Tag Archives: Financial Products

Why Equity Release Calculator Interest is on the Increase

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Financial markets change based on interest in the market. During the recessions England just went through, a few things occurred. One, no one was spending any money. Secondly, money was tight due to lost jobs, lost investments, and overall many foreclosures occurred. This created an issue for all financial products including equity release. Most needed money, but the outlook was not too great. This has changed with equity release calculator interest on the rise. In the first half of 2014, 10,000 equity release products have been sold according to recent news releases. Furthermore, websites are showing more traffic to their equity release calculators, as more people rush to see if there is a potential product available for them.

Calculating the Interest of Consumers
Lifetime mortgage and a home reversion company are seeing renewed interest in their products. Already for the first half of 2014 approximately £641 million has been attained in equity release with about half of that amount in quarter 2. This is about the same as ten years ago, and the highest numbers seen since the subprime mortgage crash occurred.

All of these stats are coming from the Equity Release Council which prove there is a reason you might wish to look at equity release if you are having issues with funding your retirement.

Funding your Retirement Better
Most individuals have sustained such losses in the last few years that retirement is going to be hard when it comes to money. While there is enough now, as the person lives longer they will run out of cash. Being cash poor, but property rich is a good thing. If you have yet to hit this point but know it is coming, you can do something about it by using the equity release calculator. The fact that equity release calculator interest is up is also a good thing for other reasons.

Interest in these calculators ensures they are online for you to use and they are free. It also means the websites supplying the calculators are going to keep up to date information handy for you. While some websites might stagnate and not update for current market products, there are those which continue to ensure you have more accurate details.

It allows you to find products of use to you, get an accurate picture of equity you can release, and then decide if you want to speak with a broker.

Benefits of Calculators
Besides the obvious result in figuring out if equity release is right for you, these calculators are available 24/7. You can do research in your own time. It makes it easy to get answers when a brokerage firm is closed. You cannot always reach a broker qualified in equity release because they close the office and go home for the night.

It also gives you a chance to figure out if the product is right for you or if you need to consider other alternatives. There is nothing fun about going through an entire process with a broker to find out in the end they cannot help you. It can still happen even using the calculator but it definitely happens less often.

Entering Information Appropriately
It is up to you to enter the information into the equity release calculator that is accurate if you want a depiction of actual options. You will need to use the youngest homeowner’s age. Even if you are 65, if your spouse or significant other is 55, you need to use that age providing they are able to sign a loan or have to be involved for home reversion to work. It all depends on who actually owns the property. If you are a single home owner and your other family is not mentioned on the property title then you can use your age.

Next you need proper home values. You can get these online as well by searching Zoopla and other sites for recent sales that are similar to your home. This value needs to be as accurate as possible because the property value of your home is going to determine the amount of equity you actually have to release.

As long as you have these numbers, you can use the calculator and then seek out independent broker advice when you are ready for the next step. The above are reasons equity release calculator interest is on the rise particularly because there is a possibility for you to get funds in retirement that will help you keep your current lifestyle without being too costly.

What are the early repayment charges on equity release schemes?

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Equity release mortgages are financial products, essentially loans, that allow you to free up the equity tied into your home. For those who own a real estate property and require a supplementary income, this type of loan can be the right option. This is especially true of pensioners who have a house but often require additional cash flow for a better lifestyle, medical expenses etc. There are many different types of equity release schemes, and choosing the right one requires proper understanding of the concept, as well as proper guidance.

As equity release mortgages have become more and more popular, they have also evolved and improved over time. Today, there are not only a greater number of equity release providers in the market but also a great variety in terms of the type of equity release plans. Equity release plans have also become more flexible to suit people in a wider variety of circumstances. Something that was not available a few years back may now have become accessible.

If you already have an equity release mortgage, it may be worth your while to explore the market and see whether there are better options available for you. Switching to a new lender may have several advantages, from lower interest rates to more flexible terms of lending. However, switching your equity release is not always a straightforward process. Before applying for a new loan, it is important to understand all the equity release risks associated with your existing mortgage.

Many lenders charge an early repayment penalty on their equity release mortgages. This changes from lender to lender and also varies with different mortgages. But it could be as low as 5% to as high as 25% of the total amount that is borrowed. These penalties are put in place to protect the lender from losses made on interest when a debt is repaid ahead of term. While ERCs were common until a few years ago, a more competitive market has led to many lenders scrapping this policy.

Sometimes an equity release remortgage with an alternate lender could help make huge savings, however, high early repayment penalties could cancel out any saving and make it economically unviable. In other cases it could still be viable notwithstanding a seemingly high ERC! As always, it is useful to consult a financial adviser, with expertise in the field of equity release mortgages, to help you make the right choice.