Make Your First Home a Reality, Without the Stress

As a first-time buyer, the amount you can borrow will depend on various factors including your income, credit score, employment history, and existing debts. Our mortgage brokers will work closely with you to assess your financial situation and determine the maximum amount you can borrow.

Beechwood Mortgages has access to a wide range of lenders, allowing us to find competitive rates and flexible terms that suit your specific needs. Additionally, we offer personalised assistance throughout the entire mortgage process, providing guidance and support to help you secure the best mortgage deal for your first home.

For more detailed information around mortgage affordability, check out our articles Mastering Mortgage Affordability and How Much Can I Borrow?

An AIP is an indication from a lender of how much you can borrow. For a more detailed explanation take a look at our article Understanding Mortgage Agreement in Principle's.

Not sure where to start but keen to crack on, get started now by providing your basic details securely via our Client Portal.

In many cases we can provide an Agreement in Principle (AIP) within 24 hours - once we understand your situation and requirements, have sufficient documents from you, we can then organise an AIP very quickly.

Outside our normal office hours of Mon-Thu 9am to 5.30pm, 5pm on Friday's? No problem, simply provide your details securely via our Client Portal - just register an account and away you go! We'll then be sure to connect with you as soon as we're back online.

Yes, depending on your overall circumstances and the extent of your bad credit, it is likely that there will be lenders willing to support you.

Check out 5 Tips for Securing a Mortgage with Less-than-Perfect Credit.

At Beechwood, we always provide a free consultation and promptly disclose any potential charges for our services. We now offer complimentary support to the majority of our customers, terms and conditions apply.

This is important as any mortgage brokers will charge for their services, which could be upfront or due upon completion—or sometimes both. Therefore, it's crucial to compare options.

Check our Fees page for a full rundown on broker fees. You can also visit our page Do All Mortgage Brokers Charge Fees? for further information. er our advice and support to first time buyers free of charge. (T&C's apply)

For full details visit our Fees Page.

No, not all mortgage brokers charge fees.

As a mortgage broker, we earn our fee from the lender, so in most cases you don't have to worry about paying any additional fees for our assistance. We are committed to helping you find the best mortgage deal without adding any financial burden. Our goal is to make the mortgage process as transparent and cost-effective as possible for our clients.

Check out our article Do All Mortgage Brokers Charge Fees? for a complete rundown on broker fees, what to look out for and why you should shop around.

You can either engage with a mortgage broker or speak with your bank / building society. Click here for full details of how a mortgage broker operates and the added value they bring.

To get started now provide your basic details securely via our Client Portal and we'll do the rest.

Most lenders will require a deposit. However, from time to time some lenders will offer a mortgage if you have a family member in the background who wants to help you where they can – this could mean the lender places a charge on their property. In this instance the lender may agree to support you without a physical deposit being provided.

For more information check out Mortgage Deposits Explained.

There’s no easy answer to this one! Read our ‘How Much Can I Borrow’ page for more information and details on how lenders will view your individual situation.

You can also check out our Guide to Mortgages for Self Employed.

Although the majority of lenders will need to see upwards of two years trading, there are now several lenders that will consider your application with just the one years finalised accounts.

You may find our article Guide to Mortgages for Self Employed helpful👍

Your mortgage AIP will generally be valid for around 30 to 90 days. For more information take a look at our article Understanding Mortgage Agreement in Principle's.

Not sure where to start but keen to crack on, get started now by providing your basic details securely via our Client Portal.

You will need a minimum of 5% of the purchase price. From time to time lenders offer special incentives, this could be a 100% mortgage if you can demonstrate a track record of paying rent. So it's worth engaging with a mortgage broker to see if there are any special deals available to you today.

Increasing your deposit will result in better rates being offered to you – lenders improve their rates when your deposit increases incrementally by 5% - so to 10%, 15% and so on.

For more information check out Mortgage Deposits Explained.

You will need to ensure that your deposit is available and with your solicitor when you exchange contracts. For most purchases this would around 8-12 weeks from the moment your initial offer on the property was accepted.

As a first time buyer, currently you will not pay any Stamp Duty on a property up to £425,000. Check out the latest stamp duty rates for residential property HERE.

You may also find our article What Fees Will I Pay And When helpful too.

A mortgage broker will do the leg work for you, offering in-depth knowledge of the property lending market, helping you overcome challenges, and offering exclusive access to a database of banks and building societies. What's more, they offer a level of support that streamlines the entire process of purchasing your first home.

You can learn more by visiting our article, Benefits of Working with a Mortgage Broker.

You are a first time buyer if you have never owned a home either here or abroad. This status also applies if you are looking to purchase a buy-to-let property and have never owned a home, although you will not qualify for any stamp duty incentive unless you intend to reside in the property.

There are a range of financial schemes in place to help you purchase your first property. These include First Homes Schemes, Shared Ownership and the Right to Buy schemes.

Please consult with your mortgage advisor to find out more - you can also check out our article, Which Home Purchase Scheme Is Right For Me? for more details.

When you're buying your first home you should save as much as possible, which will reduce the amount you need to borrow from the lender.

It's also important to remember that there is a range of other associated costs alongside the deposit for example, survey costs, stamp duty and solicitor fees, removals along with mortgage arrangement and valuation fees.

Speak to one of our advisors now for a full summary of your likely costs - alternatively, visit our article Buying a Property, What Fees Will I Pay & When?

The lenders valuation is not a survey, it is simply a process where the lender will check that the property’s valuation / selling price is an accurate reflection of the current market before they approve your mortgage. The majority of lenders now offer their valuation free of charge, although there are still some exceptions to this.

You SHOULD NOT rely on the lenders valuation as it is merely for their own benefit, not yours - to understand your options you may find our article Should I Arrange A Survey helpful.

This is entirely up to you and the type of property you are purchasing. Buying a property is likely to be your biggest investment so it is generally advisable to organise a survey before finalising your purchase.

Please visit our Learning Centre for many more hints and tips, including our full article Should I Arrange A Survey?

Planning is key. By now you should have your mortgage Agreement In Principle so be sure to share this with the estate agent as it strengthens your position.

Never be pressurised into speaking with their own mortgage broker - if you are satisfied with what you have in place then that should be good enough!

Unless you feel the property is going to be snapped up very quickly, don't go in with your highest offer first - take your time and don't show all your cards at once.

Check out our helpful article, How To Make An Offer On A Property, for more helpful hints and tips.

Unless you have specifically applied for a Buy to Let mortgage, no. Any homeowner who lives in their property will need a residential mortgage.

Your lender may allow you to rent out your property but you must seek their consent/approval before you do so. To buy a property as an investment to then rent out, a buy to let mortgage will be required. This is a different mortgage as there are specific fees, financial implications and risks associated with this.

Yes, providing you are employed on a permanent basis then most lenders will be fine with this. Some will also ignore any probation period.

Yes. Whilst most lenders can consider using your second income towards your mortgage affordability the majority like to see that you’ve been in that role for at least 6 months.

Yes, whilst the majority of lenders will be happy to consider your application most will require a minimum of 12 months history of you contracting. Your mortgage affordability will vary greatly from one lender to the next.

Check out How Much Can I Borrow? for more information.

This will vary from one solicitor to the next – as a general rule of thumb you should expect to pay around £1200-1500 to purchase a property and then £1000 or so if you are selling your current home. (is likely to be more if you are purchasing a leasehold property)