Joint Equity

The impacts of Stamp Duty changes are unclear

2008-03-13T11:21:00.002Z

In yesterday's budget announcement, a change to the Stamp Duty payable on Shared Home Ownership properties was mentioned.

The change means that Shared Home Ownership properties will not have to pay any Stamp Duty (if the buyer owns less than 80% of the property).

This change is due to come into force in April, but at present there are no details or Treasury Guidance available to see what the meat of the change will be.

We're investigating and watching developments closely, as we want to know whether it will apply to Joint Equity purchases or not.

As soon as we've found out any more, we'll post the information here.

Tam
Joint Equity Blogger

The Joint Equity guide to renting a room (part 3 - preparing the room, and the rest of your home)

2007-12-07T10:58:00.000Z

Lots of first time buyers (and some second time buyers, me included) have rented out a room in their homes in order to help with mortgage payments and bills.

I have to say, it's a good plan, but you should take a few careful steps to make sure you get the right lodger, and that your relationship with them runs smoothly. Trust me, it can be a minefield, and I learnt the hard way!

By the way - this guide assumes that your mortgage or lease allows you to rent out a room in the property. Some mortgages and leases do preclude sub-letting, although under The Joint Equity Scheme you can rent part of your home to a lodger.

In this series of blog posts, I address the following topics:

Setting the rent
Advertising the room
Preparing the room (and the rest of your home)
Holding viewings and interviews
Taking deposits
Signing tenancy agreements
Setting ground rules
Dealing with bills (and other stuff)
What happens when they move out

Today, we're Preparing the Room (and the rest of your home):

So, you've decided how much you want to charge, and have prepared your adverts - now it's time to get the room ready, and to prepare the rest of your home.

This is not rocket science, but it's amazing how many people overlook this.

Just follow these few simple steps though and you'll be fine:

1) Make sure the room is tidy and clean.
Clear out any junk, hoover the floor, give the windows a quick once over, and please do dust the place. You might not be trying to attract a 'clean freak' but it really makes a difference to a room if it's clean as the space just seems to open up.

2) Make the bed.
Any unmade bed looks bad, even a brand-new one with a pristine mattress, so just make up the bed with a matching duvet & pillow set. Nothing fancy required.

3) Make sure that the rest of your property is tidy and clean.
First impressions do matter, so to make your home look welcoming (and worth the price you want to charge someone to live there), tidy away any random bits and pieces and have a bit of a clean round. This means putting away games consoles, loose CD's, piles of books etc etc. Pay particular attention to the kitchen and the bathroom (especially if you are looking for a female lodger, we can be more fussy!).

4) Check out the outside space.
If you have terrace or a garden, this is probably one of your big selling points, so make sure it's looking reasonable. Even at this time of year, a potential lodger will want to have a peek outside and imagine themselves out there in the summertime.

Following these rules shouldn't be too arduous, and will have the double benefit of making the property more attractive to potential lodgers and making it a nicer place for you to live in too!

That's all for now, but next time we'll be talking about holding viewings.

Take care,

Tam
www.jointequity.co.uk

The Joint Equity guide to renting a room (part 2 - advertising the room)

2007-11-19T09:55:00.001Z

Setting the rent
Advertising the room
Preparing the room (and the rest of your home)
Holding viewings and interviews
Taking deposits
Signing tenancy agreements
Setting ground rules
Dealing with bills (and other stuff)
What happens when they move out

Today, we're Advertising the Room:

You are unlikely to be surprised to hear that I favour the internet for advertising rooms to rent.

There are so many great sites out there now that can help you do this, and I'm going to take you through the process step by step:

Do your research

Remember looking through all those ads to see what the going rate for a room in your area was? Well, some of those ads will have jumped out at you straight away, and others won't have. Have another look at the ads that you liked, what techniques did they employ that attracted your attention? Make a note of those things and think about using some of them in your own ad.

Write your lodger-specification.

All housemates are not created equal. Figure out what you want your lodger to be, and state it clearly in your ad. e.g. 'Non-smoking, cat-friendly, professional female', ' sociable male or female smoker'. This doesn't mean you won't get responses from unsuitable people, but it should reduce the amount of weeding out you need to do at an early stage.

Decide when you can do viewings.

You are likely to start getting responses very quickly, and you want to get your room let as soon as possible, so block off some time in your diary when you will be able to show people round. An ideal block is 1 weekend (daytimes) and the following Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. This means that you should be able to get all the viewings out of the way quite quickly, and that your personal schedule is not disrupted too much in the process. Also, your respondents will get a better service from you, as you can tell them immediately when you will be available to show them round.

Write the ad.

Don't make your ad up once you get to the point of submitting it. Craft some finely honed sentences in Word or another word processing package so that you can copy and paste when you submit. It will save you time.

Don't be afraid of bullet points listing the advantages of the property, and include features like furnished/unfurnished, distance to transport/shops, availability of parking, if the street you're on is quiet, etc. Tell them about who else is living there (don't include details that are too personal, please! Your safety is important).

Remember to include your lodger specification in your ad.

Take pictures (of the room and the rest of the property).

Many sites now allow you to include pictures for free. This is worth doing, as pictures will always sell any item faster. However, you do need to tidy up before you take the pictures, and make sure that any random items are tucked neatly away. Take several pictures from different angles, and just use the best one or two. Ideally, you should include a picture of the room, one of the living room or kitchen of your property, and (maybe) one of the outside, if it's pretty or you have a garden/patio.

Upload your ad.

Put your ad on a few different sites. My favourites are: Gumtree.com, Spareroom.co.uk, and Loot.com. You can also try Facebook.com, if you use that already.

Monitor your ad & tweak (if necessary).

All the above sites have high traffic volumes, so lots of people will see your ads. If you don't get much of a response, then go back to your research and tweak your ads to reflect the good bits of other people's postings.

Be ready to answer questions.

Get ready for a LOT of questions. This is great though, as it allows you to hone your pitch and weed people out early without having to spend 20mins showing them round your home. If you can't take many personal calls at work, put your email address on the ad as the point of contact, and not your mobile number. You can give your number to any of the email enquirers that you think would be worth speaking to do directly.

If you can follow these steps, you'll have a great advert and have let the room out in no time.

Next week, we'll address preparing the room (and the rest of your home), and 'yes' it is a vital step.

Take care,

Tam

The Joint Equity guide to renting a room (part 1 - setting the rent)

2007-11-16T08:46:00.000Z

Setting the rent
Advertising the room
Preparing the room (and the rest of your home)
Holding viewings and interviews
Taking deposits
Signing tenancy agreements
Setting ground rules
Dealing with bills (and other stuff)
What happens when they move out

Today, we're Setting The Rent:

This sounds really easy, and a lot of it is common sense, but there are a few things here that you may not yet have considered.

Do your research

Find out what the going rate is for a room in your area. Check newsagent's windows, your local papers, Gumtree, Loot, Spareroom.co.uk and even Facebook are good places to check out.

When you are doing your research, bear in mind that rents can be influenced by the size or the room, the standard of the property, the location, proximity to the town centre, transport links, how many other people there are to share with, availability of a garden, etc. However, you should be able to figure out that double rooms have one price range, and single rooms have another. You should aim to pick a price within the general range for your room type, that reflects the advantages (or disadvantages) of your property.

Go inclusive?

When you are doing your price research, notice the difference between 'including bills' rentals and those 'excluding bills'.

I am a firm advocate of inclusive of bills rentals (this typically means all bills except telephone). The reason that I'm so keen on including bills is that it allows your lodger to clearly see what they are due to pay, and stops you having to divide the bills every month, chase your lodger for their share, and prevents underpayment & all it's attendant arguments.

Beware the tax implications

The Government has a 'rent a room' scheme, which allows you to rent out a room in your only or main residence and receive up to £4,250 annually without paying tax on the income. This means that you could charge up to £354pcm, if the room is occupied for a whole year, without paying tax.

There are advantages and disadvantages to this scheme, which are detailed in the Revenue & Custom's page on the scheme, but the most important thing to bear in mind is that this figure for total gross income (i.e. if you include bills in the rent, that will be taken off this figure).

Of course, you don't have to use the rent a room scheme, and the tax implications of the alternatives are detailed here.

Consider the costs of high rents

Going for a high rent might look like the best way to make money, but if you're pricing too high for your area, this strategy could actually cost you money.

Slightly cheaper rooms will rent out more quickly, so choose your price bearing in mind what the cost to you would be if you don't get a lodger for a month or more.

E.g. Rent £500pcm and it takes you 2 months to find a lodger, who then takes out a 1 year's agreement (14 months in total). You would receive £6,000 over the whole 14 month period.

However, if you drop your rent to £450pcm and rent it straight away to a tenant who takes out a year's agreement (assuming they appreciate the more reasonable rent and don't leave after 1 year), you would receive £6,300 over the whole 14 months - AND you wouldn't have had to wait 2 months before getting any income.

Pick and stick

Finally, when you decide what you want to rent the room out for, stick to your price. If you allow yourself to be haggled down in price, you are likely to end up feeling resentful towards your lodger and that can lead to bad feeling between you. Not a good recipe for happy co-habitation.

This is why it's particularly important to get your price right in the first place.

Okay - that's all for now. On Monday, I'll be looking at advertising the room, including what to say and where to advertise for free.

Take care,

Tam

Interest rates - maybe going down next month?

2007-11-15T09:38:00.000Z

Well, the speculation is that we'll see a rate decrease in December (or maybe in January at the latest).

With the Pound so strong at the moment, the general consensus seems to be that rates can't stay at their present level, and they'll have to drop very very soon.

As a mortgage holder myself, I'm hoping for the decrease next month, but let's wait and see. I've learnt my lesson about counting chickens before they have hatched (and it only took me 30 years!).

Take care,

Tam

What are your savings worth, really?

2007-11-14T10:07:00.001Z

The Motley Fool website has a great article about the real value of savings.

Click here to read the article.

In a nutshell, the article tells you what interest rate you need to receive on your savings after tax and inflation, in order for you to be making any money on your squirrelled-away dosh - or even to be holding steady.

We are used to thinking about savings in relation to interest rates, and even tax (sometimes), but inflation in not on the radar for many of us, despite the fact that many of us can remember exactly what 50p's pocket money used to be able to buy you.

The message is clear: Be careful where you put your savings.

If you are considering buying your first home, the likelihood is that you are (or have been) saving for a deposit. If so, well done you! Every little helps, and you are going to get yourself onto the property ladder quicker than many of your contemporaries.

Think about where you are putting your nest egg though - an ISA (which are tax free) is a great place if you haven't already used up your allowance. Don't just hoard it in your normal bank account.

If you are only just embarking on a savings programme, don't let this article put you off. You CAN beat inflation and the tax man. For a great guide to savings, go to www.moneysavingexpert.com.

Also, remember that savings and investments are not the same thing. If you have only savings, and no investments, compare the returns available from both, and think about putting your eggs in more than one basket.

As we always say, if you want a long term investment, property is a good place to look, and investing in your own home a great starting point.

Happy Saving!

Tam

Insurance - you know you want it!

2007-11-13T08:57:00.000Z

I know people who cross their fingers and hope that the sky will always be blue for them. This is no bad thing - I'm an optimist myself - but there is a difference between being an optimist and an ostrich.

An optimist looks on the bright side, and puts in place measures to ensure that if something does go wrong, all will be taken care of.

An ostrich buries it's head in the sand and hopes that any problems that do come along will just go away again (by the way, I think ostriches burying their heads to hide from danger is actually a myth, but you get the analogy anyway).

An optimist will therefore have (amongst other things) insurance.

You can get insured for just about anything it seems, and there's been a lot of press lately about insurance being mis-sold - particularly on mortgages. Suffice it to say that not all insurance is created equal.

There are:

different types of insurance (e.g. buildings, contents, mortgage, life, car, travel and pet).
different levels of cover for each type.
different exclusions between providers.
different charging systems.
different policy wording.
different freebies for some policies.

..the list goes on and on and on.

It's a minefield. You can spend a small fortune on insurance that doesn't really do what you want it to, or become paralysed by confusion and fail to get any insurance at all (yes, this does happen).

So, read up on what the different types of insurance there are, what sort of cover you really need, and how to get it cheapest. You can do that at www.moneysavingexpert.com. There are a set of great, easy to read, guides to insurance on the site.

Also, remember to compare prices and get quotes for your specific situation (don't just go by the advertisements promising "cover from £50!"). Using comparison sites is a great way forward. I like www.moneysupermarket.com, although they don't do absolutely everything (check out moneysavingexpert regarding that issue as well).

Do this research as part of your home-finding process. Costs like insurance and bills are often overlooked by home-buyers, so check this out up front. With Joint Equity, buildings insurance costs are shared by the Owner-Partner and Investor-Partner, which is great, but not the only reason to buy your first home through The Joint Equity Scheme!

Take care,

Tam

No more online property deeds?

2007-11-12T10:43:00.000Z

The Land Registry has stopped it's online property deeds service.

I have used the service myself and it was very good. However, it appears that the service was open to fraud.

The fear was that people would register to use the site, pay for and download property deeds, and then use these to make re-mortgage applications without the property owner's knowledge.

Apparently, this was very rare - the figures cited are £12million paid out in compensation, against £870million collected in fees - but the risks were such that it was decided to stop the service.

It has also been pointed out, that many would-be fraudsters fall at the lender's hurdle, as the checks in place to prevent fraud, money-laundering etc, picked up erroneous applications. Which is good to hear.

Of course, people can still get deeds, but they must once again apply in writing to do so, as was the case before the online system.

Personally, I am fed up with all these things that are made so much more difficult because of the risk of fraud. Things that should make life easier - particularly through the use of online technologies - are just new opportunities to theives and fraudsters, and that means that we don't see the benefits of them.

However, I don't know the answer to the problem. I'm sure something could be done which would safeguard our individual data security, but I don't know how that might work. I am holding out hope though! If there are any boffins reading this who work on making the internet etc more secure, please know that your work is appreciated (at least by me).

Find out about flood risks before you buy

2007-11-09T10:14:00.000Z

I hope you're not already affected by flooding. It can be a very unpleasant situation to be in, and my thoughts are with those people who's homes are currently at risk, and have experienced flooding in the past.

With the current flood warnings in force for a big chunk of the English coastline, I thought it would be a good idea to remind you to address this risky issue when you are thinking about buying your new home.

Of course, your conveyancer will check flood risks for you as part of the 'searches' which are done when you agree to buy a property, but don't wait until then to find out if your property could be at risk. Remember, by the time you get to conveyancing, you are paying for a professional service from the conveyancer, your mortgage has probably been agreed, and you have invested a lot of time, effort and emotion in the property you're buying.

The best thing to do is to find out about flood risk for the general area(s) that you are looking at buying in, before you even settle on a particular property.

You can do this for free on the Environment Agency's website.
Click here to go straight to the flooding section of the site.

By typing in the postcode or town of the area you're house-hunting in, you can very quickly see on a map the extent of any local flood risk, and any flood defences that are already in place.

Of course the site has lots of other information too - like a seach facility for local pollution risks. You can find out an awful lot of information about your neighbourhood this way, so I suggest you check it out.

Take care,

Tam

Interest rates to hold for another month (at least)

2007-11-08T12:32:00.000Z

Despite doing my best rate-cut dance every night for the past week, it has been anounced that The Bank of England will hold interest rates at 5.75% for another month.

Good news for Owners and Investors buying now, as it means rates arn't going up again just yet.

In fact, speculation is that the rate is likely to hold through December as well, which would make the earliest date for a possible cut to be in January.

Are the whispers right or wrong? Will we be going down again in January? Let me know.

Tam

More shared home ownership for key workers

2007-11-07T13:28:00.000Z

Things are set to change in the way that local government are to offer shared home ownership options to some first-time buyers and key workers.

See The Guardian's article for more details: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2007/nov/05/houseprices.localgovernment

In simple terms local councils will be able to:

Offer new deals on low-cost homes built on their own land.
Ensure that up to half the homes in big new developments are reserved for renting to those on council waiting lists, OR
Offer these properties on a shared-ownershp basis to teachers, health workers, police officers, and other key-workers (this could double the amount of housing currently available as 'mixed community developments')

This scheme is to be trialled with 14 Local Authorities in England. These are: Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham, Newcastle, Wakefield, Sunderland, Dacorum in Hertfordshire, Harlow, Peterborough, Bristol, Plymouth, Wolverhampton, Manchester, and Barking and Dagenham.

What does this mean?

Firstly, this announcement is good news for house-hunters if you are in one of the trial Local Authority Areas, as it adds to the choices available.
However, even if you are in one of the target areas, don't jump too soon. You may not be eligible and there may be a long waiting list. Remember this news is about new properties to be built, and so they won't be available at all for some time yet.
Joint Equity could still be a more viable option for you, if:

You live elsewhere in the country (or in Wales or Scotland).
You don't fulfill the council's waiting list criteria.
You don't want to live in a new-build property.
You want to buy your own home (or part of it) right now.

Click here to learn more about The Joint Equity Scheme.

Click here to receive a free Joint Equity information pack, request a personal Joint Equity Illustration and see what kind of property you could buy.

No posts for a while

2007-11-05T17:17:00.000Z

We have been busy rebuilding the web site and struggling with the problems that banks seem to have bought on themselves.

We are now back to our usual routine and normal service should resume on this Blog and our Newsletters.

We anticipate being able to tell you all some really exciting news in a short while, but in the mean time please bear with us.

Tams

Joint Equity in the news

2007-07-04T09:25:00.000+01:00

Here's an article that we featured in from What Mortgage magazine: http://www.whatmortgage.co.uk/mortgages/18842/53/First-time_buyers_in_depth/Sharing_the_burden.htm

Our beloved Brad even gets a quote! :)

Happy house hunting.

Tam

Are you house hunting in Hinkley, Coalville, Bedworth or Nuneaton?

2007-07-02T10:06:00.000+01:00

If you are looking for a property in one of the following areas:

Hinkley,
Coalville,
Nuneaton, or
Bedworth,

I have some great news for you: We have teamed up with YOUR MOVE the estate agents to bring Joint Equity properties to the market in this part of the Midlands.

You won't be able to see them online yet, but if you check the local press or visit one of the YOUR MOVE offices in Hinkley, Coalville, Nuneaton or Bedworth, your will find plenty of properties available through The Joint Equity Scheme.

If you can't find what you're looking for straight away, ask a member of staff - they're extremely helpful (that's why we're working with them!).

Remember: You won't find the Joint Equity logo used by any other estate agent in these areas.

Take care and happy house-hunting,

Tam

Great news for Scottish first-time buyers

2007-06-13T12:18:00.000+01:00

Joint Equity is happy to announce that we can now accept applications from Owners AND Investors in Scotland.

This means we now cover the whole of the UK Mainland: England, Wales and Scotland.

We're updating our website and Information Packs accordingly, but we wanted to let you know here as soon as possible.

If you have any questions about Joint Equity in Scotland, or would like to request an Information Pack and enquiry form, please email us with Owner-related questions or your investor-related queries, and we'll do our best to help.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

The Joint Equity Team

Warnings about buying with friends or partners

2007-04-30T14:02:00.000+01:00

I don't know if any of you saw the piece in the news last week about the problems that un-married couples face when they seperate and try to split their assets?

Here's a link to the full story on the BBC website if you didn't see it.

Basically, if you are a couple who own a property together but are not married, the courts are likely to split your entitlement strictly according to what you paid in to the property. This can be particularly dangerous for those people that move into their partner's home and pay a contribution, but don't actually have their name on the property deeds.

The best way to avoid this problem is to have a 'who owns what' agreement in place from the start. This would only come into force if there are any problems, of course.

With a Joint Equity Scheme purchase, the relationship between Owner and Investor is set out very clearly in the Joint Equity Partners Contract, and every eventuality we could think of has been catered for.

However, if you are a couple and hoping to buy your first home through The Joint Equity Scheme, you may want an agreement of your own to define your ownership shares, as well as The Partners Contract. This may be something worth discussing with the solicitor that you get your independent legal advice through.

Have a think about it.

Tam

Watch out Saffron Walden!

2007-04-17T11:05:00.000+01:00

This blog entry is especially for all those struggling first-time buyers in and around Saffron Walden, because we're happy to announce our latest Joint Equity Estate Agent Partner is none other than Kevin Henry.

Are you an Estate Agent and want to learn more about what Joint Equity can do for you? Click here

Kevin Henry are a star agent, with a genuine emphasis on service to their customers. That's why we asked them to join us.

Kevin Henry has always been market leaders and have always been the first to embrace in the new technologies and selling aids, such as floor plans; 360º virtual tours; SMS text messaging; e-mailing details and the first LCD screen in their window. Service has been the watchword for Kevin Henry estate agents and the numerous testimonial letters they receive on a monthly basis confirm that Kevin Henry are still getting it right in providing a service second to none in the Saffron Walden area.

Remember: only registered Joint Equity Estate Agent Partners are allowed to display this logo:

Links:
For more information about Kevin Henry and Joint Equity click here.

To view real house price data in the Saffron Walden area click here.

Or, to go straight to Kevin Henry's website and learn more about them, click here.

Are you an Estate Agent and want to learn more about what Joint Equity can do for you? Click here

We've halved our rates - everyone wins!

2007-03-23T18:04:00.000Z

We’re happy to announce that we’ve just reduced our management fee from 10% to 5% of the Investor-Partner Return!

With the new mortgage rates available from Infinity, that makes Joint Equity a more attractive prospect than ever.

What does this mean for me?

Well, Joint Equity Investor-Partner sees no change in the money in their pocket, because the difference between their costs (Joint Equity Management Fee & Mortgage Payment) and their income (the Investor Return) stays the same. Hurrah!

But, if you are an Owner-Partner, your costs are lower because we’ve passed the saving on to you! We’ve reduced the amount you pay in Investor Return (the ‘rent’ part of your monthly payment). For the average Owner-Partner with a 50% share in a £200,000 pound Joint Equity shared home ownership property, the saving would be about £40 per month, which we think is well worth having.

To find out EXACTLY what it means for you, ask us for a new personal Illustration. These are free and without obligation. Click here to request an enquiry form.

Where can I find out more?

You can go to our homepage to find out more about The Joint Equity Scheme for shared home ownership and property investment: www.jointequity.co.uk

You can ask for an information pack to be emailed to you (please tell us whether you are interested in becoming a Joint Equity Owner or Investor, so we can send you the right information). Email info@jointequity.co.uk to have a pack sent to you.

That’s all for now, but we’ve got lots of exciting developments occurring at Joint Equity HQ, which I’m just itching to share with you, so watch this space.

Happy house-hunting!

Tam

The Joint Equity Owner Support Team

owners@jointequity.co.uk

JointEquity Ltd

Delivering home ownership dreams and

rewarding property investments today

www.jointequity.co.uk

National newspaper exposure for the Joint Equity Scheme

2007-02-12T14:58:00.000Z

Click here to read the article about us published in The Independent on Sunday this week:

http://money.independent.co.uk/property/mortgages/article2258777.ece

It’s an interesting comparison of first-time buyer’s current options, and features one of our prospective Owner Partners, Lyndsey Roberts.

The article compares shared home ownership, The Joint Equity Scheme, so called ‘share to buy’ mortgages and the rising ‘buy with a stranger’ phenomenon.

Lyndsey is clear about her preferred option:

"It will still be hard to find this [a property of £150,000] in London but I'd prefer to use Joint Equity, rather than buy with a friend, as I'd feel more secure in the sense that it's a business arrangement."

We’d love to hear what you thought of the article, so post your comments here, or email us.

Take care,

Tamsin

The Joint Equity Owner Support Team

owners@jointequity.co.uk

JointEquity Ltd

Delivering home ownership dreams and

rewarding property investments today

www.jointequity.co.uk

Current fixed rates ending

2007-01-30T14:30:00.000Z

A quick Newsflash: Infinity Mortgages are stopping their current fixed rates on February 9^th.

So, if you want a fixed rate Joint Equity mortgage at Infinity’s current rates, you need to apply now, so that your mortgage funds can be reserved by 2^nd February.

In order to do this, you will need to be a registered Owner-Partner and have paid the £250 Commitment Deposit.

There is still time to take advantage of the current rates, but you will need to hurry. Email us to request a registration form and get the ball rolling.

If you’re not ready to buy yet, don’t panic. Infinity will be releasing their new Joint Equity products on February 9^th, which we’ll tell you about as soon as possible.

Take care and happy house-hunting.

Tam

The Joint Equity Owner Support Team

owners@jointequity.co.uk

JointEquity Ltd

Delivering home ownership dreams and

rewarding property investments today

www.jointequity.co.uk

Happy Christmas & Good News!

2006-12-27T19:09:00.000Z

Happy Christmas to everyone out there in Joint Equity land.

Tired of renting and want to spend your next Christmas in your own home? You’ve come to the right place.

We’re happy to announce that we have new mortgage funding available from Infinity Mortgages, so if you are thinking about buying a new home through The Joint Equity Scheme, we’d be happy to send you some more information.

Go to www.jointequity.co.uk to find out about shared home ownership without the eligibility hassles or waiting lists, or email us to request an Information Pack & an enquiry form.

Joint Equity pairs you with an Investor Partner to help you purchase your own home. You can choose your property on the open market, and are not restricted to any area or property type.

Happy Christmas!

2006-12-11T16:00:00.000Z

We’re gearing up for Christmas here at Joint Equity HQ, and I am getting quite excited!

I’ve got several things to share with you today, so here goes:

Our website has been newly updated all ready for the festive season, and includes a new site search tool AND an answers box, which we thought you might find very useful. The site search ONLY searches our site, making it easier to find the information you’re hunting for on our extensive site. Our new answers box searches the web (not just our site) and searches for answers to your query rather than presenting lists of links. Try it out and let us know what you think.

At this expensive time of year, when you’re seeing pushy advertising and credit-card offers at every turn, I thought I’d share this article with you. It’s about a couple who bought nothing for a year (that’s right, a YEAR). You’re wondering how that’s possible with gifts and going out, never mind food-shopping, and so was I. Mary Hunt explains all here.

If spending nothing for a year seems a bit extreme, but you still don’t want Christmas to tip you into debt, have a look at moneysavingexpert.com for free and genuinely impartial advice on keeping your head above water when it comes to spending. It’s not about cutting back, it’s about getting more for your money – every day!

Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ for all your support throughout the year and to deliver our Christmas card to you. J

All the best for this festive season and happy house-hunting in the New Year.

Take care,

Tam

The Joint Equity Blogger

JointEquity Ltd

Delivering home ownership dreams and

rewarding property investments today

www.jointequity.co.uk

Phew! It's getting hot.

2006-07-17T16:33:00.000+01:00

How to beat the heat this week.

Some simple tips:

Wear sunscreen. It’s simple but effective. You don’t want to end up with burns and a non-attractive lobster-like glow.
Cover up with something loose and light. Keeping the light off your skin will stop you getting so hot.
Avoid public transport at peak times. This is not possible for everyone, but if you work flexi-time or can take an alternative route to your destination, you’ll get where you’re going feeling much less flustered.
Carry water with you. People are always collapsing on the London Underground due to dehydration in the Summer. It’s embarrassing AND dangerous – not a great combination.
Don’t go sunbathing between 11am and 3pm (yes, that includes you, Muppet-features!).
Wear lighter, rather than darker, colours to reflect the sun’s heat.
Ladies, consider buying a parasol. No, I’m not kidding! They’re chic and they really work. Try http://www.brolliesgalore.co.uk/acatalog/PARASOLS.html for some great styles.
Buy a paddling pool to put your feet in when you’re relaxing in the garden – you know you want to!

Keeping it cool at Joint Equity HQ.

Tam

JointEquity Ltd

Delivering home ownership dreams and

rewarding property investments today

www.jointequity.co.uk

Say 'hello' to the Joint Equity Dog!

2006-07-13T11:18:00.000+01:00

I am pleased to announce that she's finally here - yup, it's what you've all been waiting for: Sophie the Joint Equity Dog!

Here she is relaxing on the deck of my boat.

Sophie has come to live with me from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, which is full of furry & four-footed cuties waiting for someone to come along and love them. We're planning to go back for a cat, once Sophie has settled in properly with us.

Sophie comes to Joint Equity HQ with me every day, and as we all wear Joint Equity polo shirts, I think she should too. I'll post another picture when I find someone who will put our logo on a dog-shirt!

We're not quite sure yet what role with best suit her, but I think Sophie would do particularly well with our customer relations team. Just watch this space - she might start doing her own blog entries soon!

Take care,

Tam

The beauty of Lidl!

2006-06-22T14:00:00.000+01:00

I don't know about you, but I love Lidl. It's VERY cheap and good quality.

Lidl is a German company originally (I think), so does really yummy sweets, biscuits & cakes (especially at Christmastime). Also, they're great for fruit juices, frozen food, tins and that sort of thing.

Anyway, they also do non-food items and have a theme set of goods twice a week. Sometimes it's DIY stuff, sometimes it's motorcycling stuff, and they've even done horse riding gear. The range is really good.

For a long time now, you've been able to go to their website www.lidl.co.uk and register to receive newsletters with advance notice of all their special offer goods. This is wonderful, because it means you can pick out any items you're interested in and get there early on the right day to purchase them.

Well, I've always thought that was good, and eagerly await the newsletters. Previously, you'd get all the offers and some of them would be marked as "regional" - I never knew whether that was my region or not. But, today's newsletter has just arrived, and not only does it tell me what's coming into their stores on 29th July (one week away), it tells me that I can now get special offer notices that are specific to my individual store!!!

Ahh... Some things just get better and better. :)

Happy bargain hunting!

Tam

Tam @ Joint Equity Owner Team

Joint Equity Blogger