The need for affordable housing has never been under as much scrutiny as it is today, due to population increases and regular shortfalls in new housing targets.

Recently released figures from Land Registry have revealed that the average UK house price stands at £183,861, which is a 4.6% increase from last year.

With this in mind, Howells Solicitors has put together some advice for first time buyers, so they’ll be able to fully prepare themselves financially before they take their first steps on the property ladder.

How much deposit do you need for a mortgage?

The first step to consider is the amount of deposit you want to place on a property. Please see the list below for deposit percentages based on the average UK house price (£183,861). More...

Now that further information has been released regarding the Help to Buy ISA, we thought we'd revisit our previous post on the pros and cons of the Help to Buy ISA in order to offer additional information to our readers. 

On December 1st 2015 the new Help to Buy ISA will be coming into place.

The following banks have confirmed they will be offering this product:

• Barclays
• Lloyds
• Nationwide
• NatWest
• Santander
• Virgin Money 

First time buyers only can save up to £200 per month towards a home, and the government will then increase these savings by 25%.

Please note: the maximum bonus amount has been capped at £3,000. This means you will need to contribute £12,000 of savings to get the full benefit from this ISA. More...

Howells Solicitors has achieved a first for a UK law firm and won three categories at the conveyancing industries prestigious annual Law Firm Services Awards including the premier ‘Overall Conveyancing Firm of the Year’.

Winners of Three Prestigious Awards

Attending the ceremony on Thursday evening at the Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, Mark Hobbs, managing partner of the law firm with six offices across South Wales and members of his team were invited onto the stage three times to receive awards for:

Best Conveyancer for Wales and the West Midlands

Judges Comments - “Howells Solicitors scored highly in every area, but were particularly impressive in the mystery shop where they scored the highest of any entrant. 

They also really impressed the judges with a real passion and understanding of their business and how they want to grow and improve. It was no surprise that this firm who articulated an understanding of the clients emotional connection to the transaction, scored so highly in the mystery shop and other areas.” More...

It’s natural that parents want to give the best start in life to their children. Parents will often make lifestyle changes and sacrifice their own free time to provide a taxi service to and from after school activities, sports events, music and dance lessons, theatre groups, the list goes on!

For the majority of parents, they willingly accept doing all of the above and see it as part of their parental responsibility.

When it comes to educating their children and choosing which school they would like them to attend, some parents will dig deep financially and move home, or even rent a property in a school catchment area to ensure they increase their chances of securing a place. More...

Howells Solicitors are delighted to have been shortlisted again for both the Direct and Regional Conveyancing Firm of the Year hosted by the Law Firm Services Awards 2015.

Howells won the Regional Conveyancing Firm of the Year for the Wales and West Midlands category in 2014 and was shortlisted for the UK’s Direct Conveyancer Firm of 2014 category. Click here for the story.

Howells on Being Shortlisted

Managing Partner, Mark Hobbs, commented, “We are over the moon to be shortlisted once again. These awards are judged by well-respected leaders within the industry so it is an honour to be recognised.

We enjoy what we do, are passionate and have a constant drive to want to do it better and this award would illustrate that we are heading in the right direction. It will also be a big pat on the back to all our staff who work very hard and great for them to have the recognition and benefit of the award.”  More...