Ask Bea
Bea's Biography
Bea began her career in financial services in August 2001, as an underwriter for Chelsea Building Society. In January 2004 she joined Clydesdale Bank as a Mortgage Adviser, and then joined John Charcol in January 2007 as a mortgage consultant. John Charcol, the sister company of Charcol, provides independent mortgage advice.
Bea’s has been chosen as our mortgage expert due to her excellent reputation both within John Charcol and with her clients through exceptional customer service and management, and first class broking skills. Bea typifies the standards clients can expect from John Charcol. In the words of one of her clients, “Bea has arranged our transaction and has explained what is happening at every stage of the process. I am very pleased and impressed with both her approachable, common sense attitude and ability to obtain the best deal on both my properties, securing mortgages that were far better than what I was used to paying. At every point of contact Bea has been professional and extremely helpful, going above and beyond what would normally be expected.”
Outside of work Bea lives in Richmond with her husband and enjoys reading, painting, good food and great wine.
If you would like to discuss your specific situation in more detail, or would like further advice, please call and speak to one of our qualified mortgage consultants now on: 0845 034 2100
STOP PRESS - Due to a techncial fault beyond our control, we have just found out that we have lost a number of questions submitted over the last month or so. We are extremely sorry about this and apologise to those that are still waiting for a response. If you could re-submit yout question we will endeavour to answer it as soon as possible.
Please be aware that these answers can only be generic and no personal recommendations can be made.
Posted on 21 May 2008
I am a first time buyer who wants to buy a flat in London. Some people are saying to wait as prices are expected to fall by 12%-18% over the next 2 years nationally. Can this price drop be expected in London or other "hot spots"?...
Category: Current rates & the market, First-time buyer
Posted on 19 May 2008
What are the best rates available in 10 year fixed rates?
Category: Current rates & the market
Posted on 29 April 2008
I want to buy a new home. I have a £159k mortgage on a house which is not selling at the moment and the rental figures for this house won't cover 125 % of the mortgage payments. I also have a holiday house in Scotland with no...
Category: Current rates & the market, Let-to-buy
Posted on 24 April 2008
I purchased the other half of my shared ownership property in 2003 valued at £173,000. I combined my mortgage halves with Northern Rock. The fixed term comes to an end in October 2008 after five years. I need another mortgage....
Category: Current rates & the market, Remortgaging
Posted on 10 March 2008
According to different mortgage packages, will the repayment of the capital be at the same time scale (even though the actual monthly repayment amount and TAR will differ)? i.e. will the equity of a property appreciate at the...
Category: Current rates & the market
Posted on 5 March 2008
Is it wise to buy a house at the moment? Is the price going down or should I wait?
Category: Current rates & the market
Posted on 19 February 2008
Hi Katie, I'm on a variable mortgage tied in until January 2010. I am only tied in by the 5% of the balance charged if I change the mortgage type or lender. The balance is around £82,500 which is about a £4,000 fee. Is it worth...
Category: Current rates & the market
Posted on 17 February 2008
How will the Northern Rock nationalisation affect current Northern Rock mortgage holders? Will it affect our repayments? Any information would be grateful please Kate.
Category: Current rates & the market
Posted on 17 January 2008
Hi Katie, I am looking for a long term 'Buy to Let' strategy buying about 15 properties over the next 18 months/two years.
1. What products do you have available where I can release capital growth EACH and EVERY year without...
Category: Buy-to-let, Current rates & the market
Posted on 17 January 2008
Is it worth moving in the current market?
Category: Current rates & the market
Posted on 10 January 2008
Our monthly income is £2,000 yet our total outgoings per month are £2800. Much of this shortfall has been spread across credit cards that now total £15,000 with the 0% offers ending around June this year. We are currently only...
Category: Consolidation of debts, Current rates & the market, Lower mortgage payments, Remortgaging
Posted on 9 January 2008
My current offset mortgage with First Direct is 5.94% tied to BoE rate. They are advertising a 2 year offset fix @ 4.99% with a £499 fee for existing customers. This seems pretty good. Do you agree?
Category: Current rates & the market
Posted on 8 January 2008
My fixed rate mortgage stops at the end of March. I want to find the cheapest interest rate. Which is better a 2 or 5 year? Is the interest rate going up or down?
Category: Current rates & the market, Fixed or Variable?, Remortgaging
Posted on 4 January 2008
I have a significant amount of personal debt, but a good income and have never bought before. Is there a way for me to combine my personal debt with a mortgage to get onto the property ladder? Is it an option you would recommend?
Category: 100%+ borrowing, Current rates & the market, First-time buyer
Posted on 26 December 2007
My current two year fixed rate with Nationwide is coming to an end on the 29th February. I am considering opting to replace it with Nationwide's 5 year fixed rate for existing customers at 5.63% but, in view of the current...
Category: Current rates & the market, Lower mortgage payments, Remortgaging
Answers provided in response to Ask Bea are based on the information provided and do not constitute advice under the Financial Services & Markets Act. They reflect the personal views of the authors and do not neccessarily represent the views, positions, strategies or opinions of Charcol Limited. All comments are made in good faith, and neither Charcol Limited nor Bea will accept liability for them.
We recommend you seek professional advice with regard to any of these topics where appropriate.
Categories
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- Interest only vs repayment (12)
- Legal matters (3)
- Let-to-buy (10)
- Life assurance/ protection (1)
- Lower mortgage payments (42)
- Mortgages in retirement (20)
- New build (3)
- Offset mortgages (9)
- Overpayments, Payment Holdays, underpayments, Borrowback (13)
- Raising capital out of property (11)
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- Secured loans (8)
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- The application process explained (10)
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- Valuations, Freehold, leases & unusual property (14)
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