Searches for first-time buyer mortgage advice continued to drive the highest number of enquiries - triggering 39% of mortgage advice searches in September, rising from 37% this time last year. Buy-to-let advice rose slightly from 16% in August to 17% in September.
Retirement planning remained top of the agenda for consumers with retirement planning driving 38% of enquiries for independent financial advice in September.
Karen Barrett, chief executive of unbiased.co.uk, commented: “Enquiries for first-time buyer advice remain high, suggesting a continuous momentum in the first-time buyer market and a real consumer drive for mortgage advice. Increasingly attractive rates are entering the market and we are seeing the return of many lenders offering deals for consumers with a 10% or smaller deposit.”
The top 10 mortgage advice drivers were: first-time buyers at 39%; remortgaging at 31%; residential at 19%; buy-to-let at 17%; high loan-to-value at 8%; self employed at 6%; equity release at 5%; sub=prime at 3%; and commercial and flexible both at 2%.
