Specialist broker – Why Contractors should use them

Specialist Broker

Specialist Broker

Tony Harris is a specialist broker of contractor mortgages. He has been getting contractors mortgages for many years. So, I thought I would ask him why contractors should use a specialist broker like him rather than go direct to those that give out mortgages.

I asked him “Why should I go via you when I can just walk into a high street bank or building society? What differentiates you?”

Contract Based

With over fourteen years experience as a specialist broker and of negotiating our contract based mortgage underwriting, we have built unrivalled relationships with lenders.

If you go in to a high street bank and present your accounts, the mortgage adviser will only see your net income. This should be considerably less than you are actually earning (if your accountant is doing his job). So, this could severely limit the amount you can borrow.

Annual Contract Rate

Instead we use our contacts to secure your mortgage based on a multiple of your annual contract rate. This is irrespective of how long you have been contracting. It also doesn’t matter how long you have left on your current assignment.

This invariably allows our clients to borrow far more than they could even when they were a permie. It also saves the trouble of collating years of accounts or projections. This is the standard requirement if you were to go in-branch.

Mortgage Lenders

We understand that you live a very hectic lifestyle and have tailored our service to match.

We won’t need to see you face-to-face for a lengthy meeting as our entire service is offered online, via email and by phone. We do all the running for you, liaising with solicitors, lenders and estate agents so you don’t have to.

You will have one contact who will guide you through the process and is on hand to answer any questions you may have, leaving you free to concentrate on the needs of your client.

Best Mortgage Rates

That answers that then. It would be a foolish contractor who walked into banks asking about their contractor mortgages.

Tony uses his credibility in the marketplace to help get contractors the best mortgage rates available and the highest offers.

To get further information or to apply to a specialist broker for a mortgage, fill in a form here and Tony will get back to you:- Mortgages for Contractors

Contractor Mortgages Lender Allows for Breaks Between Contracts

Contractor Mortgages Lender

Contractor Mortgages Lender

In a new breakthrough, a brand new lender has turned the contractor mortgages market upside down.

It used to be that it was very difficult to get a mortgage if you were a contractor.

Many contractors, with their new contract rates, double what the earned as permies, expected to be welcomed with open arms by high street banks and building societies.

However, they were seen as risks by them. Contractors had to produced three years of accounts which scuppered new contractors for several years.

Specialist Contractor Mortgages

Specialist Contractor Mortgages brokers

I know. It happened to me when I first started contracting. I was shocked.

Offer based on Director’s Salary

What’s more they only offered you mortgages based on a multiple of contractors’ director’s salary.

As we all know contractors like to keep this as low as possible. They don’t want to hit the upper rate of tax and so take much of their money in dividend payments.

You would have been better off applying for a mortgage as a permie before you went contracting.

Contractor Mortgage Brokers

However, in the past decade specialist contractor mortgage brokers have sprung up.

They have convinced mortgage lenders to loan to contractors.

Contractors could now get mortgage offers based on their daily rates instead of director’s salary

They could also get mortgage approval with just their contract as proof rather than having to produce three years worth of accounts.

Many contractors are taking advantage of these offers obtained through these specialist mortgage brokers.

Contractor Mortgages UK

Contractor Mortgages UK based on daily rate annualised

This was much better for contractors – although the lenders were still a little conservative.

Bluestone Mortgages

Now, a new lender, Bluestone Mortgages, backed by the private equity arm of Lloyd’s Bank, have come up with a mortgage much suited to contractors.

This new flexible contractor mortgage would suit those contractors who like to take time off between contracts.

Even more importantly, it will suit those forced to take time off between contractors.

Many a sleepless night has been spent by contractors who have all their bills to pay whilst not knowing when they will get their next contract.

Breaks in Contract Work

Bluestone Mortgages are showing a great understanding of the contracting profession.

Previously contractors would find it difficult to get a mortgage if they had any break in contract work in the past year.

Now Bluestone Mortgages will allow up to a 6 month break in the past year.

They will also take a flexible view of any missed payments that are on a contractor’s credit file.

Knowing how contracting works they are even accepting the odd serious credit transgression showing on the contractor’s credit file.

Best Mortgage Deals for UK Contractors

Best Mortgage Deals that UK contractors can get

Major Breakthrough

This is great news for contractors and a major breakthrough in the specialist contractor mortgage market.

This new contractor mortgages lender is the perfect fit for contractors of any mortgage lender so far.

To find out more from the specialist contractor mortgages broker who negotiated this deal with Bluestone Mortgages simply fill in the form below and someone will be in touch.

Please click on Contractor Mortgage Application and fill in the form there.

Contractor Mortgages | Which Contractor Mortgage?

Which Contractor Mortgage

Which Contractor Mortgage?

People often ask us which contractor mortgage should a contractor choose?

What most contractors do is to walk into a high street bank or building society and ask for a mortgage. This is a huge mistake. They will tell you two things:-

1.  You need to produce three years worth of accounts

2.  The contractor mortgage offer will be based on a multiple of your Directory’s salary.

No matter which contractor mortgage you get it would be worse than if you would have got as a permanent employee.

Shock to Contractors

This will come as a shock to contractors – especially those that have been contracting for less than 3 years. Indeed, when I was told the above, a good few years ago, I just gave up for many years looking to own my own house.

I would have been better staying as a permie as I would have got a better mortgage offer. I wished that I had bought a house or flat PRIOR to becoming an IT contractor.

Of course, this was before the days of specialist contractor mortgages. Tony Harris started that market just over ten years ago.

He went to lenders and asked them to fund specialist mortgages for IT Contractors. This took lenders aback and shocked at his temerity in asking for long-term mortgages for people, i.e. IT Contractors, who had insecure jobs. This could be a disaster for them, they thought.

Which Contractor Mortgage for Tony

However, this could potentially be a very lucrative market for them as there were a growing number, now measured in the hundreds of thousands, of IT Contractors in the UK.

So, Tony managed to get one lender to dip their toe (the very edge of their big toe) in the water to test specialist contractor mortgages to see if it would work.

And work it did!

UK Contractor Mortgages articles

UK Contractor Mortgages articles

They found that IT contractors paid their monthly mortgage instalments at least as well as anyone else and didn’t default on their mortgages during hard times.

So, they started lending more IT Contractors money for specialist contractor mortgages. Then Tony started to get other lenders to loan money to IT Contractors after this initial success.

It meant that he was able to get better and better rates for IT contractors as the lenders fought each other to get into this new lucrative market. Remember this when you are considering which contractor mortgage you should get.

Mortgages for All Contractor Now

Within the last couple of years Tony was able to get these lenders to extend loans to all contractors and not just IT Contractors.

The deal he has got with them is much better than the deal that contractors would get if they walked into a high street bank or building society.

The main points of the deal are:-

1.  Contractors would not need three years worth of accounts. All the proof they would need to offer contractors a mortgage would be the contractor’s contract.

2.  The offer would be based on the contractor’s daily rate annualised. That is Daily Rate x 5 x 48 x 4.

Contractor Mortgage Offers

They can now get contractors mortgage offers on the same day that the contractor contacts them.

Indeed they can get first time contractors a mortgage offer on the very first day of their very first contract. It means that they can get the keys to their dream house approximately four weeks after their first day on a contract.

Indeed, in one case they got one first time contractor into his dream house just two weeks after starting his first ever contract.

Tony has so much credibility with lenders now that he can often get contractors mortgages at better than market rates.

Help to Buy Mortgages

With the advent of Help to Buy mortgages, he can get contractors 95% mortgages.

So, which contractor mortgage should you look for – one from a high street bank or building society – or one from a specialist contractor mortgage broker like Tony?

I think that one’s a no brainer!

To find our more about these specialist contractor mortgages click on Contractor Mortgage Application and fill in the form there.

Contractor Mortgages Market Boom – Best Places for Contractors to Buy

Contractor Mortgages Market Boom

Contractor Mortgages Market Boom

There is a Contractor Mortgages Market boom, according to specialist contractor mortgages broker Tony Harris.

London has seen massive rises in the price of houses and apartments. With London becoming, more and more, an international city, the contractor mortgages market is set to continue in its upward path.

The best value in the next few years, though, could be in cities and areas who have more recently started rising in price.

Property Mortgages Market Boom Moving North

Every property market boom starts, firstly, in the south and gradually spreads throughout the country. It moves north generally.

The current contractor mortgages market boom is going that way.

This means that cities like Sheffield, Liverpool and Glasgow are likely to rise more than southern cities in he next few years. The contractor mortgages market is likely to increase significantly in those cities.

Property experts say that London house prices will continue to rise – but at a slower rate than northern cities.

Buy a House up North

Indeed, if a contractor from London got an extended contract in a northern city, like Liverpool or Glasgow, it might be a good idea to sell up in London and buy a house in Liverpool or Glasgow.

Firstly, it would be an absolutely palatial place you could get there just by selling a flat in a decent area of London.

Secondly, when it was time to go back down south again the contractor would get an even better property in London after selling his, or her, northern house for more than his previous place in London was now worth.

Your house could make more for you than your contract.

Average Annual Earnings

House prices in London are now 12 times Londoners average annual earnings. For the UK as a whole it is 6.3 times annual earnings.

Average house prices in both London and Oxford were now so high that they were more than 12 times local annual earnings – almost double the UK average of 6.3 times wages.

The cities where house prices have been rising for 6 years are as follows. They are Aberdeen, Bristol, Cardiff, London, Cambridge, Birmingham, Oxford and Manchester.

Contractor Mortgages Market Best Areas to Buy

Although property prices will continue to rise in those cities, it will be at a slower rate than the following cities which have only started to recover in the past two years.

They are Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield and Leeds. Belfast has only started recovering in the past 18 months and houses there are at real bargain prices.

House Prices in those cities are only between 3 and 6 times local annual salaries. This makes them most affordable. There’s more room for property price rises in those cities.

London Property Boom

In the last 6 years the average property price in London has risen from £144,278 to £405,500. That’s astonishing. Part of that is due to London’s status as an international city.

The Government’s Help to Buy scheme has given a massive boost to the contractor mortgages market. It means that first time buyers could enter the housing market again.

They can get 95% mortgages now compared to 75% to 80% mortgages before.

Contractor Mortgages Maximum Offers

Low rates are also sending the market higher. These are the lowest rates that contractors have ever had – and many of the are taking fixed rate mortgages to lock in those low rates.

A contractor mortgages lenders war has intensified this year leading to some great bargains for contractors as regards mortgage rates.

Banks and building societies ask contractors for three years worth of accounts. Contractor mortgage brokers need just a copy of the contract.

High street banks and building societies base their offers on the contractor’s director’s salary. Contractor mortgage brokers base it on a contractors daily rate annualised – which is much more.

This has led to the current contractor mortgages market boom.

To find our more click on Specialist Contractor Mortgages

Contractor Crowdfunding Club

To learn more, or to join, our Contractor Crowdfunding Club click on Contractor Crowdfunding Opportunities

You’ll hear first about great crowdfunding opportunities and get in ahead of the crowd. Often these opportunities disappear in hours.

Contractor Mortgage Options for UK Contractors

Contractor Mortgage Options now

Contractor Mortgage Options

The Contractor Mortgage options for UK Contractors are twofold.

1.  You can step in to a high street bank and ask for a contractor mortgage or

2.  You can contact a specialist contractor mortgages broker

The first of the contractor mortgage options is what most contractors take – but it is madness.

The second of the two contractor mortgage options is the clever one – but only the contractors in-the-know are able to benefit from it.

High Street Bank mortgages for contractors

If you step into the high street bank, or building society, they will:-

a) Ask to see three years worth of accounts, meaning you will have to have been a contractor for at least 3.5 years

b)  Give you a quote based on your director’s salary. We all know that contractor prefer to keep that as low as possible. They want to take their money out in dividends and so maximise their returns.

You would have got a bigger offer if you had stayed in a permanent role.

Specialist Contractor Mortgage Brokers

So, what about the second of the contractor mortgage options?

That’s the sensible one.

A specialist contractor mortgages broker will:-

a)  Get you a quote on production of your contract without having to show three worth of accounts to get a contractor mortgage

b)  Get you a quote based on your day rate annualised.

Your Contractor Mortgage Quote

So, if you got £500 a day, that would be £2,500 a week.

They would multiply that by 48 to get your annual ‘salary’. That would make your annual salary £120,000 a year.

They would then multiply that by 4 to get your specialist contractor mortgage offer.

So they would offer you a contractor mortgage of £480,000.

As you would have to put down a deposit of a minimum of 5% you are talking about being able to buy a property worth more than half a million pounds.

This is the best of the contractor mortgage options.

Specialist Contractor Mortgage Broker

Tony Harris has been getting contractors specialist contractor mortgages for years now.

Because his client contractor have been paying up and not defaulting, he can often get contractors mortgage rates at better than current market rates.

He can even get contractors mortgage offers on the very first day of their first ever contract.

To find out more, or to apply, you should click on Specialist Contractor Mortgages

Best Contractor Mortgages Deals for UK Contractors

Best Contractor Mortgages Deals

Best Contractor Mortgages Deals

The Best Contractor Mortgages deals can be got from Specialist Contractor Mortgages brokers in the UK.

The Foolish Contractor walks into a high street bank or building society to ask for a contractor mortgage. The bank or building society tell him or her:-

1.  As you are a contractor and your income is not as secure as that of a permanent member of staff, we would have to get three years worth of accounts from you

2.  We will base any offer to you on your Director’s Salary.

Foolish Contractor

Many years ago, I was a foolish contractor. I didn’t know about specialist contractor mortgages brokers in the UK. I simply decided that I would have to wait a few years to get a mortgage for a house or flat. However, it wouldn’t be a great place I could afford if it was only based on my Director’s salary.

So, I continued to waste tens of thousands of pounds by continuing to rent.

However, if I had known about specialist contractor mortgages brokers like Tony Harris all those years ago I would be much richer now. Tony has been getting the best contractor mortgages deals for years.

He started by getting specialist contractor mortgages for IT Contractors. Now he can get those specialist contractor mortgages for all contractors.

Initially lenders were wary about lending to contractors. However, Tony managed to talk them into dipping their toes in the water.

Now, because those initial contractors have paid up on their mortgages and very few have defaulted, Tony has great credibility with the lenders. He can often get contractor mortgage offers at better rates than the marketplace.

Crucial Factors

However, here are the two crucial factors:-

1.  He can get contractor mortgage offers based on their daily rate annualised (daily rate x 5 x 48 x 4).

2.  He can get the quote just on production of the contractor’s contract, rather than the lender having to see 3 years worth of accounts.

In other words, he can get the best contractor mortgages deals on the marketplace for his contractors. Furthermore, he can get new contractors the best contractor mortgage offers on the very first day of their very first contract. This has revolutionised the contractor mortgages market.

Best Contractor Mortgages Deals

To find out more info or to get the best contractor mortgages deals and a quote click on Specialist Contractor Mortgages

Mortgage Market Review | Contractor Mortgages unaffected

Mortgage Market Review

Mortgage Market Review

If I decide to move house, will I risk missing out on a property due to the Mortgage Market Review (MMR) regulations?

Since the Mortgage Market Review was introduced on 26th April, typical high street Lenders have pushed back completion dates by weeks.

Many borrowers have failed to comply with the now much stricter affordability assessments. This has undoubtedly put some individuals off of even attempting to apply for a mortgage. However, this needn’t be the case.

Specialist Contractor Mortgages

Your Contractor status places you in a far stronger position. This is because you do not need to secure your mortgage through the local branch of your high street Lender. That is where the problems have been arising. Specialist Advisers such as Tony Harris use their contacts in the various Lenders underwriting departments, to ensure your application is processed quickly and smoothly.

They will expertly package your application to ensure that it is fully Mortgage Market Review compliant. Therefore it makes it easier for the Lender to process it. As such, Contractors are finding they are completing on purchases when others are failing.

Mortgage Market Review and Specialist Contractor Mortgages

Indeed the Mortgage Market Review is giving contractors the jump on other mortgage applicants. Contractor Financials are able to get specialist contract mortgages for contractors at better rates than the marketplace. That’s as well as getting them more easily.

If contractors walked into a high street bank or building society they would have to produce three years worth of accounts. Also, they would get a quote based on their director’s salary. As we all know, contractors like to keep that low so that they can take as much as possible in dividends.

If you want more information or to apply for a specialist contractor mortgage click on Specialist Contractor Mortgages

Contractor Mortgages scramble as house prices soar

Contractor Mortgages Scramble

Contractor Mortgages Scramble

There is currently a contractor mortgages scramble.

The Government’s Help To Buy scheme has boosted contractor mortgages. This is where contractors can get 95% mortgages aided by Government funds. At the moment it only applies to new houses but next year it will apply to older houses too.

The Government say that they brought in Help to Buy to help get the housing market going. This would help boost the economy. Furthermore, it would also artificially create a feelgood factor in time for the elections.

As a result,there has been a contractor mortgages scramble. House prices have turned the corner and have now risen by 5.4% in the past year. Further rises are predicted during the 3-year period of the Help to Buy scheme. A rising economy should keep house prices rising after that.

Tony Harris has been getting specialist contractor mortgages for IT Contractor for many years. He has now expanded that to all contractors. His credibility in the marketplace with lenders has enabled him to get contractors better-than-market-rates for mortgages.

Contractor Mortgage Rates

Also, his credibility comes from IT Contractors paying back their mortgages over the years and not defaulting. High Street banks see contractors as a risk. So, they ask for three years worth of accounts. Furthermore, they only offer a loan of a multiple of Director’s salary rather than the multiple of daily rate annualised that Tony can offer.

They don’t need three years worth of accounts either. He can get them a mortgage offer on the very first day of their very first contract. All they need to do is produce their contract. About a month later they can be turning the keys of their new dream home.

There’s a contractor mortgages scramble now with prices on the up. The Government are trying to force prices up before the next election. If contractors wait a couple of years they may find house prices 10% to 15% higher. This appears to be the time to get one of those specialist contractor mortgages. This is because house prices are expected to rise more than contractor rates over the next 3 years.

Expert Contractor Mortgages going through roof

Expert Contractor Mortgages

Expert Contractor Mortgages

The demand for specialist expert contractor mortgages is going through the roof and hitting new levels. The housing market boom predicted by pundits after Chancellor Osborne created the Help to Buy scheme is starting to happen.

He hoped would cause a mini-boom to give a feelgood factor for the next election. He hopes that when people see their house prices going up it will give them the confidence to start spending money and get the economy going again.

The average home price is now £233,061. That’s a rise of £6,125 on a year ago. Experts expect that this will just be the start. They believe that house prices will soar in the next 3 years for the duration of Help to Buy.

The hope is that the economy will be in good shape by then to keep house prices on the boil. It is a kick-start for the housing market.

Market Rates

Tony Harris, who has been providing specialist expert contractor mortgages for years now says that the number of expert contractor mortgages that he is able to get UK Contractor is now exceeding the peak of 2007.

He said that contractors are now piling into this market before the main price rises that he expects to come.

He is able to get contractors mortgages at better than market rates at up to 95%. He can get them without any accounts and on the first day of a new contractor’s first contract. He can get them based on a multiple (up to 4 times) a contractor’s daily rate annualised (48 x their weekly rate).

Help to Buy

So, with the Government’s Help to Buy scheme this looks to be a one-way bet. This is because the Government are intervening to push house prices higher for their own purposes.

Therefore, it is an opportunity for contractors and freelancers to be able to trade up or get a foothold in the market before the prices rise.

To get more info, or to apply click on Specialist Contractor Mortgages