The garden or home office is having a moment, understandably edging to the top of many property buyers’ wish lists. With many of us work from home for the first time during lockdown. We have come to realize that the value of a dedicated space for homeworking ideally away from the children cannot be under-estimated.
One in three office workers wants to continue working from home after the pandemic is over. According to a study from the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). With many of us likely to work fewer days in the office going forward. A proper working from home set-up is more crucial than ever. A corner of the kitchen table is not going to cut it, particularly given the rise of video-conferencing.
Remortgage
If you don’t have a spare bedroom or cupboard under the stairs that can be converted into a home office, another option is a dedicated garden office, shepherd’s hut or even a treehouse. Costs vary from a few hundred to several thousand pounds, depending on your requirements and your budget. One way of raising money to pay for home improvements – either indoors or out – is to remortgage and take out a bigger loan to cover the cost. With rates low, you are likely to get a good deal. Particularly if you have a significant amount of equity in your home. You are also likely to be adding to the value of your property.
If you don’t wish to remortgage – perhaps because you are tied into a fixed rate or tracker with early repayment charges – then a further advance with your existing mortgage lender may be the answer. The advantage of a further advance is that you ringfence your existing mortgage. And if you are on a very competitive rate then that might be worth doing. However, check the rate your lender is offering on further advances to ensure. It is competitive and compare it with what else is on the market.
AWS Financial Services can assist whether you are remortgaging or taking out a further advance to fund a home office, or indeed buying a new property with a home or garden office. We are whole-of-market brokers so can access the whole market to find the right deal for your circumstances. Please get in touch for more information.
