Our services.
Mortgages.
Step one is analysing how much you can afford. This is key. We have a lot of knowledge to assist you in this regard.
Step two is analysing what lender you would like to place your mortgage with. Much emphasis is put on interest rates offered by different banks and understandably so. Another key consideration is how your lender has dealt with customers who, through no fault of their own, found themselves in changed and less favourable financial situations than when they first took out their mortgage. We have experienced the flexibility – or lack of it in the case on some lenders – via our debt-management financial service. That information is available to customers, as is detail on interest rate and other relevant information to assist you decide on who you would like to place your mortgage with.
Debt Management.
If you cannot afford your existing loans, talk with Joe in a free meeting. At the end of that meeting, Joe will give an opinion as to whether or not, in the particular circumstances, he could likely assist or not. Then, as always, the customer/s take/s his/her/their time in deciding whether or not to engage Joe to work on their behalf.
Joe gets huge job satisfaction from debt management work. This involves assisting people who cannot afford their existing bank loan/s (usually mortgage/s).
The objective is to move people from an unaffordable to affordable loans situation.
Life Cover
This is a key consideration for you bearing in mind your dependents, for example wife or husband and children. We can analyse how they would survive financially in the event of your death. Our recommendations are influenced by what your family would need but also by your current financial affordability. There is no point in making excellent provision for the financial stability of your dependents in the event of your death if, by so doing, you cannot afford yours and your dependent’s current living expenses, etc.
Every case is different. Professional advice to you is based on what is analysed to be in your best interest. We will give you the analysis and recommendations and respect that you make your own decisions.
Serious illness cover.
Serious illness cover provides different protection to life cover. It would protect you, more than likely for a period during which you are unable to work in the short term.
Appropriate cover should allow people prioritise their health and recovery in the event of a serious illness.
Every case is different. We offer to analyse your particular situation and let you decide
Investments.
We are conservative. Customers should not ignore the financial crisis that began in 2006. Ten years later, there are still many people and families suffering the financial effect. It is illogical to conclude that it could not happen again.
Therefore, prudent, conservative planning, for children’s education for example, is important. We can analyse your particular situation, make a recommendation and let you decide.
Recommendations depend on each individual’s/family’s own financial situation. Every customer’s situation differs.
Advice is dependent too on the purpose of the investment. If, for example, it is for children’s education, when will the money be required? How one invests money over a shorter term can vary to how one invests over a medium or long term.
Sometimes, customers mix up investments and pensions. Having analysed your situation, we will be able to clearly differentiate between the two.
Depending on the financial situation, and purpose, a property investment may be worth analysing. However, extreme care should be taken when analysing whether or not to invest in property. The return of net rent relative to outlay, location, etc., are examples of considerations that need to be analysed before deciding whether or not to progress.
Pensions.
State pensions are relatively good in Ireland and improved further in the October Budget. The challenge is that most people will, more than likely, need additional income and savings in retirement. It is also sensible to make provision for possibilities that you hope not to have, such as cost of nursing home care.
However, like life cover, specified illness (as referenced earlier) and all other financial services, pension premiums need to be within existing affordability. There is no point in providing for an excellent pension and not being able to provide for your children’s education, for example, in the meantime. That is why Joe believes in comprehensive analysis of every individual situation before making a recommendation on anything.
There are very significant tax reliefs for pension investment. Part or all of pension provision, can be done via deposit accounts, with tax relief of up to 40% on premiums.
Again, every case is different. We offer to analyse your situation and let you decide.
Financial Review and Analysis.
Joe can do a full financial review and analysis, inclusive of your property situation. This would be an analysis/summary of your existing situation. It would also contain recommendations of what changes, if any, should be made to your existing situations.
This could lead to reduced monthly outlay for you. Our recommendations always take affordability into account. An example is that, to consider increasing payments on any finance service makes no sense if you could not afford mortgage repayments when (not if!) interest rates increase.
There will be other situations where increased financial protection etc will be appropriate. It depends on each individuals/family’s situation.
Every analysis is completed ethically, in your best interest.
- I only buy properties for clients. I do not sell any property. There is never any conflict of interest. My only focus is on trying to negotiate the purchase of properties for my clients for as little as possible.
- This website is exclusively for property buyers who wish to live in the property bought. I also do property buying (for higher fees than 1% + Vat) for the following:
Financial Services – Conclusion.
Joe hopes that his overview/introduction at the start of this website makes sense now that you have read the detail on each individual finance service. Joe recommends that a person’s or family’s financial situation should be analysed in its entirety. You need to know how much, if anything, is affordable for a financial service, bearing in mind other priorities. Only then should you make a decision about progressing or not with the particular finance service that you are considering.
You may contact us at any time for a free meeting, about any of our services, without any obligation. All first meetings are free.
Our Remuneration/Commission structure.
Our remuneration and commission structure is displayed at our offices at
Joe Harte Property & Finance Limited, Dunmahon, Main Street, Carrigaline, Co Cork
for you to view at anytime.