A guide to secured loans and the UK housing market

Secured loan lending is intrinsically linked to the UK housing market. Why? Some homeowners who take a secured loan do this on the basis of large amounts of equity in their property which in turn is fuelled by rising house prices. It is worth remembering however that property prices can go and up down as was the case in the boom and bust years of the 1980’s and early 1990’s.

If you are thinking of cashing in on the equity in your home consider embarking on some research regarding future house price trends and informed opinions of the time. Before the emergence of the internet this used to be difficult, however, more resources than ever before are at your disposal.

Some useful sites include the Governments Land Registry http://www.landreg.gov.uk/default.asp where for a small fee you can ascertain the price that a house was actually last sold for. In addition you can view the latest quarterly Property Price Report Publication. Other notable sources of information include the Halifax Price Index http://www.hbosplc.com/economy/housingresearch.asp and the Nationwide Building Society’s House Price Index http://www.nationwide.co.uk/hpi/ Both the Halifax and Nationwide monitor house price movements and regularly publish results which are released to the media and public alike.