National homeownership month

June is National Homeownership Month. In this article we will be looking at a brief history of this month, sharing our experiences of the property market and more..

June signals the start of a lot of things. It signals the start of warmer weather, and the approach of the summer holidays, but it also signals the start of the long-overlooked ‘National Homeownership Month’.

National Homeownership month starts on the 1st of June and lasts all the way until the 1st of July and represents one glorious month of celebrating all things to do with homeownership, whether that’s saving up a deposit to buy your very first home or finally deciding on your forever home. It could be upsizing, downsizing, relocating, redecorating, or anything in-between, everything to do with the joys of homeownership are covered under its umbrella.

It's also an opportunity to celebrate those organisations that help homeowners get to where they need to be, from estate agents to mortgage brokers to cash buyers like us! Here at The Property Buying Company, we are experts on all things property-based, and we cannot wait to celebrate National Homeownership Month with you!

The history behind it

National Homeownership Month has roots that spread all the way back to the 1920s when homeowning was seen as an unattainable goal. Originating as a weeklong celebration in America to help promote the idea of homeownership, National Homeownership Month went through several rebranding’s throughout the 70s, 80s, and 2000s. Going from ‘Private Property Week’ to ‘American Home Week’ before finally being christened ‘National Homeownership Month’ in 2002 by George Bush.

Our experiences

It is not just a wealth of knowledge on the property ladder that we bring to the table here at The Property Buying Company, but also experience. We know exactly what it feels like to exchange contracts and finally collect the keys to your dream home.

We spoke to some of our wonderful colleagues here at The Property Buying Company about their experiences in the world of homeownership.

Olivia said that if she was to give anyone a tip, it would be to “save as much as possible, and when you think you are done saving, save some more!” Alice said her main bit of advice would be to “use a mortgage broker, for us their advice and support were invaluable, shop around for things like life insurance, and save up as much money as you can for all the snagging issues that come up along the way”.

The good

Nothing comes close to the feeling of finally owning your own home. Jess told us “Owning your own home is the most amazing feeling, you feel a massive sense of achievement and it makes you feel very proud when you first walk through your front door!” Mat said that “owning a home feels great – it’s far better than renting, cheaper and you’re essentially getting your money back when you pay your monthly mortgage payments”.

The bad

However, Homeownership does not come without its challenges. Our colleagues at The Property Buying Company told us about what they would do differently when it came to purchasing their homes. John told us “If I would change something it would be seeking better financial advice. I went down the free government financial advice, but still feel there were options out there that I missed out on as I got a higher-than-average rate. I also said yes to optional stuff like life insurance, will, etc.”

Mat said to us “What I would change is when I bought my first home I went with L&C and at the time there was so much going on that I would have signed up to pretty much anything they put in front of me, so I ended up getting building/contents, life insurance, etc through them – all of which I worked out after a year or so of getting into the house, when the contracts ran out, I could actually get for less than half the price of what I was sold.

And the ugly

The biggest issue that kept cropping up amongst our Property Buying Company colleagues was solicitors. Olivia told us that she got “far too stressed dealing with solicitors” and Mat told us that “the biggest issue I found was solicitors, on all occasions you feel like you have to constantly chase them and pretty much do their job, they are incredibly slow. I didn’t have many other issues”.

If you are looking to move but don’t want the added stress that solicitors bring, get in touch with us today and see how we can help you out! We cover all legal fees and as a genuine cash buyer, we can complete the sale in a time scale that suits you!

Step by step guide

If like us you have homeownership on the brain this June, why not check out our step-by-step guide on how to get the ball rolling and your foot on the ladder.

We’ll be sharing our best tips and tricks for getting yourself on the property ladder over on our Facebook page all throughout June, so follow us here.