New data from UK Finance has given an interesting insight into mortgage activity in Scotland.  

The data shows that in the third quarter of 2017 in Scotland:

• Home buyers borrowed £2.55 billion, up 1% quarter-on-quarter and 15% year-on-year. They took out 18,900 loans, the same as in the previous quarter but 11% more than in the third quarter of 2016.
• First-time buyers borrowed £1.04 billion, down 2% on the second quarter but up 11% on the third quarter last year. This totalled 9,300 loans, 3% fewer when compared quarter-on-quarter but 8% more year-on-year.
• Home movers borrowed £1.51 billion, up 3% quarter-on-quarter and 18% compared to the same quarter in 2016. They took out 9,500 mortgages, 2% more quarter-on-quarter and 13% more year-on-year.
• Remortgaging activity totalled £980 million, up 8% cent on the second quarter and 9% on the same quarter last year. This came to 8,000 loans, up 8% quarter-on-quarter and 10% compared to a year ago.

The data also shows that the average mortgage loan for first-time buyers amounted to £101,000 (£139,500 in the UK overall), down from the average of £101,599 in the previous quarter.  The average household income was £33,608 (£41,009 in the UK overall), down from £33,676 the previous quarter.  

Home movers borrowed an average of £141,000 this quarter (£180,995 in the UK overall), down from £141,575 the previous quarter.  The average household income of a home mover was £51,533 (£55,865 in the UK overall), up from £51,000. This meant that the typical home mover income multiple in Scotland was 2.86, up from 2.84 but still considerably lower than the UK average of 3.39.

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