A LITTLE CLARITY. A CONFIDENT START.
Start here: your homebuying journey
From that first thought to collecting your keys. Get to know the steps, the mortgage basics and what happens next.
Explore your getting started guide →YOUR HOMEBUYER’S PLAN
Your goal, your money and your next move. All together.
Your target, not a confirmed buying budget.
Your money at a glance
From your saved answersDeposit savedYour savings plan →Still to saveBuild your deposit →Monthly saving
Deposit timeline:
Explore your pace →Monthly budget remainingSee your budget →Deposit progress does not confirm affordability. Expected gifts and moving costs are separate.
YOUR BUYING PLAN
View your buying plan →Your review status
Loading your local snapshot…
Find it. View it. Make it yours.
Keep the homes you like, your viewing notes and your offers together. Track the little milestones along the way.
Open your journal →MAKE THE NUMBERS YOURS
Your deposit goal
Your chosen savings goal—not a statement of the minimum deposit every buying route needs.
What could a little more saving change?
Preview only. Your saved plan stays the same until you update and save the figures below.
Your saved savings plan
Leave unknown figures blank. Your timeline uses whole months rounded up, without interest, future ISA bonuses or expected gifts.
YOUR CURRENT MONTHLY BUDGET
Make every pound visible.
Your current spending, your saving plans and what remains.
See all monthly totals
Could you free up a little more?
Choose a flexible expense to explore. These are ideas to review, not a judgement about what you should spend.
Preview only. Nothing is saved or added to your borrowing figures. Essential costs and debt repayments are not reduced here.
Your saved spending breakdown
GET TO KNOW YOUR AREA
Your home search.
Official ONS figures for your chosen local authority. These cover the whole council area, so individual streets and homes can differ.
KEEP MOVING FORWARD
Your next actions
Start with the first action below. Each one explains what to do and where to go.
A CONVERSATION WHEN YOU NEED IT
Not sure where to start?
Talk through your plan, your questions or a target that needs more time.
Discuss my options ↗Ready to discuss an agreement in principle?
Book an appointment with Mortgage HQ to discuss the next steps. Booking does not submit an application or run a credit check. Any broker fee will be explained before you proceed.
Book my AIP appointment ↗WELCOME TO YOUR HOMEBUYER’S PLANIt starts with a thought.
It starts with a thought.
“Could this be my year?”
A home of your own. A space to make yours. Let’s turn the big questions into small, manageable steps.
Let’s get started ↓Your pace. Your priorities. Your next chapter.
YOU DON’T NEED EVERY ANSWER TODAY.Just a clearer
way forward.
way forward.
FIRST, TAKE A BREATH
You don’t need to have it all figured out.
You might be ready to view homes, or simply wondering whether buying is possible. This is your space to understand the essentials, explore your options and make a plan that fits your life.
Start with your life.
Where would you like to live? What matters most in a home? Think about your plans as well as your price range.
Make room for the numbers.
Your deposit is one part of the picture. A comfortable budget and a separate moving-cost pot matter too.
You have support.
Your answers help us prepare your personalised plan. Your adviser checks the results before they are shared with you.
A HOME THAT FITS YOUBuying is a choice.
Buying is a choice.
Not a race.
Owning can give you stability and freedom to make a place your own. It also brings maintenance costs, responsibility and less flexibility than renting.
You decide what feels right. We help you understand what getting there could involve.
ONE USEFUL IDEA TO START WITHYour deposit is the start.
Your deposit is the start.
The mortgage fills the gap.
An illustrative £250,000 purchase:
£25,00010% deposit
+£225,00090% mortgage
Example only, not your borrowing result. Moving costs are additional. Your own figures appear in Buying options after adviser approval.
One house. Different ways to fund it.
Colours show how the full home value is split. These examples use a £250,000 home and a £25,000 deposit; they are not your affordability results.
Buying the whole home
Buying a 40% share
Shared ownership depends on eligibility, the property and provider checks. The mortgage funds part of the share you buy; you pay rent on the provider’s remaining share.
What could happen to your interest rate?
The shape of each line explains the difference. These are concepts, not predictions or a recommendation.
Compare fees, early repayment charges and the full terms with your adviser. A lower initial rate is not the whole picture. Mortgage rates explained · MoneyHelper ↗
The legal roadmap describes England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland follow different processes. Stages can overlap; this is not a tracker of your application.
Your journey, step by step
Open a stage to see what happens and what to do.
01Prepare your foundations
Choose a comfortable budget, build your deposit and allow for the costs of owning a home. Buying can offer stability, but also brings maintenance costs and less flexibility than renting.
Your next move
Review your savings, current spending and credit information. Keep an emergency buffer separate from the deposit.
02Discuss an agreement in principle
An AIP is an indication of possible borrowing, subject to further checks. It is not a mortgage offer or a guarantee. Ask whether the lender uses a soft or hard credit search.
Your next move
Gather ID, income evidence, bank statements and evidence of your deposit. Your adviser will confirm what is needed for your circumstances.
03Find a home that fits
Look beyond the asking price: transport, local facilities, condition, energy efficiency and ongoing charges all affect how a home fits your life.
Your next move
Make a viewing checklist. Ask about tenure, service charges, lease length where relevant, and what is included in the sale.
04Make an offer and appoint a conveyancer
In England and Wales, an accepted offer is normally subject to contract. Choose a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to handle legal checks.
Your next move
Get a written quote and confirm what it includes. Do not assume an accepted offer means the purchase is legally binding.
05Apply, investigate and survey
Your mortgage application, legal enquiries and survey can run alongside each other. A lender valuation is for the lender; it is not a substitute for your own survey.
Your next move
Tell your adviser about changes in income, debts or circumstances. Choose an appropriate survey and discuss any findings before committing.
06Review the offer and exchange
A mortgage offer does not automatically trigger exchange. Your conveyancer checks the legal position and confirms when you are ready. Exchange makes the agreement binding in England and Wales.
Your next move
Check mortgage conditions, the contract, funds needed and completion date. Confirm when buildings insurance must start.
07Complete and collect your keys
On completion, the purchase funds are transferred and ownership changes. Your conveyancer confirms when the keys can be released.
Your next move
Arrange removals, take meter readings, update your address and keep a reserve for the first weeks in your home.
The essentials, made simple
+Deposit + mortgage = purchase price
For a £250,000 home, a £25,000 deposit leaves a £225,000 mortgage: 90% loan-to-value (LTV). This is an example, not a borrowing assessment. A lower LTV can change the products available, but terms and eligibility vary.
+Budget beyond the deposit
Allow for conveyancing and searches, a survey, any mortgage or broker fees, applicable property purchase tax, removals, insurance and initial repairs. Use current quotes and the relevant tax calculator; amounts depend on your location and circumstances.
+Understand the mortgage
A repayment mortgage pays interest and reduces the loan over time. Fixed rates last for an agreed period; variable rates can change. Compare fees, early repayment charges and what happens when an initial deal ends with your adviser.
+Know what you are buying
Freehold normally includes the building and land, but estate charges can still apply. Leasehold gives rights under a lease: check remaining years, service charges, restrictions and any ground rent with your conveyancer. Do not assume all houses are freehold.
+Shared ownership is a different route
You buy a share and normally pay rent on the rest, plus applicable charges. A 40% share of a £250,000 home is £100,000; the deposit and mortgage fund that share. Eligibility, repairs, resale and buying more shares depend on the provider and lease. It is not automatically cheaper or available.
+Keep the plan realistic
Automate an affordable saving amount and review it when circumstances change. Confirm any gift and document its source. Check current ISA eligibility and withdrawal conditions before using one. Do not borrow a deposit or change credit commitments without discussing the impact with your adviser.
Prefer to read offline? Download a copy
An optional copy of your getting-started guide to keep or print.
Sources & edition notes
Updated 6 November 2026. General information, not personalised mortgage or legal advice.
UNDERSTAND YOUR CREDIT REPORT
Understand your credit report
Six simple checks to help you understand what lenders may see.
Read→Check→Discuss
Your report stays with you.
This step is optional. You do not need to upload a report, buy a subscription or use Checkmyfile to continue your plan.
OPTIONAL REPORT PROVIDER
Checkmyfile
Review current pricing, trial and cancellation terms before signing up. This is a partner link; The Homebuyer Coach may receive a referral payment.
Visit Checkmyfile ↗Prefer a free option?
Free statutory reports are available directly from credit reference agencies.
See MoneyHelper’s free-report guide ↗Your six-point report check
01Your identity and addresses
Check your name, date of birth, current and previous addresses, and electoral register information if eligible. Correct inconsistencies with the organisations concerned.
02Accounts, balances and limits
Recognise each account and compare balances, limits and account status with your statements. Reporting can lag behind payments. Note any account you do not recognise.
03Payment history
Read the monthly history, not just the headline score. Check missed payments, arrangements and defaults against your records. Use the report provider’s own key because symbols differ.
04Financial links and searches
Check people linked through joint finance and credit applications you do not recognise. Sharing a home or being married alone does not automatically create a financial association. Ask the agency about removing an outdated link when joint commitments have ended.
05Public records and corrections
Check dates, amounts and status of judgments or insolvency entries. Raise inaccurate information with the agency and the organisation that supplied it, keeping evidence and a record of the dispute.
06Tell us what needs discussing
You do not have to upload your report. Tell your adviser about any missed payments, defaults, judgments, arrangements or uncertain entries. These need individual review, not an automatic conclusion that you cannot buy.
Make sense of the markers
Illustrative Checkmyfile-style entries — not a real customer report. Always use the key supplied with your report.
Payment recorded on time
Missed payments or arrears; read the provider’s key
Alternative payment arrangement
Default recorded
Account settled and closed
Unknown status or no update; not proof of a missed payment
Questions you might have
+A report is not a mortgage decision
A report records credit history; a score is one provider’s indicator. There is no universal mortgage pass score. Lenders also assess income, commitments, deposit and their own criteria.
+Checking is optional for this plan
You can continue without buying a report or using Checkmyfile. You can request free statutory reports from credit reference agencies; the information held can differ. Checking your own report does not damage your credit score.
+Healthy habits, without quick fixes
Keep payments on time and make sure direct debits have funds available. Avoid unnecessary credit applications. Do not take out debt purely to build a score or automatically close unused accounts; consider your overall position with your adviser.
+If something looks wrong
Contact the credit reference agency and data provider. If fraud is suspected, contact the affected lender promptly. Do not share passwords or full account details in messages. A dispute does not guarantee that an accurate entry can be removed.
+CCJs: an important distinction
A CCJ normally stays on the register for six years. If paid in full within one month, you can apply to have it removed. Paying later generally changes its status to satisfied rather than removing it early. Seek guidance for the specific judgment.
+If payments are becoming difficult
Contact your lender early and seek free, impartial debt guidance. Your homebuying plan can be revisited; it should not pressure you to miss essential bills or make unaffordable repayments.
Something needs a closer look?
Discuss the entry with your adviser before making changes or applying for more credit.
Book a conversation ↗Take the guide with you.
Updated PDF edition · 6 November 2026
Sources & edition notes
Updated 6 November 2026. General information, not personalised mortgage or legal advice.