Everything you need to buy a home in the UK.
25 plain-English guides covering the whole journey, from working out a deposit to collecting the keys. Most are a five to ten minute read.
Buying a home is a long sequence of decisions, most of them with money attached. These guides walk through the questions in roughly the order a typical buyer hits them: how much you can borrow, what deposit you actually need, the mortgage type that fits, the survey worth paying for, and what happens between offer accepted and keys in hand. Read what is relevant, then book a call when the questions get specific.
Buying guides, in reading order
Roughly the order most buyers work through them.
The complete guide to buying your first home
Every step, every cost, every decision from "maybe one day" to collecting keys. Start here if you are new to the process.
Read guideHow much can I borrow?
Realistic ranges, what stretches your number and what shrinks it. Lender affordability rules in plain English.
Read guideFirst-time buyer deposit guide
5%, 10%, 15%, 25%. What each deposit level changes for your rate, and where the cliff edges sit.
Read guideThe mortgage application process explained
From AIP through underwriting to mortgage offer. What happens at each stage and how long it takes.
Read guideUnderstanding different mortgage types
Repayment vs interest-only, fixed vs variable, tracker, discount, offset. What each is for.
Read guideFixed vs variable rate mortgages
Which makes sense in the current rate environment, and how to think about the choice.
Read guideStamp Duty: the complete guide
Rates, reliefs, the 5% additional-property surcharge, plus worked examples for typical purchase sizes.
Read guideSurveys and valuations
Mortgage valuation, homebuyer report, full structural. What each is for and what each costs.
Read guideThe conveyancing process explained
The legal side of buying, from instructing a solicitor to exchange. Costs and timescales.
Read guideExchange and completion
What happens on each day, and what to have ready in advance.
Read guideMortgage fees explained
Product fees, booking fees and the legal fees that come with completion.
Read guideThe true cost of moving home
Hidden costs people forget when budgeting for a move. Useful when planning the second purchase.
Read guideWhat does a mortgage broker do?
A plain-English explainer of what we actually do for you, and how a mortgage broker differs from a bank.
Read guideReleasing equity from your home
How equity release works, who it's for, and the serious things you need to understand before considering it. For equity release products we act as introducers only.
Read guidePorting your mortgage: how it really works
Taking your current rate with you when you move sounds simple. The mechanics are more involved: a fresh application, possible top-up borrowing, and timing that needs managing.
Read guideLeasehold vs freehold: what buyers need to know
The difference between owning a property and owning a long, expensive ticket to live in one. Lease length, ground rent, service charges, and the reforms changing the rules.
Read guideGifted deposit rules: the bank of mum and dad, done properly
Who can gift, what the gift letter must say, the evidence lenders demand, and the tax questions givers should ask before the money moves.
Read guideGazumping and gazundering: how to protect yourself
Until exchange, nothing is binding, and both buyers and sellers can exploit that. What each tactic is, why it's legal, and the practical defences that actually work.
Read guideMortgage options by deposit size
From 5% to 40%, your deposit decides which lenders, rates and products are open to you. A band-by-band tour of the 2026 market, plus the routes below 5%.
Read guideJapanese knotweed and mortgages
It's no longer the automatic mortgage-killer of legend, but it's not nothing either. How lenders treat knotweed in 2026, and what buyers and sellers should actually do.
Read guideThe new-build premium: what you're really paying for
New builds typically cost more than comparable second-hand homes. Sometimes that's worth it. Here's how the premium works, how lenders treat it, and how to buy new without overpaying.
Read guideShared ownership staircasing: buying more of your home
How increasing your share actually works, what each step costs, the newer 1% route, and how to decide whether staircasing is worth it for you.
Read guideBuying a home with friends or siblings
Two or three incomes buy a lot more house than one. Here's how joint ownership between non-partners actually works, and the legal document that makes or breaks it.
Read guideRight to Buy: a realistic guide
Buying your council home at a discount is still possible, but the discounts shrank sharply in late 2024 and the rules keep moving. Eligibility, the process, the mortgage, and the strings attached.
Read guideMoving home: port, new deal, or let-to-buy?
Three ways to handle the mortgage when you move. A plain-English comparison to get you oriented, with the full detail on our moving-home hub.
Read guideCommon questions about buying
How long does the whole process take?
From offer accepted to keys in hand, eight to twelve weeks is typical for a chain-free purchase. Chains, leasehold properties and complex conveyancing extend that. Getting an Agreement in Principle in place before you offer takes pressure out of the front of the process.
How much deposit do I need?
Five per cent is the floor on most residential lending. Ten per cent opens up materially better rates, twenty-five per cent unlocks the cleanest pricing. The deposit guide walks through what each level changes.
Should I get an Agreement in Principle before I view properties?
Yes. An AIP gives you a credible borrowing range, lets the estate agent take your offer seriously, and surfaces credit issues early when you can still fix them. It is a soft credit search, so does not affect your file.
Do I need a survey if the lender is doing a valuation?
The lender valuation protects the lender, not you. It is a desk check on whether the property is worth what you are paying. A homebuyer report or full structural survey looks at the building itself. On most purchases over £250,000 a survey is money well spent.
When do I pay the stamp duty?
Stamp Duty Land Tax is paid on completion, by your solicitor, out of the funds you transfer them ahead of completion day. You do not write a separate cheque. The stamp duty guide has worked examples and the 2026 rate bands.
What is the difference between exchange and completion?
Exchange is the legal moment the contract becomes binding and your deposit is at risk. Completion is the day the money moves and you collect the keys. Most chains exchange and complete on the same day or with one or two weeks between them.
Other guide clusters
Remortgaging guides
For when the fix expires. 6 guides on timing, switching versus product transfer, releasing equity and debt consolidation.
Browse remortgaging guidesBuy-to-let guides
If the next purchase is an investment property. 7 guides covering becoming a landlord, the tax, rental yield and HMO licensing.
Browse buy-to-let guidesProtection guides
A mortgage without protection is half a recommendation. 5 guides on life cover, critical illness and income protection.
Browse protection guidesWhat our clients say
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