First Time Buyers

Taking your first big step onto the property ladder? We specialise in guiding first time buyers through every stage of securing a mortgage, and our expert advisers are here to make your first home purchase as smooth and stress–free as possible.

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Expert Mortgage Advice Tailored to You

Understanding First Time Buyer Mortgages

Buying your first home is a significant milestone, and obtaining the right mortgage is the foundation. First time buyer mortgages are often structured differently from remortgages or buy-to-let arrangements. Lenders will assess your income, outgoings, and credit history to establish how much you can borrow. As specialist advisers, we help you identify the most suitable mortgage products based on your circumstances, ensuring you’re matched with lenders likely to accept first-time applications.

We’ll also help you understand key mortgage terms: interest rate, term length, Loan-to-Value ratio (LTV), and whether a fixed, variable or tracker rate suits you best. With the right guidance, you’ll be well equipped to make informed decisions with confidence.

Exploring First Time Buyer Support

In the UK, there are schemes designed to help first time buyers get onto the housing ladder, such as Shared Ownership, or First Homes. These can offer reduced deposit requirements or affordable starter-home options. However, eligibility criteria can be complex. That’s where our expertise comes in.

We’ll assess your financial situation and help you understand whether you qualify for any scheme, and importantly, which arrangements offer the appropriate long-term value. We’ll guide you through the application process and ensure all paperwork is correctly completed, reducing the risk of delays or complications.

Saving for a Deposit and Affordability Checks

Saving for your first home’s deposit is often the biggest hurdle for first time buyers. While many mortgage deals now allow a 5–10% deposit, it’s important to factor in additional costs such as stamp duty, solicitor fees, surveys, and moving expenses. We help you plan realistically by providing a clear breakdown of up-front costs, and advice on budgeting and saving strategies.

We also run thorough affordability checks, considering not just your current income, but also future expenses and potential interest rate changes. This helps ensure you choose a mortgage you can sustain comfortably over the long term.

Why Choose The Home Partnership?

As an whole of market adviser, we are not tied to any single lender. This means we can search across a wide panel of mortgage providers to find deals that suit first time buyers, even those with modest deposits or squeezed budgets. Our role is to act in your best interests, providing impartial advice tailored to your needs.

We strive to make the process straightforward and personal. From your initial consultation all the way through to completion, we offer clear explanations, hand-holding at every step, and ongoing support. Our aim is to help you move into your first home feeling confident and prepared.

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FAQs

As well as the deposit, you should plan for legal fees (conveyancing), surveys and valuations, potential stamp duty (depending on property price), moving costs, and possibly mortgage protection.

We carry out a detailed affordability assessment taking into account your income, outgoings, savings, and other commitments. This helps us recommend a realistic mortgage budget.

It’s not mandatory, but a Mortgage in Principle (or Decision in Principle) strengthens your position as a serious buyer and shows estate agents and sellers you’re ready to proceed. We can help arrange this early in the process.

It’s sensible to consider protection such as life insurance, income protection or critical illness cover, especially if you’re buying with someone else or have dependants. We can advise on suitable policies based on your circumstances.

The timeline varies, but most first-time buyer mortgage applications take between two and six weeks from submission to offer, depending on the lender and how quickly documents are provided. We help streamline the process by ensuring paperwork is accurate and complete, reducing delays and keeping you updated at every stage.

Not necessarily. It’s often enough to get on the property ladder. However, deals with smaller deposits typically carry higher rates and fewer options. You might pay more in interest over the long term.

As a mortgage is secured against your home or property, it could be repossessed if you do not keep up the mortgage repayments

HOME Mortgages is a trading name of The Home Partnership Limited which is authorised and regulated by the financial conduct authority. The Financial conduct authority does not regulate commercial buy to let mortgages. As a mortgage is secured against your property, it may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. Where you have a complaint or dispute with us and we are unable to resolve this to your satisfaction then we are obliged to offer you the Financial Ombudsman Service to help resolve this. Please click here for further details.

Company registered address Henry Brake House, South Woodham Ferrers, Essex CM3 5NG. FCA number 616505. Company number is 05355751.

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