Aug
31
Interest rates in America maybe cut – why it’s good news for Brits
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Following intervention by George Bush, the head of the US Federal Reserve has hinted that a drop in interest rates may be on the cards for America soon. There is real concern in the US that the sub prime housing problems could tip the country into recession, forcing many lenders out of business and increasing [...]
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30
Much as I has suspected from the number of houses that are proving difficult to sell in my area, house price growth is slowing down across the country. The Nationwide, in its latest press release about the property market, points out that annual growth in house prices is slowing. The annual rate of growth fell [...]
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29
Credit cards – be wary of hidden fees
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Credit card companies are sneaky. Just when you thought they were tamed by the Office of Fair Trading who forced them to reduce their default fees, we learn today that card issuers are increasing their charges in other ways, according to a report by Which. One of the main ways that credit card companies are [...]
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28
The news that people are hardly saving any money doesn’t surprise me. As interest rates have been low for quite a few years now, there has almost been a dis-incentive to save and a real temptation to do the opposite – to borrow as much as you can. Apparently 20 percent of us don’t bother [...]
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27
Ebay – a cheap way of selling your house
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I was interested to read about a couple using Ebay to sell their home, which seems like a great idea. With conventional estate agents charging at least one percent plus VAT to sell your home, many people are turning to the Internet in search of an effective, but far less costly way of finding a [...]
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24
Northern Rock increases sub prime lending rates – what this means for you
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The news that Northern Rock will be increasing the interest rates on their fixed rate sub prime loans soon may not seem important to you at the moment, unless you have an impaired credit history and fall within the sub prime market. However it is not just Northern Rock who are increasing their sub prime [...]
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23
When I heard about home information packs (HIPs) being extended to 3 bedroom houses on Radio 4 news last Friday lunchtime. I had to chuckle. I wasn’t chuckling about HIPs affecting more house sellers (far from it), but it was the fact that the newsreader actually said “Home Improvement Packs” when reading out the news [...]
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22
Variable rate mortgages are being chosen by many people now instead of fixed rate mortgages. In fact 55 percent of mortgages taken out in July were for variable rate mortgages. When interest rates rise, most people feel safer with a fixed rate mortgage, but of course this can become a liability when rates start to [...]
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21
House prices are slowing down in my area
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House prices in Chelmsford, the main town in my area, seem to be static at the moment and I’ve noticed that a lot of houses that have been been on Right Move for at least three months, are still unsold. Some houses in Chelmsford that had sold are now back on the market again. So [...]
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20
Dell Computers: be wary of rip off shipping charges
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I rate Dell computers quite highly. Although they may not be the most sexy PC’s available, I’ve always found them to be reliable with pretty good performance. I particularly like their warranty and support plans, and on the very few times that I have needed hardware repairs, Dell have always worked hard and quickly to [...]
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