Now is the best time to borrow money for property

5th September 2018

With the recent increase in the Bank of England’s base rate, it might seem like a bad time to buy property. Maslen Estate Agents is here to change your mind - and show you why now is the best time to borrow money for property. 

The Bank of England recently increased the base rate from 0.5% to 0.75%. The base rate is the official borrowing rate. It's what the Bank of England charges other banks and lenders when they borrow money. It influences what borrowers pay and what savers earn. 

The Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has said “rate rises are expected to be limited but to gradually rise”. This isn’t something to worry about - although they’ve increased, base rates are still at a record low. Back in the 1980’s, the base rate was as high as 15%! This graph shows how the base rate has dropped, and how low it has remained in the last 5 years.


Graph credit: https://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/property-statistics/uk-interest-rate-history-graph/


These low interest rates are great news for borrowers. Although this slight increase does mean mortgages will edge up, rates are still at an all time low. 

Mortgage lenders are continuing to slice the rates on deals offered to borrowers.  New deals are being launched for borrowers looking to buy with a 5% deposit. Moneyfacts data revealed that the average two-year fixed rate on a 95% mortgage is now just 3.95% - compared to the 4.18% average last year. 

The best mortgage deals are attainable with at least a 15% deposit. Depending on the property price, a 15% deposit could be a large sum of money that is unattainable for many. However, with a 5 - 10% deposit, borrowers can still find a lot of choice and some good rates available too.

Another promising trend for those wanting to borrow money for property is that mortgage approval rates have increased. In our Market Trends, we reported that mortgage approvals increased by 6.4% from April to May. This is a great sign for first-time buyers.

If you’d like to find out more about borrowing money and purchasing property, speak to the experts at Maslen Estate Agents.


Testimonials

  • Thank you Paul and Archie, you gave an excellent service, as well as Kelly. I look forward to working with you again. 

    Mr White Fiveways

  • Our local office manager, Sharon Wareham was warm and friendly and kept us up to date at all times.

    Mr Hope The Brow

  • Sharon and her team could not have done more in what was a difficult sale. 

    Ms Daly Woodingdean

  • The whole team were very committed from start to finish.

    Mr Pilgrim Lewes Road

  • Thank you for everything!

    Ms Tucker Willow Close

  • A very committed team who made the sale process very easy.

    Ms Rees Ticehurst Road

  • Very, very happy we chose you, felt right from the start! Thank you!

    Miss Blackadder Coniston Court, Holland Road

  • Excellent customer service throughout. I will definitely recommend you, and use you again. Thank you.

    Ms Longley Kingsbury Street

  • Already recommended you! Thank you.

    Mr Edwards The Ridgway

  • Excellent service as always

    Mr Field Ringmer Road

  • Nick and Paula are total stars! They were incredibly supportive and present throughout. Thank you!

    Miss O'Haire Hove

  • Paula was fabulous and we felt really informed and supported. 

    Mr & Mrs Walker Lewes Road

  • Paula is amazing!

    Ms Aspnall Gladstone Place

  • Superb service as usual, I would always recommend you.

    Ms S Hike Blackthorn Close

  • Exceptional service throughout the process - should we decide to sell in the future we wouldn't hesitate to use your agency. You're a cut above the...

    Ms Windels & Mr Barham Fiveways

  • The Woodingdean team were very friendly and approachable.

    Mrs Palmer Pitt Gardens

  • Paul Wilkinson was extremely helpful and efficient. The only problem was the vendors solicitor and Paul warned me of this. A good transaction all r...

    Mr Lavender Fiveways

  • Sharon was excellent, she kept us informed at all stages and was a really calming objective influence in the process.

    Ms Frederick Channel View Road

  • You were amazingly helpful throughout - a real pillar of strength with a very difficult sale.

    Mrs Parkin Fiveways

  • Extremely efficient. Nick and Paula are excellent. The weekly phone calls were much appreciated. 

    Ms Gray Lewes Road

  • Very good service and communication. Paula was excellent.

    Mr & Mrs Scarboro 1 Pevensey Road

  • A really good experience.

    Mr Tibble Lewes Road

  • Outstanding service from Sharon. James is an asset to Maslens & Harvey was so helpful and polite.

    Ms Cianchetta Selhurst Road

  • Paula was absolutely amazing!

    Mr & Mrs MacKay Lewes Road

  • Ben and Paula were calm and reassuring throughout a very difficult process!

    Ms Easterbrook Bear Road

  • A good team at Woodingdean helped us through a stressful time.

    Mr & Mrs Penton Sycamore Close

  • Very impressed with the service. Sharon Wareham works tirelessly, very professionally and is always there for advice. 

    Miss Matthews Kipling Avenue

  • First class service. Friendly and professional.

    Mr Thorne The Avenue

  • All agents at Maslen were extremely helpful and polite from the beginning to the completion of sale. 

    Mr Johnson Fiveways

  • From start to finish the sale was dealt with in a thoroughly professional manner.  

    Mr Gibbs Lewes Road

  • We were delighted with the service received from all the staff with whom we had contact,

    Dr Crichton The Ridgway

  • Paula's role was brilliant. Having someone office based and available was so appreciated and her promptness an impressive service - every Estate Agent...

    Ms Wynn-Jones Baxter Street

  • We cannot recommend Maslen's estate agents enough.

    Many thanks to Paul, Donna, Janette and the...

    Linda & Les Wigmore Close

  • Best Agents in Brighton.

    Mrs Field Tarner Road

  • Very pleased with the service. Many thanks to Sharon and the boys!

    Mr Flynn Woodingdean

  • Maslens as a whole were really friendly and professional. I have to thank and congratulate Paula Carter for being superb at her job and exceeding m...

    Ms Warren Hove

  • A very positive experience - I had most contact with the Fiveways office and they were so friendly and helpful.

    Ms A King Balfour Road

  • Service exceeded my expectations overall at all stages of the process - I wouldn't hesitate to recommend you. Thanks. 

    Ms Greene Lewes Road

  • I wish we had used you to sell our property! Nice to meet honest people, who are genuinely interested in helping. Very pleased.

    Mrs Porter Taunton Road

  • Excellent Service from start to finish.

    Mr T Mole Cromwell Road

  • Thank you. We found all the staff knowledgeable and really pleasant to deal with. 

    Ms Ansloos Lewes Road

  • I would recommend Maslen to anyone. 

    Mrs Tripp Woodingdean

  • Great service, always polite and friendly. Excellent contact and info all the way.

    Mr Wells Bishops Road

  • Paul was absolutely brilliant. 

    Mrs Tasker Fiveways

  • We were very impressed with the Nick from start to finish. 

    Mr & Mrs Smith Lewes Road

  • Brilliant. Well done to Sharon and the Woodingdean team.

    Ms Curtis The Ridgway

  • Best Estate Agents ever experienced - professional, approachable, competent and exemplary. 

    Mr & Mrs Guest Riley Road

  • First class service from a first class team.

    Mr & Mrs English The Ridgway

  • Ben was particularly enthusiastic and helpful. Martin, Paula, Sam and Will are all hard workers.

    Ms Goodey Franklin Road

  • In February 2016 I was looking to buy and sell very rapidly. Competition among buyers at the time was very high. Sharon @ the Woodingdean branch sh...

    Ms Helen Lyons Woodingdean

  • Thanks David, all very professional.

    Mrs Flowers Foxdown Road

  • It was a long, drawn out process that the people at Maslen helped me through, without the impression that it was a chore. So extremely professional...

    Mr McLagan Lewes Road

  • Very pleased with the excellent service throughout. Professional, friendly, efficient and no hard sell. Achieved above asking price. Thank you!

    Mr Witten Lewes Road

  • All the staff I dealt with were excellent. Sharon worked really hard to complete the sale.

    Mrs Bent Falmer Gardens

  • It was an amazing experience, everyone involved were fantastic. 

    Mr & Mrs Knight Woodingdean

  • Many thanks to Nick. It was an easy process thanks to you! I'm extremely satisfied with how the sale went, great job.

    Ms Mayanobe Aymer Road

  • Very pleased with the experience. I would definitely recommend you and use you again.

    Ms D Edmonds Horton Road

  • The staff were very helpful, an excellent service. I would recommend you to others.

    Miss Hockly Fiveways

  • Sharon, Harvey and James were all excellent - very professional. Totally opposite to what I have experienced with other agents. Maslen have restore...

    Ms Lyons Woodingdean

  • Very comprehensive and professional. Nice people to work with and highly recommended. 

    Mr Alderton Ladysmith Road

  • Very thorough & very informative.

    Mr Michnowicz Waldegrave Road

  • Please thank Paula at Lewes Road - Excellent service. 

    Mr & Mrs Nuthall Lewes Road

  • Very happy with the service we got from you guys, everyone we dealt with was extremely friendly, professional and helpful. Thanks!

    Mr Brown Titian Road

  • Good team. Straightforward. No nonsense.

    Mr Standing Newmarket Road

  • Cannot express our appreciation enough of all the efforts made by the Woodingdean team - they were fantastic.

    Mr John Mogridge Woodingdean

  • Very helpful and patient team.

    Mrs Shea Selborne Place

  • The whole team were excellent, each one of them felt like family. Sharon had a lot of sorting to do at times but coped very well, a true profession...

    Mr Vernon Woodingdean

  • Sharon was excellent - kept us well informed, thank you so much!

    Ms Waters Cowley Drive

  • Very impressed with all dealings with Maslen. Paula Carter was in particular very knowledgeable and helpful. 

    Mr McBlane Hove

  • I found the service to be courteous, friendly and efficient.

    Mr Upton Buller Road

  • All very professional, kept updated throughout. Very pleased - Would recommend. 

    Mrs Hammond Hove

  • The sale was dealt with swiftly, professionally and successfully. Thank you Maslen!

    Mrs Lincoln Hove

  • I was new to the area and viewed a lot of properties with a lot of different agents. Maslens were by far the best I came in contact with, so when i...

    Mr & Mrs Heer Lewes Road

  • Compared to your rivals, your service was excellent

    Ms McGrigor Milner Road

  • Harvey was helpful and easily reachable at the beginning of the process and Sharon kept us informed and was always happy to help.

    Ms Murch & Ms Mapa Ticehurst Road

  • Sold within 2 weeks for asking price "excellent!"

    Mr Grundy Bishops Road

  • Excellent communication and advice throughout. It felt very reassuring to be in good hands.

    Mrs Brooker Buller Road

  • Thanks for an excellent service. 

    Mr King Hove

  • Excellent service from the Lewes Road branch. Martin Timms secured a quick sale & at a good price & Paula Carter worked really hard to secure...

    Ms Schulte Bear Road

  • Very professional service. Thank you!

    Miss New & Mr Jackson Buller Road

  • Very impressive - professional and friendly, both Martin Timms and Paula Carter were excellent at keeping in contact with sensible advice based on...

    Mrs O'Connor Hove

  • Very impressed with the efficient and friendly service, the staff were a pleasure to deal with. 

    Mr & Mrs Gill Lewes Road

  • Thank you Maslens, you were all excellent!

    Miss Jasper Taunton Road

  • We were very pleased with services provided by the Fiveways office.

    Mr & Mrs Sawyer Shaftesbury Road

  • Sharon was amazing! She kept us up to date the whole way through the process. We cannot fault Sharon or the rest of her team. 

    Mr & Mrs Ashley Woodingdean

  • As always, an excellent service. 

    Mr & Mrs Field Lewes Road

  • Fantastic service. By far the best agents we have ever used, I cannot recommend you highly enough.

    Mr Field Mafeking Road

  • Graham Griffin provided us, and continues to provide us, will all-round excellent advice. We trust his knowledge and expertise.

    Mr Blackmore & Ms O'Sullivan Financial Services

  • The team worked very hard over a long period to ensure my sale went through - excellent service!

    Mr Patrick Gladstone Terrace

  • Hugely impressed with Ben & his team.

    Mrs Mead Upper Lewes Road

  • An efficient, professional and friendly service. Helpful and a pleasure to do business with.

    Mr Beddington Brading Road

  • I have bought and sold 7 properties, and this was the best experience of an estate agents services I have found.

    Mrs Shepherd Hertford Road

  • Quality advice about when and how to sell, which was spot on. Thank you.

    Miss Coleman Buller Road

  • A completely painless experience from start to finish. Thank you.

    Mr Woolven & Mrs Bessant-Woolven Lewes Road

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