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If you are looking at buying a new car soon, check out autoblog.com for some great tips on getting the best price from a dealership. Before you buy a new car though, you may need to sell your old one. As tempting as it might be to take a quick snap on your iPhone and whack it on Auto Trader, you might be unwittingly short-changing yourself. Instead, follow these tips to prep your car to sell and get the maximum value you can.

The Outside

Before you attempt to fix anything wrong with the exterior of your vehicle, firstly you will want to give it a thorough cleaning. When the car is clean, you may notice chips and marks in the paintwork that were otherwise not noticeable. You can deal with these using a touch-up pen as you walk around the vehicle.

As well as checking the bodywork of the vehicle, also take a look at the wheels and make sure the tyres are in good shape. If not, you may need to replace these with a cheap set. At the very least head to your local garage and check the tyre pressure. This will make for much smoother test-drives.

DOG

The Inside

You will also want to give the inside of the car a thorough clean and get it looking, as well as smelling appealing. You might have gotten used to that wet dog smell, but it will be seriously off-putting to buyers.

Take out all of the mats and clean the outside of the vehicle. While the mats are outside, you will want to use a vacuum cleaner to clean the inside making sure that you get into all of the nooks and crannies. You may also wish to purchase some specialist cleaning products to clean the dash and other vinyl or wooden parts of the car’s interior. You can also get air fresheners that give that new car smell, which will make it much more appealing for potential buyers.

Ar this stage you might well want to look into free car valuations so you get a good idea of the price you’re likely to achieve.

Under the Hood

You’ll also want to check under the hood before listing your car. When you clean the outside give the engine bay a good clean as well. A basic service may also be needed including changing the oil, filters, and maybe spark plugs. Make sure that everything is in full working order, including all of the lights and the electrics, and locate and refit any accessories you might have stowed in the boot. Having a car that not only looks good, but is in full working order, will help to increase the price of it when you come to sell it, especially if your buyer is super knowledgeable about cars.

Now that you have your car fully functional and looking great, you can start the process of selling it. Whether you are looking for a private sale, selling to a car-buying company, or taking it to your local dealer, selling your car is much easier when it is appealing to potential buyers.

Buying your first house is an exciting time – but it’s also probably the most expensive thing you’ll have done! Getting the right financial advice before you take the plunge is key. You can find advice and links to other sources of information at www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk

The first thing you’ll need to do is save for your deposit and other moving costs – but make sure you’ve thought of everything, remembering legal fees, estate agents and any surveys you may need on the home you’re hoping to buy.

Our first home!

Help to Buy

In 2013, the Government introduced its Help to Buy scheme. Depending whether or not you’re buying a new or a pre-owned home, you could take advantage of an equity loan or a mortgage guarantee. The scheme is not exclusively designed for first-time buyers but many have benefited from it:

Equity loans - the Government lends up to 20% of the value of a new-build home in England. A similar equity loan scheme is available in Scotland, for properties valued up to £400,000.
Mortgage guarantees - the Government covers part of your mortgage if you only have a small deposit (at least 5%), taking on the default risk should you fall behind with payments. The property can be new-build or pre-owned and located in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

What type of mortgage?

Even with the Help to Buy scheme, you’ll still need to find the right mortgage for you. It can seem pretty confusing if you’re not familiar with the different types of mortgage – fixed rate, trackers, variable rates – where do you even start? Under rules introduced in April 2014, lenders and mortgage brokers will now ask enough questions to make sure you are only offered mortgages which suit your circumstances.

And, with new, stricter controls in place, lenders are carrying out tougher checks on mortgage eligibility – it’s a good idea to check your financial records. Financial website www.thisismoney.co.uk offers a quick free trial credit checker, which should give you an idea about your credit rating.

If you are approved for a mortgage, you’ll probably be given a number of potential options. Here’s a brief overview of the main types of mortgage available:

- Repayment mortgages – you pay back both the amount you borrowed and interest every month

- Interest-only – you pay back the interest element of the mortgage only (but you’ll need to have a proper savings scheme in place to cover the amount you borrowed at the end of the mortgage term)

Some lenders may offer a combination of repayment and interest-only mortgages.

Understand your monthly payments

Before you apply for a mortgage, you should ensure your finances are under control and you have a clear idea of how you will manage your budget once you’re in your new home. It’s not just the mortgage to consider, research the likely cost of council tax, bills, insurances and other regular and one-off payments. Use a mortgage affordability calculator, such as the one available free and online from the Money Advice Service.

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