Personal Finance

Property

UK property guides: first-time buyer schemes, mortgage overpayments, buy-to-let costs and Stamp Duty, with the figures explained.

Property

Buy-to-Let vs Stocks & Shares ISA: What £60,000 Could Become in 30 Years

A worked example: £60,000 into a leveraged buy-to-let versus a Stocks and Shares ISA over 30 years, with the tax rules and where each one wins.

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Property

Stamp Duty and the Other Costs of Buying a Home

Stamp Duty gets the headlines, but legal fees, surveys, searches and removals can add another £3,000 to £5,000 to a purchase. Here’s the full list, with real figures.

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Property

UK First-Time Buyer Schemes: What Each One Actually Gets You

Five government schemes claim to help first-time buyers, but most people pick the wrong one and pay for it for years.

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Property

Overpay Your Mortgage or Invest? The Maths Most People Get Backwards

One option guarantees a tax-free return equal to your mortgage rate. The other has historically paid more but guarantees nothing. Here's the actual comparison.

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Property

The Real Cost of Being a Landlord: What the Headline Yield Hides

Property portals advertise gross rental yields of 6% or 7%. After tax changes, fees and void periods, the real number is often less than half that.

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