New Year’s resolutions over the Christmas period

The festive period seemed to start early this year with Christmas music played in stores from the middle of November.  It seems to indicate that people are starting their Christmas preparations well in advance – or certainly that the shops would like them to.

As we go into the Christmas break and towards the period of New Year, many of us look at what other preparations we need to put in place and we want to achieve in the year ahead.

Upsizing, downsizing and relocation

There is always a surge of people wanting to move house in January. Perhaps it is the increased number of people in our homes, together with presents and wrapping, which makes many of us realise our house is too small – or even too big if your family has flown the nest?

Alternatively, you may be aiming to change jobs and need to move to a different location? At any point when you’re looking to buy, it’s important to get the mortgage sorted first.

As soon as you start looking for a new home, an estate agent will want to know that you have the funds in place in order to buy, so it’s good to get in touch with a mortgage adviser that you trust as soon as possible before you start house hunting.  

It is possible to get what is called a ‘decision in principle’ from a lender, even before you’ve found a property, which will enable you to prove that you have the funds to buy a new home and will help to put you at the top of the list for viewings. It also means that any offer you put in will be taken more seriously than someone who doesn’t already have a mortgage lined up.