Let To Buy Mortgage – Why Sell Your Home For A Lose

With the housing market still looking like it will be a buyers market for the rest of 2009 many potential home movers are faced with the prospect of having to sell their homes for substantially less than they were worth in 2008. The alternative to not selling their homes at a huge loss on the 2007 prices is to let this property out and wait for prices to rise and buy independently.

If you are looking to buy a new house but rent out your old one then a let to buy mortgage could be the answer. When you take out a let to buy mortgage your lender will work out the maximum amount they are wiling to lend you and not use your existing mortgage as a commitment as long as the rent you are going to charge will cover your existing mortgage repayments.

Advantages and disadvantages of a let to buy mortgage
If you are thinking of applying for a let to buy mortgage here are the advantages and disadvantages of doing so-

Advantages
Let to buy mortgages are different to buy to let mortgages, they can often be for a higher percentage of your new property value resulting in a smaller deposit being needed, or not at all depending on how much equity you have in your rental property.
If you are looking to start a property portfolio a let to buy mortgage can get you on the right track. Providing that you make all mortgage payments on time you could have a pension provision from your properties once the mortgages are paid off.
You can move to a new part of the country for a job or other purpose and know you have a property in another location to go back to if the move is short term.
Your original property can be kept as an investment with all mortgage payments being made by your tenants.

Disadvantages
One of the requirements for a let to buy mortgage is that you get the permission from your existing lender to do so.
You will need a minimum 15% deposit for the new purchase
Your credit history must be excellent with no late payments
If you have a leasehold property you need to check there are no let to buy restrictions on it.
It is important that you inform your buildings and contents insurer.

With the credit crunch a let to buy mortgage is becoming more and more tempting to many people, however it is important to seek advice on these types of mortgage as they can be complicated. It is also important to remember that if you do not find a tenant you will have to pay to mortgages.