Buying a first home is mostly a series of questions nobody has answered for you yet. How much deposit is enough, how much a lender will actually offer, what the additional costs come to, and whether the flat you liked on Saturday was ever realistic.
We answer those first, so you spend your weekends viewing property in the right price bracket.
Lenders assess income differently. Salary, overtime, bonus, commission, benefits and student loan repayments all carry different weight depending on who reads the file. Two lenders looking at identical paperwork often reach figures thousands of pounds apart.
We work out where your income is read most favourably, then narrow the search to lenders likely to say yes. A first-time buyer mortgage is far easier to arrange when the application goes to the right place first time.
Five percent deposits exist and are used every day. Ten percent widens the choice of lenders considerably. Fifteen or twenty percent usually improves the rate again. We will show you what each step up is worth in monthly terms, so you can judge whether waiting another six months earns its keep.
Gifted deposits from family are common and entirely acceptable, provided the paperwork is right. We will tell you exactly what your lender will ask for and when.
Stamp duty where it applies, solicitor fees, searches, a survey, removals, and the ordinary cost of furnishing a home that arrives all at once. We set out a realistic figure early, because running short at exchange is an avoidable problem.
An Agreement in Principle tells you and the estate agent that a lender is willing in outline. It strengthens your position in a competitive market and takes very little time to arrange.
From offer acceptance onwards, we submit the full application, chase the valuation, and keep your solicitor and the agent moving. You will hear where things stand before you have to ask.
A first conversation is free and carries no obligation.
