Property Financing Abroad

According to recent research conducted by Barclays Bank in the UK, the numbers of Britons with second, holiday or retirement homes abroad is set to double.  Of those who are seriously planning to buy overseas the vast majority admitted that they would require some form of property financing abroad.

There are many finance and mortgage options available to those who would like to buy a new home in the sun and this article examines the most popular choices available.

Firstly, the rise in UK house prices that many home owners have enjoyed over the past few years means that re-mortgaging an existing home, releasing the equity that has accrued and using that money to fund an overseas home purchase is currently the number one choice for Britons.

People who choose this approach contact a local UK bank or building society for a re-mortgage and they can therefore take advantage of the fact that their credit history is easily available to the lender, they can quickly get an idea of how much they can borrow and at what rate of interest and the whole transaction can be conducted swiftly and easily in English either in person at the bank, with a broker, over the phone or even on the internet.  The relative ease and simplicity of this option makes it so popular.

Those who consider such an option have to be aware that while their mortgage is not directly secured on their home overseas, it is secured on their primary UK residence.  If the borrower falls behind with payments they risk losing their UK home; furthermore they have to be able to prove how they will afford their re-mortgage.  If the borrower is planning on renting out their UK home while they move overseas for example, some lenders will want to see a rental contract before they release the funds which can make it particularly tricky for those buying off plan who need to stay in their UK home while the overseas property is being built.

Another option that’s available is securing an international mortgage from an international lender; this mortgage will be secured on the overseas property of course and international lenders often specialise in a series of countries where they are able to handle any negotiations, paperwork, legal procedures etc., on behalf of the borrower thus making the entire purchase and finance process that much simpler.  International lender’s fees do tend to be quite high however and so if this is a restriction for a buyer looking at their property financing abroad options they might like to consider taking out a mortgage locally in the country in which they are buying.

Using a local lender has advantages and disadvantages.  On the positive side the lender can quickly assess how much the property being bought is truly worth, they can easily conduct their own surveys and searches on the land, property and developer and there will be no additional costs incurred by the borrower in transferring money abroad.  On the down side interest rates aboard can be far higher than back home in the UK, lender’s fees can be higher, the loan to value ratio may be more restrictive meaning a purchaser has to find a larger deposit and finally there can be language and cultural barriers and hurdles to deal with.

Property financing abroad is a specialist subject because not all options that are available necessarily suit all buyers, we would recommend that anyone considering buying abroad and looking at their financial options contacts a regulated, qualified, experienced and independent mortgage broker or financial adviser.

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