The Best Mortgage For Me ?

Q: I'm a UK resident looking to purchase a property in Co. Louth. I'm also a computer contractor working through my own limited company. Could anyone recommend any good UK mortgage brokers who could hunt out the best mortgage for me ? I could obviously go around all the banks/building societies myself, but I'd rather have someone do all that for me (lazy sod that I am).

A: Try the Irish Mortgage Corporation, 3 Ely Place, Dublin 2. +353-1-676-3654 . Haven't used them myself, but several colleagues have, and they seem pleased. On a general note, the (few remaining) building societies generally offer better rates, excluding of course the First National/First Active. The EBS building society offers a good capped mortgage and have promised to remain mutual. Interest rates here are set to fall by

several points over the coming 3 months, so a capped/variable mortgage is a good bet initially. Endowment/pension mortgages are generally a no-no as the global economy at the moment is pointing towards very low or even negative returns in the markets they deal in for the next few years. If you're converting any amount of sterling to punts, keep an eye on the rate. Sterling is weakening atm due to mixed recession/non-recession in the UK economy and strong rumours of interest rate cuts in the UK and US. Against this there is alot of volatility in currency markets now, some of which may offset this. Bottom line - the rate can cost you or earn you alot of money.