News
By clicking on any external links you will be departing from the regulatory website of Offshoreonline.org. Offshoreonline.org is not responsible for the content of this/these linked websites.
-
Falling house prices, high mortgage rates – should UK expats buy a house now?
With UK Base Rate currently at 5% (July 2023) and house prices apparently falling in the UK, is now a good time to invest in a buy to let UK mortgage, if you are an expat? First the facts – house prices are falling, if only relatively, but it also depends over which time period…
-
The 5 cheapest cities for first-time buyers
(Source: Rightmove.co.uk) During the pandemic, lots of home movers looking to coastal towns and countryside villages, in search of more green spaces and a slower paced lifestyle. But recently, this trend has reversed and property portal Rightmove has seen a big shift in home-movers looking to return to cities. If you are an expat living…
-
Why getting a mortgage in France is now so much easier for buyers from the USA than the UK
US resident buyers of property in France now have easier access to French euro mortgages that UK residents. It’s hard to imagine that just a few years ago, BNP, a French bank, used to regularly report that UK buyers were one of the largest groups of overseas buyers of property in France. Then came Brexit.…
-
Green shoots appearing in UK property market, good news for expat house buyers
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), whose members carry out property surveys and valuations for mortgage banks and building societies, are reporting fewer house price falls in March, with an expectation that prices may start to rise in the next 12 months. RICS surveys are an important forward looking indicator as to the health…
-
UK Housing asking prices see smallest February increase on record
We reproduce an edited copy of a thoughtful report from Rightmove this month which will be of interest to many expat house buyers Asking prices see smallest February increase on record We’re heading into the busiest season of the year for home-movers. More people start their search for a new home in spring and we…
-
Optimistic signs in expat buy to let market as mortgages rates fall and prices stabilise
The UK buy to let housing market may have turned an important corner with major lenders announcing lower rates for expat buy to let mortgages and two property portals, Zoopla and Rightmove, announcing that the supply of houses put on the market had increased by 5.9% in January and asking prices had risen by 0.9%…
-
Expat UK property investing: Three positive signs, thinks broker
Three positive signs for UK Property Investing – 2022 Set against the background of sterling’s relative collapse and the news of rising UK Base Rates, it might seem hard to see an upside to being a UK mortgage investor, but expat mortgage broker Offshoreonline sees reasons to be cheerful. “Since 2009, the UK Base Rates…
-
Expat buy to let market still strong after two rate rises, says broker
Expat buy to let house purchase and remortgage enquiries are continuing at the high levels seen late last year, despite two increases in UK Base Rate this year, according to specialist expat mortgage brokers, Offshoreonline. Offshoreonline’s Guy Stephenson comments, “Last year we saw several factors impacting the market. Covid obviously prevented many expats coming home…
-
Recovery and strength in the UK housing market for 2022?
2022 was welcomed with a surge in interest, as UK homeowners listed their houses for sale, creating a healthy and strong foundation for the 2022 mortgage market. According to Rightmove, the 30th of December 2021 was one of the most popular days for prospective sellers seeking house valuations. Traffic on the application website has only…
-
Expat broker optimistic on post Covid UK buy to let housing market
Hope for Expat Buy-to-Let Housing Market for UK after Coronavirus (Covid-19) “Why are UK housing process rising now” was the question asked by Rightmove in their latest (February 2021) survey of the UK housing market. Data produced by Rightmove shows that house prices are continuing to rise, despite the pandemic, with both visits to estate…
-
Broker warns over mortgage payment holidays
Is a mortgage payment holiday the right choice to make? As England moves into its latest full lockdown and banks once again offer mortgage payment holidays, expat mortgage brokers Offshoreonline are warning against clients taking advantage of this apparent “something for nothing” opportunity, without checking the consequences first. Guy Stephenson, a specialist expat buy to…
-
Buying UK buy to let property after lockdown – expats will have the upper hand, thinks broker
Thinking about buying buy-to-let property after lockdown? With much of the UK buy to let property market having been put on hold now for over seven weeks, thoughts are finally turning to what might happen when movement restrictions ease and life begins to return to the new normal. Expat buy to let investors in particular…
-
Expat lenders react to keep expat mortgage deal flowing during COVID-19 crisis
Just one month after the UK government effectively put large parts of the UK property market into a form of hibernation, evidence is emerging that many specialist UK lenders offering mortgages are finding ingenious ways of keeping expat house purchases moving and delivering completions. With much of the country in lockdown, viewings and valuations of properties…
-
Coronavirus impact on UK housing might be short lived, thinks expat mortgage broker
Coronavirus impact on UK housing might be short lived, thinks Offshoreonline There’s no doubt the COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic effect on the UK housing market, with the UK lockdown effectively bringing many UK housing transactions to a sudden halt. As estate agents and buyers are unable to visit sellers, it was inevitable the…
-
Getting a mortgage whilst living abroad or getting a mortgage after you have moved abroad.
If you are thinking of emigrating from the UK, how do you then get a UK mortgage whilst living abroad? If you have left the UK, getting a mortgage after you have moved abroad can appear complex. Getting a mortgage while abroad is a specialist area of lending, so only specialist expat mortgage brokers are…
-
What Happens when my UK Expat Mortgage Expires?
As an expat, what happens when my UK mortgage expires? Many expats move abroad and rent their flats or houses out, without advising their existing UK lender. Whilst strictly speaking this can be a breach of the lender’s terms and conditions, in many cases the current mortgage company will offer a short term limited “permission…
-
Buy to let bargains abound, thanks to Brexit effect, thinks broker
Look carefully and the UK buy to let market should have plenty of bargains to offer the expat and overseas buyers, thinks mortgage broker Offshoreonline.org. Whilst day to day market figures point to a flat or modestly positive UK housing market, up 1.3% in the year to September 2019, according to the UK Office for…
-
Expats increasingly vulnerable to new build deposit loss
Increasing vulnerability for deposit loss between new build homes and expats UK expats looking to invest in new build homes in the UK are increasingly at risk of losing their deposits, thinks Offshoreonline. Typically, buyers of new builds will be expected to put down a deposit of up 10% of the sale price, with strict rules…
-
UK house hunters lead 6% growth in French non-resident property transactions
Figures release by BNP Paribas and the Notaries de France show the number of properties bought in France by overseas residents grew again in 2018 by 6%. UK nationals remain the largest single group, accounting for 27% of all purchases by non-residents in France. The number of transactions by UK buyers alone grew by 3%.…
-
Expat Buy to Let Mortgage Rates Cut Again
London 24 January 2019 Expat mortgage broker Offshoreonline is reporting a new cut in interest rates by Nat West International, as well as a new £749 cashback facility on remortgages. Nat West’s lowest expat buy to let mortgage interest rate is now 3.20% for a two year fixed rate product. Commenting on the changes, international…