Contents:
Learn more about budgeting Is there a budget planner tool I can use? What is stamp duty and how much will I need to pay? Do you know what the other costs of buying are?
Do you have enough saved for a deposit? Learn more about deposits How big a mortgage deposit do I need? How do I save for a mortgage deposit? Can I use a mortgage deposit calculator? What is the deposit loan-to-value LTV? Do you know how much you can borrow comfortably?
Learn more about borrowing How much can I afford to borrow? Where can I calculate how much I can borrow? Can I afford the repayments? Do you know how your credit score will affect your borrowing ability? Learn more about credit How does my credit score affect mortgage borrowing? Can I get my credit report?
How can I improve my credit rating? Do you know what kind of property you want? What is a freehold property? What is a leasehold property? What about buying a property at auction?
Do you know how mortgages work? Learn more about mortgages What are the basics of mortgages? Do you know what types of mortgage are available to first time buyers? Learn more about the different types of mortgage What kind of mortgages can a first time buyer get? What are typical first time buyer mortgage rates? What help can my parents give? Can I talk to an independent mortgage adviser?
Do you know how to get the right mortgage for you? Learn more about applying for a mortgage How can I boost my chances of successfully getting a mortgage? What happens when I apply for a mortgage? How do I get good mortgage advice? Do you know what to look for when viewing a property? Learn more about viewing property What do I need to know when viewing a property? What should I ask the estate agent when viewing a property? Learn more about making an offer How do I negotiate the best deal when making an offer?
Here your incomings and outgoings are examined to see if you could afford the mortgage if interest rates rose to 7pc. Compare your current deal to a potential new one. It also offers an extra layer of protection if things go wrong, and they carry more clout with lenders to ease acceptance.
However, some competitive lenders, such as Yorkshire Building Society, Tesco Bank and to an extent HSBC, sell their mortgages direct to the public, cutting brokers out. Currently you only pay a touch more to fix. A few moot the possibility they may fall before then.
The more you care about cracking the perfect deal, the more you hedge to short-term trackers. At every 5pc threshold at which you lower your LTV from 95pc down to 60pc, deals tend to get better, so using a little bit of savings could cut the rate of a whole lot of mortgage.
An example explains this best…. Martin Lewis OBE is a broadcaster and creator of moneysavingexpert. Martin Lewis has also given Telegraph readers and viewers his tips on how to get the cheapest home insurance.
Share or comment on this article: The Post Office has launched a mortgage designed to help first-time buyers get onto the property ladder without the need for a deposit. Don't fall for 'Help to Buy Mortgage' branding. Full market comparisons include my own MoneySavingExpert. Here at Which? Our data experts check the companies we list are legit and we only add them to our comparisons when we're happy they've satisfied our screening. Most Read Most Recent EastEnders EastEnders spoilers for next week - pregnancy bombshell and shock 'death' revelation From baby shocks to disturbing mystery phone calls, it's all going on in EastEnders next week.
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Free PDF guide for first-time buyers Speedily find your deal with our mortgage comparison tool First-time buyers can get £3, help to buy a property. Martin Lewis and Lesley Tallis | Edited by Johanna Noble If you're a first-time buyer, there are many hurdles before you get a mortgage. To get the best mortgage deal doesn't just need a decent deposit, you now need a good credit score.
Home News Sport Business. Money Banking. Telegraph Money Banking Mortgages. Are there any early repayment penalties? Mortgage type. Deal deadline. How long is the repayment term, eg, 25 years? When will it be fully repaid? Your loan-to-value LTV. The lower the LTV the better deal you get. Will they accept you?
How much can you save?