Elite Force Mortgages

02/11/2026

Saving a deposit while paying rent isn’t easy.

So could the new Your First Home scheme help?

I’ve been looking through Barclays’ Budget update and wanted to explain what’s recently been announced.

I do quite a bit of new-build mortgage work so I’ll be keeping a close eye on the details as they’re released.

The scheme is for eligible first-time buyers purchasing a new-build home in England. You could buy with:

• A deposit from 2.5%
• A government equity loan of 20%
• A mortgage covering the rest

On a £300,000 home that would mean a £7,500 deposit and a £60,000 government equity loan alongside a £232,500 mortgage. You’d still need to budget for the other costs of buying and moving.

But there’s more to consider than the smaller deposit.

The government loan is interest-free for five years. Interest then starts at 1.5% in year six and 3% from year seven. Those interest payments don’t pay off the loan.

The loan is also linked to your home’s value. If you borrow 20% of the purchase price you’ll repay 20% of its value when you repay the loan. If your home goes up in value you’ll repay more. If it falls in value you’ll repay less.

Your combined annual household income must be £110,000 or less outside London or £140,000 or less in London. There will also be a maximum property price depending on where you’re buying. The full list of local price caps is still to be published.

Applications are expected to open in February 2027 with the first purchases from April. Full eligibility details are still to follow and you’ll need to meet the participating lender’s mortgage criteria and affordability checks.

If you’re wondering whether to wait let’s talk it through. A smaller deposit could help but we also need to look at the longer-term costs and how you would repay the equity loan.

Send me a message if you’d like to chat about your plans.

And a completely unrelated photo of Lucky this weekend on one of her favourite walks. Because she’s far more photogenic than a Budget update 😂

Simone

Sources: Barclays’ post-Budget snapshot and GOV.UK’s Your First Home guidance.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

23/09/2026

“Don’t worry, we’ve covered the main earner.”

But what happens if the other income stops?

I’ve heard that income described as the “extra” one. Yet it might pay for the childcare that allows both people to work. The food shop. The car. All the things that keep family life moving.

Day 3 of Income Protection Action Week made me think about how easily we can overlook that income when talking about protection.

As life gets bigger, our responsibilities change. Children arrive. Families come together. Someone starts depending on us financially. The cover we put in place years ago might no longer reflect the life we have now.

When I review protection with clients I want to understand what each income does for them. The amount on a payslip only tells part of the story.

And this isn’t only a conversation for couples with children. If you rent, live alone or support someone else, your income matters too.

23/09/2026

I joined Aviva and Macmillan Cancer Support online Coffee Morning today and I’m still thinking about something Michael said.

When he was diagnosed with prostate cancer he went to the appointment alone. His son was starting high school that same week.

After the diagnosis he met Sophie a Macmillan nurse. She sat with him, helped him understand what would happen next and kept checking in through his treatment.

Later Sophie invited him to a support group for younger men with prostate cancer. Michael described it as a turning point for his mental health.

What stayed with me was how much those conversations mattered. Not only the information about treatment but having someone remember him, ask how his family was doing and introduce him to people who understood.

One of the Macmillan nurses said that when someone receives a diagnosis they need time, someone to listen and a calming presence. I think Michael’s story showed exactly what that can mean.

Thank you to Michael and Marie for sharing something so personal and to Aviva for putting on the session.

Aviva has now raised £1 million for Macmillan over their 12-year partnership which is a an amazing achievement.

We finished with a quiz identifying chocolates from X-ray images. I’m fairly sure I got every one wrong. I am much better at eating it!! 😂 🍫

Macmillan Cancer Support is here to listen, support you through treatment, and help with money. We fundraise so we can do whatever it takes.

23/09/2026

Day two of Income Protection Awareness Week focused on keeping protection relevant when our careers and circumstances change.

As someone who is self-employed this one really resonated with me.

According to the latest ONS figures around 4.5 million people in the UK are self-employed.

For those of us who are self-employed there is no statutory sick pay, no HR department and no employer fallback if illness or injury prevents us from working.

One of my biggest takeaways was how important regular reviews are.

LV research found that more than two-thirds of people with cover had experienced a major life change since taking it out yet only 20% had updated their policy.

Changing jobs, becoming self-employed, taking on a second occupation or experiencing a change in income could all affect the cover you need.

There was also an important reminder about being completely open during an application.

Even things that may not feel significant such as va**ng, minor health concerns or medical investigations that came back clear still need to be disclosed.

I have seen v**e shop transactions on clients bank statements before where they have said they do not v**e or smoke 🤔 so have had to question this previously.

Income protection is not something to arrange and then forget about. As life and work change your cover should be reviewed too.

A simple 90-second animated video from the IPTF, designed to help a...

21/09/2026

I joined day one of Income Protection Awareness Week today and the focus was younger people gaining independence.

Starting their first job. Renting. Buying their first home and suddenly having bills and responsibilities of their own.

One of the points that really stood out to me was that income protection isn’t just for people with a mortgage.

If you rent and cannot work due to illness or an accident you still need to pay your rent and bills. No income could ultimately mean losing your home whether you own it or rent it.

LV='s Resilience Research found that 10% of people had no savings at all. 25% had less than £5,000 and 48% had less than £10,000.

Many said they would rely on their savings if they couldn’t work for two months but the average LV income protection claim lasts 5 years and 10 months.

I thought this was a really good question to ask:

“If you had an accident tomorrow and couldn’t work for a few months what would your plan be?”

It isn’t about trying to frighten people or telling them that something will happen. It is simply about having a plan in case it does.

As a mum of teenage boys I also really liked the IPTF’s “Your Money, Your Life” initiative. It is a short session on everyday money skills for 16 to 25-year-olds.

The resources are ready to use and anyone working within financial services can volunteer to deliver the session in schools. This is definitely something I would like to look into.

I will add the link to the IPTF website below if anyone would like to find out more.

https://iptf.co.uk

The Income Protection Task Force (IPTF) exists to raise awareness, provide education, and increase understanding and sales of income protection.

17/09/2026

Don't worry. This isn't another Bank of England Base Rate post. I think Facebook probably has enough of those today 😂

Instead... a little mortgage story.

Once upon a time you took out a mortgage.

You got your keys. Moved in. Paid your mortgage every month and probably tried not to think about it too much.

Then one day an email from me pops up to remind you that your lovely fixed rate isn't going to last forever. Sorry! 🙈

This is where I come back in.

I have now contacted all of my existing clients with mortgage deals ending between now and March 2027.

Most of you are now either booked in with me or diarised for when your existing lender opens its new deal window.

I start looking early because every lender is different.

Some existing lenders let us choose a new deal around 3 months before your current one ends. Some give us 4 months. With another lender we can sometimes secure a new mortgage around 6 months before.

Sometimes it makes sense to look at another lender earlier and secure a suitable rate while we wait for your existing lender's options.

Sometimes the best advice is to do absolutely nothing yet and wait.

It depends on you. Your mortgage. Your plans and what the market is doing at the time.

That's why I contact you early. It gives us plenty of time to look at everything properly rather than leaving it until the last minute.

If your mortgage deal ends before 31st March 2027 and you're an existing client you should have heard from me by now.

If you haven't please give me a shout.

And if I've emailed you and you've been ignoring me... this is your little reminder to go and find it. I promise I'm not emailing you for fun!

The End.

Well... until your next mortgage renewal or review anyway.

And yes. The photo of my dog has absolutely nothing to do with mortgages. She's just cute and her only worries are snacks and walks 😊🐕‍🦺

16/09/2026

Looking through my photos for something to post and apparently all I do outside work is take pictures of plants.

To be fair I do love my garden. There’s always something to do and I can lose hours out there.

Gardening helps me switch off from work. And while mortgages are a big part of my day I know most people would rather be doing something else than reading about them.

There’s a lot of mortgage news about at the moment. If you’re wondering what it means for you it can be hard to know where to start.

You don’t need to understand all the jargon before we speak. That’s what I’m here for.

We can talk through your mortgage and any questions you have. And if something doesn’t make sense please ask. I’m happy to explain it again.

Anyway here’s a plant. Anyone else’s camera roll look like mine?

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

10/09/2026

Handwritten cards …they get me every single time 😭🥰

Thank you 🌷🙏🏻

04/09/2026

Protection does not have to be all or nothing.

People sometimes assume they need to cover every possible risk with large amounts of cover.

That is not how I advise.

I look at what would cause the biggest financial problem first.

For one family that could be losing an income.

For another it could be paying off the mortgage if one of them died.

Someone else may already have excellent benefits through work but very little support if they became critically ill.

We work through what you already have, where the biggest gaps are and what you can comfortably afford.

If everything cannot be covered straight away, we prioritise.

You do not always need to cover everything at once. The important thing is understanding your biggest risks and putting the right priorities in place.

03/09/2026

A new civilian salary may look very similar to military pay.

The benefits behind it can be very different.

When someone leaves the Armed Forces, it is easy to focus on the new salary and whether it supports the mortgage.

I also want to understand what happens if they become too unwell to work.

What sick pay does the new employer provide?

Is there any income protection through work?

When would that cover start?

Would it continue if they changed employer?

The financial support someone was used to during military service may not follow them into their new civilian role.

That does not necessarily mean they need every protection product available.

It does mean the change in benefits should be properly understood.

The salary is important but it is only part of the picture.

Before starting a new role, make sure you understand the benefits behind it too.