Buying a house in Gorton

Gorton...

Historically it's not one of the nicest parts of inner city Manchester. I've never lived there but for 5 years or so I used to work at ICL Gorton. 'ICL' stood for International Computers Limited and was formed in 1968 by the English Socialist Tony Benn. In this photo, the former ICL building is the only thing standing.

Anyway, so what is Gorton like? See here: https://www.reddit.com/r/manchester/comments/61rjby/whats_gorton_like/

There's been a lot of regeneration work gone into Gorton over the last few years and Manchester is trying hard to drive some investment into the area to make it a nicer place to live.

If you do a search on house buying sites such as Zoopla (try this: https://www.zoopla.co.uk/new-homes/property/gorton/) then you'll notice that many of the houses are new builds with attractive terms for people wishing to buy and arrange a mortgage. Prices start from £199,000 and climb a little higher. You're very unlikely to find a 'des res' in Gorton, the area attracts the low paid and the unpaid but it's something that Manchester is working hard to change.



Bury Mortgage Broker - Getting a mortgage approval

A colleague of mine recently bought a house in Bury, Greater Manchester. He was a first time buyer and went for something that was affordable - a simple 2 up / 2 down terrace on the way out to Tottington.

As he was self employed he found that getting approved for a mortgage was not the most straightforward thing he'd ever done. He didn't have any employers pay slips for example but he was able to demonstrate a regular payments into his account that would adequately cover his mortgage outgoing.

The problem was that these payments were never for a standard amount. This meant that banks were not interested in lending him money. The broker / adviser he used to get him his mortgage was Manchester Mortgages (you can view their Bury page here - https://manchestermortgages.co.uk/bury-mortgage-broker-advisor/)

These brokers come with a wealth of experience and have been working in the mortgage business between them for over 40 years. Their advice is second to none. Manchester Mortgages are often able to get you approved for a mortgage where other companies have failed. Call them now on 0161 706 0242.



Getting a mortgage for a house in Flixton

I was recently contacted by a client wanting to buy a new build house in Flixton, Manchester. Barratt Homes have a new development in Flixton, Manchester called Scholar's Green (see https://www.smartnewhomes.com/new-homes/developers/branch/barratt-homes-scholars-green-manchester-82863/?from_fd=1).

My client was looking to buy one of these new build properties and had sold their current house subject to contract. All was good, or so she thought, but unfortunately she only had a 5% deposit and because she was looking to buy a house priced at £279,000, her mortgage lender were unwilling to extend credit facilities and loan her the money. Hence, she was not able to get a mortgage.

Getting a mortgage for a property you want to buy can often be infuriating because you believe that you have all the lending criteria sorted only to then be told that the lender will not give you a mortgage. My advise therefore is to read the pages of this blog - start with the home page and you'll find plenty of mortgage brokers who will be able to exceed what a high street mortgage lender can do and successfully broker you a mortgage.

So if you've been refused a mortgage by a high street lender, don't give up. It could actually be a blessing in disguise as you'll get a much better deal from an independent mortgage broker.

Getting a Mortgage to live in Sale

Sale is claimed by the people who live there to be in Cheshire, but really it's part of Greater Manchester. Positioned between Stretford and Altrincham, Sale is a popular and upmarket place to live. A Manchester based mortgage broker who specialises on getting people agreed for mortgages in Sale is Manchester Mortgages.

Says Andrew Butterworth, broker with mortgage advisor Manchester Mortgages in Sale: "With typical property prices ranging from £250,000 up to over £1M there are plenty of different types of house available. There are also many different mortgage products on the market designed to cater for people in differing circumstances".

First time buyers tend to not live in Sale due to the property prices, instead they choose Stretford as it's far more affordable. Remortgaging is popular in Sale, where over the last 10 years house prices have risen by 10%-30%. This gives people plenty of scope to remortgage their property and make improvements such as extensions and refitting rooms.

Moving to Sale is popular and there are plenty of mortgage brokers who will advise on the best mortgage product for you. Those people will a poor credit score will find it more difficult to raise money to buy a house but it is possible - you just need to find the right broker.

"Educationally, Sale comes under the Manchester borough of Trafford - there is a good choice of schools available too. This make Sale a very popular area to live", continued Andrew.

Stretford mortgage brokers

Stretford, the part of Greater Manchester that is home to both Manchester United football club and Lancashire County Cricket club is currently enjoying a bit of a facelift. The well know A56 Chester Road that runs from Sale through to the city centre is being repaired and the local Stretford shopping centre is also being beautified.

With 3 bedroom terraced houses now selling for upwards of £200,000 (see https://www.onthemarket.com/for-sale/property/stretford/), many people are looking to buy a house in this area. Mortgage brokers are much sought after and quality brokers like Andy Butterworth and Alan Dee are busily sorting out mortgages for all types of Stretford property.

Because the houses in Stretford are a mix, the types of mortgages available are also a mix. First time buyers, buy to let, lease to buy, remortgages and bad credit mortgages all rank highly in Stretford.

Ideally placed between Chorlton, Sale, Urmston and Manchester city centre, Stretford is the cheapest of these areas to buy a house. Chorlton is super expensive, closely followed by Sale and then Urmston. For people looking to buy a house in Stretford, you'll save yourself over £100k by relocating here rather than Chorlton.

Buying a house in Swinton, Boothstown or Eccles?

Attention house buyers and remortgagers, if you are wanting to buy a house or remortgage your property and it's in the Manchester areas of Swinton, Eccles or Boothstown then this post is especially for you.

Mortgage broker Andrew Butterworth from popular local mortgage advisors Manchester Mortgages has put together a special mortgage deal for people and families looking to move to these three areas.

Take a look at this house - ideal for first time buyers in Pendlebury, Swinton. At £130,000 it's affordable and an ideal way to get yourself on the Manchester property ladder. It's properties like this that Andrew is looking to get really good mortgage deals on for clients. Says Andrew: "Buying a house and getting a mortgage in Swinton, Boothstown or Eccles has never been more attractive than it is now."

I asked him why? - "With interest rates soon to go up (see this article from This is Money), Manchester Mortgages can get you a mortgage offer where the interest rate is fixed for five years. With the interest rate currently low, you can beat any rise by getting a mortgage with a fixed rate." he said.

He continued, "The areas of Swinton, Eccles and Boothstown have a lot of new build properties that are attractive to many homebuyers. Getting an equally good mortgage deal is essential in saving you money over the term of your mortgage."

Getting a house mortgage in Oldham

The M60 corridor as it is known is a ring road that encircles much of Greater Manchester. Working around from the north most point, between Whitefield and Middleton, one eventually comes close to Oldham. Now, Oldham is a busy place for those looking to buy a house, with many different types of house available.

Oldham

House prices are (compared with much of the rest of Greater Manchester) cheap, with 4 - 5 bedroom detached houses selling for upwards of £650,000, and then down to the terraced house selling for £130,000 upwards.

If you are a buy to let landlord or considering becoming one there are some great properties ion Oldham that you could buy to add or start your portfolio. With £1m - £1.5m you can have a rather decent property portfolio rather quickly.

Getting mortgages for these houses shouldn't be a problem either depending on whether you know a good mortgage broker. There are several that cover Oldham, but once again I stress the importance of avoid high street mortgage lenders. Why? Because mortgage brokers on the high street (the likes of Santander, HSBC, Halifax, Virgin etc), will only inform you about their own mortgage products. In practice, it's far more savvy to get a mortgage arranged through an independent mortgage broker, as they can advise you about available mortgages that are available on the whole of the market, rather than just to mortgages from a single vendor.

If you are looking for buy a house in or around Oldham, take a good look at this blog as it contains a lot of information that you will find useful. Please contact me for further advice also.

Listed Buildings for sale in Greater Manchester

With all the interest in buying property in Manchester, in this post we take a look at an article from the MEN about listed buildings that are up for sale across the Greater Manchester area - some of them are so cheap you won't even need a mortgage.

Whilst owning a listed property is nice for some people, remember that they come with a list of things that you can't do - one of which is usually renovation - the buyers are encouraged to preserve the properties period features.

Sometimes, grants are available to help you maintain your listed property but obviously, you will need to check what is and isn't possible, along with what can and can't be done to the property.

You can get the information you need from a good mortgage provider and broker and there are few better equipped than Manchester Mortgages, a lender that has been providing mortgages in Manchester for the last 20 years. Experts in period properties with restrictive covenants, they have dealt with getting mortgages for clients wanting to buy historic buildings for several years now.

So take a look at the properties from all over Manchester, including Middleton, Heywood and Delph and think what it would be like to own a little piece of history.

Moving to Didsbury? Need a mortgage?

In a recent MEN article, the pro's and con's of living in Didsbury vs living in Chorlton were compared. Once you've read the article, lets take a look at the mortgage brokering services available for Didsbury.

Didsbury is divided into West Didsbury and East Didsbury, both areas are very attractive to home buyers and home owners. There are all sorts of properties available from one bedroom flats through to larger detached residents. Because of house prices these days, very few people have enough money to buy a house outright and will have to get a mortgage in order to buy a house.

This is where the mortgage broker comes in, but what is a mortgage broker? A mortgage broker is a person who is able to get a mortgage for people who are looking to buy a house. At this point it's important to be distinct between a mortgage broker and an INDEPENDENT mortgage broker.

A regular mortgage broker will only offer you mortgage from the company they work for - so for example: a Halifax mortgage broker will only tell you about mortgages available from the Halifax, whereas an independent mortgage broker is able to tell you about mortgages available from all providers.

Frequently the mortgages sold by non independent brokers aren't very competitive, so in Didsbury for example, you are much more likely to get a decent mortgage from an independent mortgage broker. Consider that mortgages run (typically) for 25 years. 25 years is a long time, and over the full term of a mortgage, being lazy and not getting yourself the best mortgage deal can cost you thousands of pounds.

Mortgage housing in Rochdale and Rossendale

There's a good chip shop in Norden called The Bridge, and I go there probably about twice a month. It's not far in the car and the drive takes me through some areas of Rochdale and Rossendale. As well as having a decent chip shop, it's got a decent pub (The Horse and Farrier) and is quite a desirable area to live in.

You can Google yourself to find out more about living in Rossendale or Rochdale, Rochdale has many cheap properties and it goes without saying that therefore the area is less affable and monied that the houses and areas of Rossendale. If you search for houses to buy in Rochdale you'll want to secure a good mortgage broker too.

Mortgage brokers aren't just for first time buyers, they can also be of great assistance to when remortgaging a house, moving house or considering buy to let. With the recent increase in interest rates and the abolition of stamp duty, it can be a good time to buy a house for many people.

There are plenty of houses available in Rochdale and Rossendale but towards Christmas the market always slows down. Putting their house on the market can be a New Year's resolution for some people too so keep your eyes open for a bargain in the New Year.