mortgage

[sammyH]

Has any one here taken out a mortgage since diagnosis? Is it possible to still get one and the life insurance?

[Pollywollydoodle]

Hi,

I moved 18 mts after diagnosis, no problems with the mortgage as we stayed with the same building society and term of years and my husband was the main wage earner as i wasn't working still by then. Don't know how they would be if you are the only wage earner.

Life insurance was a different matter- I am now uninsurable but kept on my old mortgage life cover that was in place pre-cancer and that covers the majority of our mortgage. My husband had to top up the remainder in his name only. I think if you have been cancer free for a longer period they are more flexible (or so our insurance company said but each case would be on an individual basis and would go to the underwriters). Hope this helps and good luck!

Polly x

[wendydee]

Hi!

If you contact Macmillan, they have financial advisers I think who will point you in the right direction for a company who deals with patients who have had cancer...... I think!!! Try them anyway for finance advice. If you ring the local office to where you live or contact them through their website, I'm sure there will be someone who can advise you. Good Luck with this .... as if we haven't enough to contend with when we have a diagnosis like this

Love Wendy xx

[tomary]

Hi

havent tried for a morgage, but have taken out as much" over 50's no health questions" life insurance as i can.

Lots of companys do this as do the major supermarket chains.

I have made my children the benifactors so that when I die both of them will be free from the debits of student loans and possibly have the deposit for a property. For me this is a very positive & practical thing, but many people find it a bit shocking.

[Whippit in reply to tomary]

Thanks for the advice Tomary. I have a life assurance policy and checked up on the terms quite recently. Apparently I can cash mine in when my GP writes to say I have less than a year to live. It might be gruesome but it's practical as you can sort out your own affairs rather than burdening children and beneficiaries. I daresay the insurance company won't take it back again if I were to survive more than a year after the GPs letter!

It's also worth looking at pension arrangements. I discovered my lump-sum payment can go directly to my children which avoids building up an estate with major death duties to be paid, so I've sorted that out.

I hadn't realised there were policies for over 50s with no health questions. I'll have to take a look at that. Sounds too good to be true!

I agree with you sorting all these things out can be a very positive and practical thing to do.

Best wishes. Annie

[ladygooner-uk]

Hi Sammy

I am on my own, and thankfully had critical illness cover, so at my first diagnosis I claimed and paid my mortgage off. I asked then if I would be elegable for life insurance, and was told that I could but on conition that cancer was excluded (a bit pointless I thought). luckily I am happy where I am, so am here for life!

sue

[Whippit in reply to ladygooner-uk]

Hey, don't be negative, there remain many options to us, we could be run over by a bus and I sail regularly so I might well go overboard.

Only joking - I have a terrible sense of humour.

xx Annie

[ladygooner-uk in reply to Whippit]

hey annie- am quite pleased I have a reason for not moving really,I love my little house and massive garden, out in the middle of nowhere, one track road, and get snowed in every winter as am at the top of a blinking great hill- yey, more time off work!

sue

[Whippit in reply to ladygooner-uk]

I love my house too and I love living in the centre of Cardiff though I always intended to go 'home' back to England when I retire. Your house, garden the one track road and the show sound idyllic! xx

[VickyEm]

Hi

I bought my first home when I was undergoing chemo 1st time round. I have also just got a new (bigger) mortgage to buy my house (3 recurrences later). There was no problem getting the mortgage either time, because if you don't pay, for any reason, they can repossess the house.

I understand that mortgage companies cannot insist that you get life insurance, however I did look into it the first time round. Because my diagnosis was so recent, they declined to cover me at all (even for getting run over by a bus!), but said after a few years they would cover me, but not for cancer.

When I got the most recent mortgage I did not bother with life cover. If I die I will not need to have a house any more, so repossession by the mortgage company will not bother me!!!

Vicky

[sammyH]

Thank you for your replies.

It turns out I can get quite a good mortgage (I'm on my own with the kids)but feeling a bit nervous about putting my money into it when I have only been off chemo 2 weeks. But I really want my own home.

I know I have got to bite the bullet...just need to think out it a bit more!

Thanks

[VickyEm]

Sammy

I know exactly how you feel. I was also on my own with 2 kids and despite desperately wanting a house, I stayed in my little flat for 12 years. The fear of the cancer coming back was definitely one of the main reasons for not biting the bullet.

If I could go back in time and have a word with myself I would say, 'hang the consequences and do what makes you happy now.' It may seem a bit irresponsible but think of the pleasure you and the kids could have from a new home. You can't deny yourselves that, for fear of what may happen in the future. And remember IT MAY NOT HAPPEN!!!

I can't go back and tell myself that, so I will tell you instead

Vx

[sammyH]

Thanks Vicky... I think I am going to do it. The general response to my concerns seems to be "it can be rented or sold" if this b****r takes me too soon. I have owned my own home from an early age and have never settled in rented... just can't put down roots and have things how I want them.

So am viewing properties now and let you know how I get on xx