One of our biggest financial milestones in life is buying a home. From saving up for a deposit to applying for a mortgage and having it approved is a dream come true for millions around the world.
Buying property is also one of the best investments we can make – even if it doesn't appreciate in value, it still means that we are paying ourselves rather than a landlord.
But one of the biggest concerns for homeowners is the interest they pay on their mortgages, whether it is variable or fixed. While today's record low interest rate environment might be bad news for savers, it spells great news for homeowners looking to refinance their mortgages and reduce their monthly instalments.
Unsurprisingly, there has been a jump in the number of people seeking to refinance their home loans, according to Mortgage Finder, the Dubai-based independent home loan specialist.
Host Felicity Glover, the Personal Finance Editor at The National, is joined by Brendan Kennelly, a senior consultant at Mortgage Finder, who offers his advice on how to refinance your home loan and get the best interest rate possible.
Listen to last week's episode on why personal finance advice is going viral on TikTok:
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
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Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
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%3Cp%3E1.%20Labour%20productivity%20is%20lower%20than%20the%20average%20of%20the%20developed%20economies%2C%20particularly%20in%20the%20non-tradable%20industries.%3Cbr%3E2.%20The%20low%20level%20of%20basic%20skills%20among%20workers%20and%20the%20high%20level%20of%20inequality%20between%20those%20with%20various%20skills.%3Cbr%3E3.%20Low%20employment%20rates%2C%20particularly%20among%20Arab%20women%20and%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jewish%20men.%3Cbr%3E4.%20A%20lack%20of%20basic%20knowledge%20required%20for%20integration%20into%20the%20labour%20force%2C%20due%20to%20the%20lack%20of%20core%20curriculum%20studies%20in%20schools%20for%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jews.%3Cbr%3E5.%20A%20need%20to%20upgrade%20and%20expand%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20particularly%20mass%20transit%20infrastructure.%3Cbr%3E6.%20The%20poverty%20rate%20at%20more%20than%20double%20the%20OECD%20average.%3Cbr%3E7.%20Population%20growth%20of%20about%202%20per%20cent%20per%20year%2C%20compared%20to%200.6%20per%20cent%20OECD%20average%20posing%20challenge%20for%20fiscal%20policy%20and%20underpinning%20pressure%20on%20education%2C%20health%20care%2C%20welfare%20housing%20and%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20which%20will%20increase%20in%20the%20coming%20years.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A