A London couple have secured their first home together at the Malt Works, thanks to support from Mortgage Pathways in securing a new build mortgage and navigating the first-time buying process.
Sina, a project manager, and partner Farimah, a programme coordinator in the charity sector, used the government’s Help to Buy scheme to secure a property in Eastcote, Greater West London.
Sina explained: “Both of us are from inner London, but we decided to relocate to the suburbs to benefit from closer proximity to work, as well as taking the inflated housing prices across the South East into account. As first-time buyers moving from our family homes, we were fortunate to be able to take advantage of the Help to Buy scheme; without this, it would have been impossible to get onto the property ladder anytime soon.”
Sina and Farimah instantly fell in love with the very first home they viewed at the Malt Works, due to its convenient location and the layout and aesthetics of the development of 56 one and two-bedroom apartments. The couple’s new home is only minutes away from the underground station and a high street full of independent boutiques and businesses.
Prior to beginning their property search, Sina joined a Facebook group created by our managing director, Mark Finch, which was set up as a platform for helping first-time buyers of new build homes and sharing useful advice.
“This really eased our worries and helped us to be much more well-informed when approaching our purchase,” Sina said. “Having never purchased a home before, we were anxious about the process and had no idea where to start!”
The couple then chose Mortgage Pathways to take them through the process of securing a new build mortgage. On their experience with us, Sina commented: “A process that we had thought would take months to complete, took less than two weeks from discussing finances to obtaining our mortgage offer! We were extremely happy with Mark and his team as we felt confident and able ask any questions, and we received immediate responses.
“Mark continued to check up on us throughout the process of our local authority searches and exchange, which is testament to his genuine dedication to helping first-time buyers like ourselves. I would highly recommend Mortgage Pathways to all new build home buyers across the UK; we truly appreciate the hard work the team put in and we hope to work with them in future.”
Mark Finch, managing director of Mortgage Pathways, said: “We are so happy to have helped Sina and Farimah to secure their perfect first home on such a fantastic development, and I’m delighted to hear their kind comments about the service provided by Mortgage Pathways. We wish them every happiness in their new home at the Malt Works.
“Our team is extremely customer-focused, and we love working with first-time buyers to guide them through what can be a daunting process, particularly in areas like London with such fast-moving property markets. We’re pleased to be able to offer our services to buyers throughout the UK, and as specialists in new build mortgages, we can look after the whole process and help you procure the very best mortgage from the thousands available.”
When you engage Mortgage Pathways to support you with your purchase, we will guide you through every step, find and process the mortgage application, and then handle everything through to completion, to make sure you meet any timescales for exchange that your builder may need.
While we may have been recommended to you from a housebuilder, we work 100% on your behalf, completely independently. This means we will always advise you on what is best for your individual circumstances and aspirations.
Take a look at further information on how to get onto the housing ladder, and whether schemes such as Help to Buy might work for you, then get in touch with us to find out how we can help.
The Mortgage Pathways team will be on hand to give expert mortgage advice to potential buyers at Story Homes’ Ways to Buy event this weekend (26-27 June).
The event, taking place at the housebuilder’s Brookfield Woods development in Acklam, Middlesbrough, will help to get you moving into a Story home by providing expert advice and a range of incentives. Plus, the beautifully-styled show homes will be open to view.
Story Homes invited Mortgage Pathways, specialists in new build mortgages, to take part in the event, to advise potential buyers and answer questions regarding mortgages, buying schemes and more.
Our new build mortgage advisers will talk through what you are looking for and look after the whole process of getting a mortgage for you. Once we find and process the mortgage application, we then handle everything through to completion, to make sure you meet any timescales for exchange that your builder may need.
While we may have been recommended to you from a housebuilder, we work 100% on your behalf, completely independently. This means we will always advise you on what is best for your individual circumstances and aspirations.
At Brookfield Woods, you’ll find a collection of luxurious 3, 4 and 5-bedroom homes that are designed for life, with character inside and out. A Story home provides modern living with luxury touches and a high quality specification, including integrated kitchen appliances, French or bi-fold doors and Porcelanosa bathroom tiles.
Mark Finch, our Managing Director, says: “I’m really looking forward to taking part in the Ways to Buy weekend, and to advising buyers how they can secure a high-specification home on this development. We have already worked with many families on mortgages for properties on the first phase of Brookfield Woods, and I have no doubt that the next release of homes will be just as popular.
“We find that lots of people love the idea of buying a new build home like these fantastic properties in Acklam but aren’t sure whether they can afford it. In many cases, it might be easier than you think! If you’re wondering how to get onto the housing ladder, how you can move from your current home, or whether schemes such as Help to Buy might work for you, come and meet us and we’ll be delighted to chat to you.”
Kye Bradley, Associate Sales Director at Story Homes, comments: “You’ll find we’ve thought of everything in our 3, 4 and 5-bedroom homes at Brookfield Woods, including a sought-after location with excellent transport links – linking you to North Yorkshire and the coast with ease.
“Whether you’re a first-time buyer, have a house to sell or are looking to move this summer, join us this weekend to find out how we can help make your dream new home in this superb location a reality.”
Come along to Brookfield Woods this Saturday and Sunday (Off Jack Simon Way, Middlesbrough, TS5 8EH) or contact us for more information.
We are pleased to announce that we are taking part in an exciting pilot for 95% mortgages on new build homes, as part of the newly-launched Deposit Unlock mortgage indemnity scheme.
Developed by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and its members, and administered by reinsurance broker Gallagher Re, Deposit Unlock is currently in its soft launch phase. The North East of England has been selected as the first region in the UK to trial the scheme, with Newcastle Building Society being the first lender to launch the 95% mortgages to new build home buyers.
This means that at Mortgage Pathways, we will play an important role in the trial as the key link between buyers, the lender and the housebuilder – advising buyers on the best mortgage product for them and getting them onto or up the property ladder by using the new scheme.
Deposit Unlock will support high loan-to-value (LTV) lending in the new build market, and will see housebuilders use a percentage of income from their sales to pay the cost of insuring mortgages.
In the simplest terms, the lender still lends 95%, but the housebuilder pays for the insurance instead of the lender having to take out the insurance. This should lead to more competitive rates, and provides long-term security beyond the scheduled end of Help to Buy in 2023.
The Deposit Unlock product rates are due to be announced shortly, and there are then plans to roll out the scheme to more lenders nationally.
Mark Finch, our Managing Director, said: “We’re delighted to be among the first mortgage brokers to be involved in the Deposit Unlock scheme, and it’s great that the North East will be the first region to benefit. It’s positive to see more options for both first- and next-time buyers to access low-deposit mortgage products, particularly with the hugely popular Help to Buy scheme due to end in the next couple of years.
“At Mortgage Pathways, we work with some of the UK’s leading housebuilders, advising their customers on the best new build mortgage options – which include exclusive products that are only available to new build advisors like ourselves. The Deposit Unlock scheme has been well-received by all our housebuilder partners, who see it as addressing a crucial missing piece of the new build market.
“We look forward to helping a greater number of low-deposit borrowers to purchase a new build home with only a 5% deposit, firstly in the North East – where are headquarters are – and then also throughout the UK as the scheme develops.”
To find out more about the Deposit Unlock scheme, and for advice on mortgages for new build homes, please get in touch with our expert team.
