First Time Buyer
Home-movers drive mortgage market after a drop in remortgaging
There were 27,370 new first-time buyer mortgages completed in April 2019, 7.9 per cent more than in the same month in 2018, according to UK Finance.
The trade body, which represents mortgage lenders, also found an increase in home mover mortgages – there were 25,450 completed in April 2019, 6.4 per cent more than in the same month a year earlier.
However, remortgage business fell in April, with an 3.1% drop in borrowers switching their deal compared to a year earlier.
Andrew Montlake, director of mortgage broker, Coreco, said: “Given Help to Buy, the strong jobs market, increased product choice at higher loan-to-values and lower house prices, it’s no surprise first-time buyers were the key driver of activity in April.
“The increase in homemover mortgages also underlines how Brexit indifference trumped Brexit uncertainty in the first quarter of the year.
“During 2019, the whole issue of Brexit has become so surreal that many households are no longer willing to put their real lives on hold for it, all the more so given that interest rates are at rock bottom.”
Buy-to-let holds steady
There were 5,100 new buy-to-let house purchase mortgages completed in April 2019, the same as this time last year, said UK Finance.
There were 14,400 remortgages in the buy-to-let sector, also the same as this time last year.
Montlake added: “What’s interesting is that the impact of recent tax changes on the buy-to-let market appears to have settled down.
“The buy-to-let market is not what it was but has now reached a new equilibrium.”
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