First-time buyer guides
Every guide on the site, in the order you will need them. Each one answers a real question with real numbers.
Before you start
How to get a mortgage, step by step
The whole process from first thought to keys, in order, with how long each bit takes.
Read →How much deposit do I need?
5%, 10% or 15%: what each gets you, and why the first £10,000 is the hardest.
Read →Schemes that actually help
Lifetime ISA, 95% mortgages, shared ownership, First Homes, Co-Ownership. Which one fits you.
Read →Your credit score, sorted
What lenders actually look at, and the six things to fix before you apply.
Read →Getting help from parents
Gifted deposits, guarantor mortgages and the paperwork that stops it going wrong.
Read →The costs nobody warns you about
Surveys, searches, solicitors, fees and the money you spend in the first month.
Read →Lifetime ISA explained
The 25% government bonus, the £450,000 limit, the 12-month rule and the withdrawal penalty.
Read →Buying in Northern Ireland
Co-Ownership, NI lenders, stamp duty, rates instead of council tax, and what is different.
Read →The mortgage
What is a mortgage in principle?
The piece of paper that tells you your budget and makes agents take you seriously.
Read →Do I need a mortgage broker?
What a broker does, what they cost, and how to spot a good one.
Read →Fixed or tracker? 2 years or 5?
How to choose a mortgage deal, and what happens when it ends.
Read →Buying with a partner or friend
Joint mortgages, tenants in common, deeds of trust and what happens if you split.
Read →New job, probation, self-employed
What lenders want if your income is not a simple payslip.
Read →How long does a mortgage take?
From application to offer, and what slows it down.
Read →Finding the house
How to find the house
Portals, agents, sold prices, and how to view like you mean it.
Read →Making an offer
How much to offer, how to say it, and what to do when they say yes.
Read →Buying a new build
Pros, cons, incentives, snagging and the 28-day exchange deadline.
Read →Leasehold vs freehold
What you actually own, what to check on a lease, and the questions for flats.
Read →Which survey do I need?
Valuation vs Level 1, 2 and 3, what they cost, and when to skip one.
Read →The legal bit
Conveyancing explained
What your solicitor actually does for 10 weeks, and how to choose one.
Read →Exchange and completion
What each means, what you pay when, and what happens on the day you get the keys.
Read →Stamp duty for first-time buyers
The 2026 thresholds for England and NI, what counts as a first-time buyer, and Scotland and Wales.
Read →Moving in
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