as time goes on. They are concerned that the request for properties is still very much there, and that people will begin to come back when they get convinced that they can get a deal with a 5-10% deposit.
You may also be able to access a 90% mortgage through something like the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme or the Help to Buy Shared Ownership scheme. Your mortgage advisor will explain how these methods could help you obtain a mortgage with only a 5-10% deposit.
An Extension on Mortgage Payment Holidays
Mortgage Payments Holidays (a means of temporarily postponing finances that could leave you struggling during the pandemic) were due to end on 31 October 2020. Thankfully for several, this option has now been extended to 31 March 2021.
If you are yet to utilise a Mortgage Payment Holiday, you’ll be able to request a break of up to 6 months. If you’ve already taken a Mortgage Payment Holiday of less than 6 months, you will be able to extend your existing holiday up until the 6-month mark.
Still Here, Still Open, Still open & honest in Birmingham
Our fast & friendly mortgage advice service in Birmingham is still running, and we will be happy to assist in any way we can. We have a team of devoted mortgage advisors available from early until late, 7 days a week, throughout the year to assist you with your mortgage enquiries. 2020 has been traumatic enough for many, and we would love to take as much strain out of your mortgage process as possible.
All customers will still benefit from a free initial mortgage consultation, no matter the situation.
For a brief rundown of the property and mortgage market’s current situation, please check out our video where our company director Malcolm Davidson, recorded the following day after Boris announced lockdown.
Birminghammoneyman Christmas Message During Covid-19
Have a safe Christmas Birmingham
We hope this year ends on a positive note and continues into a safe and prosperous New Year for everyone from me and my team here at Birminghammoneyman and we hope for a healthy 2021 for all of us.
Property values have held up remarkably well during the pandemic due to a shortage of stock, undiminished consumer demand, and the Stamp Duty Holiday (which is due to end in March).
If 2020 has proved nothing else, it has confirmed you’ll never stop first-time buyers in Birmingham from wanting to put their foot onto the property ladder and be homeowners.
Purchase & Remortgage Predictions for Birmingham
In terms of my predictions for 2021, despite rising unemployment, I fully expect the consumer demand for buying property to continue.
More people are continuing to spend more time at home, and, naturally, people might look for something larger, better, or with a lot more land.
We will also see lots of people looking to remortgage in Birmingham activity from people who are happy where they are living but would like to invest in their homes by extending them or creating home offices.
Things are looking up
Interest rates are still low, and off the back of Brexit, the Government will be keen for the property sector to thrive given that it is one of the “wide multipliers”, e.g. it sustains lots of jobs.
Once the vaccine gets rolled out entirely, and life gets back to some form of normality. I believe there will be many people who adopt a “life’s too short” outlook, and this should be good for the economy as a whole, especially those involved in the property market.
If you need expert mortgage advice in Birmingham and would like to speak with one of our dedicated mortgage advisors about taking out a mortgage or life insurance in 2021 please do get in touch, we’ll be happy to help.
Our Past & Present Apprentices
National Apprenticeship Week 2020 | #NAW2020
It’s National Apprenticeship Week for 2020. We thought we’d take a moment to reflect upon employees who recently completed their apprenticeships as well as those who are currently undertaking them.
Mortgage Advisor Tom and case Handler Laura
Riding off the success of earlier apprentices Thomas Bowes. Formerly of the Customer Care team, now a Mortgage Advisor in Birmingham, and Laura Aves. A Dedicated Case Handler who you might recognise from reading our genuine customer reviews. It shows that her job is to help our Mortgage Advisors. With the previous success, the company decided that apprenticeships were the way forward.
Giving young men and women an opportunity in what is likely their first job. Allowing them to learn and grow with skills they wouldn’t otherwise learn. It gives us a sense of pride and achievement. We’re helping to build their futures whilst they’re also able to earn a living.
Digital Marketeer Michael
We have former apprentice Michael Sallabank, who undertook a Digital Marketing Apprenticeship with the company. 3 years later and Michael is very much still a part of the Moneyman team. It’s been several months since he completed his apprenticeship, and he’s now a fully-fledged digital marketer. As a collective, the Marketing team helps create brand awareness, allowing potential customers to take their first steps towards Mortgage Advice in Birmingham.
Case Handler Chloe
Next, we have Chloe Masters, who coincidentally recently celebrates her 2nd anniversary today. Chloe is one of the youngest members of the Birminghammoneyman team, joining our Mortgage Administrators as a Dedicated Case Handler. Finishing her apprenticeship this week, Chloe now joins fellow former apprentice Laura in assisting the Mortgage Advisors with their work.
Lee & James Digital Marketer
At this current moment in time, the Birminghammoneyman team has 2 apprentices. Lee Underwood and James Lawson all joined the team in late 2019, undertaking a Digital Marketing Apprenticeship. The two marketing apprentices look to take the mortgage world by storm and create even more brand awareness. For budding home buyers looking to find expert Mortgage Advice in Birmingham.
We truly value everyone who walks through our doors and always enjoys watching our apprentices grow over time. As both workers and people. We look forward to seeing who joins our team in the future!
Wear it Pink day 2019 | Mortgage Broker in Birmingham
Raising Money For Breast Cancer
Throughout the year, we like to help out charities where we can. Making donations, sharing images, educating the workplace, and those who follow us online. When we saw that the 18th of October 2019 would be a charity day, bringing awareness to another great cause, we couldn’t resist taking part.
The occasion was to raise money and awareness for Breast Cancer Now, a charity that aims to help the future. Where everyone who develops breast cancer survives, living a long and fulfilled life.
Breast Cancer Care earlier this year. They’re supporting nearly 450 of the world’s best researchers across the UK and Ireland and trying to make a better life for anyone affected by this awful disease.
Wanting To Help When Needed
Our outstanding Mortgage Advisors in Birmingham started our charity day by ensuring everyone arrived in pink t-shirts. (Compliance Manager Paula also opted for significant pink heels) and getting everyone “glittered up” with pink glitter on their faces, hands, arms, and beards.
Then as the day went on, things got wilder! We had photoshoots with all the staff, and a quiz was passed around (it was a lot harder than it looked). There were various cakes dotted around, and we even had a raffle – Everyone loves a good raffle!.
Overall, the day was fun and full of excitement, finishing off with the fantastic news that we had raised £161 for Breast Cancer Now. We are incredibly grateful mortgage broker in Birmingham for everyone who got involved and their willingness to shed light on a cause that desperately needs more attention.
We want to say thank you to our very own Mortgage Administrator Kayleigh Steward. Whom without we would not have had this brilliant day.
Mortgage Broker Bake-off in Birmingham 2019
Macmillan Coffee Morning
Friday 27th September 2019 marked the day for Macmillan Coffee Morning, which the charity encourages others to take part in to raise money for cancer support.
Throughout the years our Mortgage Advisors in Birmingham have taken part in many of these. We believe keeping charity close to our heart and help out wherever we can. This year, it was one of the best yet, with some incredible food brought forward by Birminghammoneyman’s brilliant staff.
What’s on the menu?
- Soured Cream Bundt Cake w/ Butter Glaze & Blackberry Sauce (Made by Anna Braithwaite – Mortgage Technician)
- Double Chocolate Muffins (Made by Laura Aves – Dedicated Case Handler)
- Guinness Chocolate Cake (Made by Mel Blanchard – Operations Manager)
- Carrot Cake (Made by Jo Parnell – Mortgage Technician)
- Toffee Pavlova (Made by Leanne Ashman – Dedicated Case Handler)
- Salted Caramel Cake & Lemon Cake (Made by Tesco, Generously Donated by Kayleigh Steward – Dedicated Case Handler)
- Heroes Cupcakes (Made by Cadbury, Generously Donated by Paula Milner – Compliance Manager)
Every Penny Makes A Huge Difference
Each one of these went down a treat with our staff at our fast and friendly mortgage broker in Birmingham and our building neighbours, who donated an amazing amount for Macmillan Cancer Support.
We are incredibly grateful for everyone that baked, donated, tasted, and had fun during our coffee morning. We are all very full, but we cannot wait for what next year bring us.
Company Recognition 2019 Champions in Birmingham
Today we recognize achievement within the company. Every month our Mortgage Broker in Birmingham reflects upon each employee’s hard work rewarding those who have gone above and beyond in the workplace. Everybody stops their work and gathers around, in a moment of celebration for the chosen individuals.
It helps build real confidence booster for those selected and everyone else in the company. It’s quite remarkable to be pulled aside and thanked for everything you’ve done. Knowing it’s appreciated and that you’re not just another cog in the machine, you’re valued and essential.
Our Mortgage Broker in Birmingham 2019 Champions
Customer Reviews – Kayleigh Steward
Kayleigh is the sunshine of the workplace, encouraging positivity amongst her peers. Don’t let that fool you though, she’s a tough and determined member of our Mortgage Administrator team, with a strong desire to ensure all our customers get their deals finalized.
Once this gets done, Kayleigh also asks the customers if they could leave us a review. After such a positive service from her, they’re always happy to do so. It’s these reviews that you see on our site, that encourage you to come with us when you have an inquiry. Without the reviews, you may go to another broker, one who can’t help the level we can.
Putting the customer first – Nathan Moore
Brummie born Nathan is what is professionally referred to in the industry, as an advising machine. Okay so maybe not entirely professional, but who can argue with results? Nathan is one of our hardest working, longest-serving, and highest achieving Mortgage Advisor in Birmingham.
Nathan has accepted appointments almost as soon as they come in, even when they’re last minute! Nathan is known to work during days off or even after hours if it means ensuring the customer gets the 5-Star Service we know they deserve.
Not one to sit idly, Nathan also likes to complete as many mortgages as humanly possible, making sure his cases are done promptly and efficiently, before quickly moving on to do more. He truly cares about his customers, which is evident in the work he demonstrates daily.
Mentor – Michael Sallabank
In the first place, we have Michael Sallabank. Michael, or as he affectionately is known, Mikey, started in early 2018 as an apprentice in the companies Marketing Department.
He has spent the past year and a half working incredibly hard to achieve everything in his path. Within the last few weeks, Mikey got presented with a certificate, for completing his Level 3 apprenticeship in Digital Marketing.
Mikey is also a notorious problem addict, dedicated to solving every IT issue within the company. He does not like problems he can’t fix and tends to exhaust every option he has to ensure everything is back on track. 9 times out of 10, the issues can get solved.
This does not go unappreciated by his peers either as issues can often leave them anxious. However, Mikey is prompt in his work and fixes the problem quickly.
Lastly, Mikey has worked hard over the past few weeks helping out the companies new Marketing Apprentices, showing them the ropes, keeping patient, and making them feel welcome within the workplace.
He has used his experience, explaining everything as clear and straightforward as possible, ensuring they know exactly what to do and how to do it. A huge thank you to all of our team for working so hard last month. Here’s to another great month!
Mortgage Advisor in Birmingham
Mortgage Advisor in Birmingham | Our Brilliant Team
Customer Satisfaction in Birmingham
We live in a technology-driven, fast-paced world, and we believe our customers’ buying pattern is evolving. We are known as the mortgage advice expert in Birmingham to win our customer’s trust, and we have to be by far the best and the most responsive.
As a company, we are confident that we’re shining. We are incredibly proud of both our mortgage advisor in Birmingham and the supporting staff.
Free Mortgage Consultation to all new or existing customers
Our mortgage advisors in Birmingham cover 7 days a week, making themselves available for calls, questions, and appointments until late every evening. Our lives are changing, but working these hours is more fluid, and our reviews acknowledge that this is appreciated.
Additionally, our mortgage advice support team in Birmingham is always formidable at work behind the scenes. They communicate brilliantly, making sure your telephone calls are picked up and are working their magic in turning your mortgage application into a formal offer.
The most rewarding part of our job is helping first time buyers or home movers who haven’t moved in a while, providing help and support that is needed throughout the process.
During the period, we have been lucky enough to have received over a large amount of 5 start customer reviews. Please feel free to read them here.
Mortgage Broker in Birmingham family
We want to thank the team with people like Laura, Kayleigh S, Chloe, and Mel, who have intensely focused on collecting these reviews.
Living in the digital age, we are under no illusion that the first thing a potential customer will do when looking for Mortgage Advice in Birmingham is to view our reviews. Who doesn’t? It’s the same with almost all products and services these days. If you are soon seeking Birmingham Mortgage Advice, I can personally state that we are not only mortgage experts. We’ll be responsive with calls and emails too!
Mortgage Advice in Birmingham
