POUND NOTES

■ Financial fact: Estate agents had an average of 43 unsold homes on their books in May, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics). It says property stock levels have been running at an all-time low for its survey. ■ Cash lifetime isa is now

available: A cash version of the Lifetime ISA, giving first-time buyers a helping hand onto the property ladder, has been launched.

Skipton Building Society’s deal pays an annual interest rate of 0.5%.

It is only available online, although Skipton said branch staff will be on hand to help with savers’ questions.

Lifetime ISAs can be opened by people aged between 18 and 39 to save for their first home, or their retirement, in the same pot, with a government bonus added.Some providers launched investment versions of the Lifetime ISA when the scheme got under way in April.

■ ‘More than £1,300 per year spent typically’ on help around the home: More than two-fifths (43%) of people now think home services, such as cleaners, gardeners and dog walkers are a necessity.

Those who use these services are spending £109 on them on average every month, totalling £1,308 over a year, according to research from cashback shopping website TopCashback. co.uk.

The most popular services include hiring a cleaner, gardener or handyman to help around the house, the survey found, with some consumers also investing in smart tech, including robotic vacuum cleaners and voice recognition gadgets.

■ 35 Is the ‘financial crunch

point’ for adults: The age of 35 is the financial “crunch point” – the peak age at which people are most likely to be juggling the costs of young children with mortgages and loan repayments for cars, holidays and weddings, according to analysis.

Price comparison website MoneySuperMarket analysed 2.7 million credit card and loan enquires on its Smart Search eligibility tool to build a picture of the nation’s key borrowing milestones.

Dan Plant, editor-in-chief at MoneySuperMarket, says: “While it’s clear that people reach a ‘financial crunch’ point at 35, no matter how old you are, it’s always wise to plan ahead and choose your products carefully before you borrow, to make sure you can afford the repayments.” ■ House prices ‘expected to rise faster than wages’: House prices are still expected to increase by around 3.5% per year over the next five years, despite signs that the market has become more subdued recently, according to surveyors.

In an “ominous signal” for aspiring first-time buyers, surveyors anticipate house price inflation will continue to out-pace wage growth, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said.