Banks Agree To Suspend Mortgage Repayments For Up To Six Months

NOVO BANCO has agreements established with several property developers, enabling you to access special terms for loans, spread and fees. The interest rates of a Portuguese variable rate mortgages is linked to either the 3 or 6 month Euribor rate and increased by the margin (spread) that the bank applies. Construction mortgages are for property buyers who wish to build a new house from the ground up or to renovate an existing property.

When you combine the three influencing factors of Government interference on basically dictating who is creditworthy or not, depository institutions packaging unregulated risky subprime bonds, and record low interest rates, speculative fervor will occur and bubbles will be created in a capitalist society.

The table above shows essential details of selected mortgage products offered to retail customers by the banks in Portugal: currency, borrowing rate per annum, lending amount and mortgage term. There have been times when banks have been careless and greedy in using the money of their depositors.

In fact in some cases you can get a better deal from another bank, when buying bank owned properties. The competitive UK mortgage market provides several advantageous deals on sterling loans. However, many banks don't lend for international properties or restrict their lending to particular types of property or locations.

You have a number of options when buying real estate internationally - you can apply for an international mortgage from an offshore bank, you can approach a lender in the country in which you want to buy, you can re-mortgage existing property if you have accrued equity on your home and use the released capital to buy overseas, or you could even approach your local bank and see if they offer mortgages to buy abroad.

The banks are currently lending between 60-80% of the valuation price. Banks may charge a non-refundable commitment fee of up to €600 for loan amounts up to €750,000, with higher fees above this level. Plus advice on currency exchange, lawyers, mortgages and the most professional companies that can help you buy your dream property.

Despite much economic uncertainty in recent years, not to mention an unstable housing market, all the major Portuguese lenders continue to provide mortgages to suitable individuals, including overseas nationals, purchasing property in Portugal. The amount of housing loans that were granted this year is the highest since the beginning of the financial crisis.

If the valuation is at least the agreed purchase price and there are no legal issues relating to the property, the date and details regarding completion of the property purchase will be confirmed. The European Central Bank (ECB) set the rate of the Euro mortgages to a value that is at present lesser than the Bank of England base rate.

Financial institutions have several duties to inform, including, on one hand, to publicize and advertise on their websites and through the regular contacts with clients, the measures provided for in this Decree-Law (including the terms and Vila sol villas for Sale deadlines to adhere to the moratorium), and on the other hand, to provide full knowledge of all measures provided for in this Decree-Law prior to the formalisation of any credit agreement whenever the client is a beneficiary entity.

Before you begin the process of applying for mortgage in Portugal it's advisable to seek the advice of a mortgage broker who can offer an initial no-obligation assessment of whether it's likely you'll be approved for Portuguese mortgage and under what conditions.

As mentioned before the rates can be lower than in the UK, for example in France, Spain, Italy and Portugal the rates can start as low as 3.5%. In the less established markets like Bulgaria and other eastern European countries the rates can start at around 6%, whereas countries like Greece and Cyprus roughly fall half way between the two at 5%. The borrowing criteria are typically tougher than in the UK and you should expect to be able to borrow only around 70-80% of the property's value.