Do you have unwanted Christmas gifts?
With Christmas now over many of us are left cleaning up the house, polishing off the last of the turkey, and trying to find a place to stuff a variety of unwanted gifts that we have received. Many of us get an array of gifts each year that we do not really need and will never use, and in many cases they simply fester in a deep, dark corner of the house for years and finally get disposed of. However, there are far more useful things that you can do with your unwanted gifts, which could help you to earn money, save you money, or enable you to help out a worthy cause. Read more
Tags: cause, item, fun, fester, Christmas period, unwanted christmas gifts, cupboard, drawer
Tories call for limit as ‘immigrants push up house prices’
October 10, 2007 by admin
Filed under News, News-Mortgages
The Tories have called for a cap on yearly immigration as it is blamed as one reason for the increase in UK house prices.
Research by property finder.com revealed that one in five people feel that restricting the influx of foreigners to Britain was the best way to bring down inflated prices and demand.
The second biggest cause of higher housing costs was attributed to property investors.
However, chief executive of propertyfinder.com, Warren Bright, expressed concern of the general public’s “poor” understanding of the real causes of the high prices.
Speaking on the subject he said: “10 years of low interest rates have brought about Britain’s high house prices, but this is poorly understood by most people.
“Restrictive planning policy enthusiastically enforced by local councils has severely constrained the ability of developers to provide the number of homes needed by Britain’s rising number of households, and has exacerbated the rise in property values.”
He added that immigrants and property investors could not alone be blamed as they were “too small in number”.
The news comes as Yorkshire Bank research found 43 per cent of Brits considering buying property abroad.
Mortgage lending ’strong’ in May
July 3, 2007 by admin
Filed under News, News-Mortgages
The traditional desire of Britons to purchase property in the summer months continued in May, the British Bankers’ Association’s (BBA’s) latest figures show.
Financial providers lent some £19.7 billion during the month, some eight per cent more than the same period in 2006.
The BBA cited strong re-mortgaging activity as well as the usual pattern of strong lending as a cause for the year-on-year growth.
Some 204,800 mortgages were also approved during May, some two per cent more than May 2006.
Credit card borrowing fell by £0.4 billion during the period, while personal loans and overdraft borrowing also declined by £0.1 billion.
David Dooks, BBA director of statistics, said: “Contrary to the recent stable trend, the banks‘ gross and net mortgage lending strengthened in May, reflecting an improved competitive position, rather than a general rise in mortgage demand across the market.”
He added: “And, because of strong approvals in May, the banks’ higher market share is likely to continue over the next couple of months.
Early 30s in most debt
April 20, 2007 by admin
Filed under News, News-Banking
People in their early 30s, known as the Friends generation, borrow more money than any other age group.
New research shows that they have the highest borrowing, including mortgages, and are more likely than other generations to miss repayments.
A study, carried out by Alliance and Leicester, shows that the Friends generation, named after the popular US sitcom, have an average unsecured debt of around £5,863.
That stands at 29 per cent above the national average and the fact that they often miss payments means that the situation is getting worse.
Alliance and Leicester does point out that the age of the Friends generation does not help their cause as many are now seriously making moves to settle down.
This means many are buying their first home, with 63 per cent currently owning a property.
“The early 30s are a transitional age where careers are taking off and before family responsibilities kick in,” explained Chris Rhodes from the bank.
“Many are buying their first homes at this point, but are also enjoying rapidly rising salaries and are keen to enjoy life to the full.”
Things look much better for the so-called Club 18-30s generation, with fewer people in this age range having consumer debt.
It is not all rosy however, with student loans having a major affect on this generation’s finances.
“The picture for the under-30s is dominated by student loans,” continued Mr Rhodes. “A hangover of student debt is constraining their appetite for other borrowing and delaying their ability to get on the housing ladder.”
