First Time Buyer Mortgage Advice in Birmingham
Once you have gotten the hard part out of the way, that being saving up for your deposit (or if you’ve utilised a gifted deposit) and have decided you are ready to buy your first property as a first time buyer in Birmingham.
The next step is to get yourself prepared for the mortgage process that is about to follow.
Know Where You Stand
In our experience as a mortgage advisor in Birmingham, we have found that customers benefit the most by getting in touch with a mortgage broker as early on in your process as you can.
Your dedicated advisor will help you to work out an outline of the amount you could be looking to borrow for a mortgage and how much your monthly mortgage costs could be.
Before anything else, your top priority should be to obtain an up-to-date credit report. You ideally don’t want any credit issues such as a missed phone contract payment, to hold you back from a mortgage. A credit report will be able to show you potentially harmful factors.
Following these steps will give you a realistic overview of the likelihood that you’ll succeed with a mortgage and what your budget could be. This will help you to organise your accounts, such as any existing credit cards or phone contracts.
Getting Organised For a Mortgage
Our hard working and dedicated mortgage advisors in Birmingham are able to obtain a fully credit-checked agreement in principle for you, within 24 hours of your primary mortgage appointment.
There’s a lot of important paperwork for you to gather for your process, so it’s a good idea for First Time Buyers in Birmingham to start organising what you will be required to have ahead of looking for your mortgage. In doing this, you possibly enable yourself to go through the process quicker.
Proof of ID
We need to be able to prove your identity. With this, you’ll need to provide us with some photo ID such as a driving license or passport, so that we can prove who you are.
Proof of Address
On top of this, you’ll need to prove where you are living. To achieve this, you need to send us a utility bill or original bank statement that has been dated within the last 3 months of your current home address.
Last 3 Months’ Bank Statements
One of the most important factors when seeing if you qualify for a mortgage, is analysing your income and spending habits. This can can be a big difference maker in whether or not you obtain a mortgage. Your bank statements should show your income and what you having regularly going out.
Lenders will not be too thrilled to see gambling transactions on your account. They also won’t be too happy if you go over an agreed overdraft limit or if your direct debits regularly bounce.
It’s best to plan ahead regarding your bank statements. The more organised they appear to be, the more likely you are to be accepted by a mortgage lender.
Proof of Deposit
You will have to prove you have the financial capability to pay for the deposit and also evidence where this came from for the purpose of anti-money laundering.
Try not to move money around your accounts too often as it will make auditing where everything came from a little complex. Lenders like to see you build up your savings, so you’ll need to provide individual proof for any large financial deposits into your bank account.
We regularly see that money for deposits has been given as a gift by a member of your family. The gifted deposit also need to be evidenced, with the “donor” needing to sign a letter to confirm it is a gift and not to be paid back as a loan.
Proof of Income
Regarding being able to afford a mortgage, the most important thing is to be able to prove your that you are financially capable to keep up monthly mortgage repayments.
If you are a regular employee, the proof you will be required to provide is the last 3 months’ payslips and most recent P60. Lenders can take into account frequent overtime, commission, shift allowance and any potential bonuses.
If instead you are an applicant who is self-employed in Birmingham, then you’ll need to enlist the help of your accountant. They will help you request your last 2 or 3 years’ tax overviews and tax calculations documents from HMRC, which you can use for proof of income.
A list of Your Expected Outgoings
When taking out a mortgage in Birmingham, it really is a good idea to prepare yourself ahead of the process starting. Make note of what you expect your outgoings to be after you move and work out what you are able to afford.
Factor in costs like council tax and utility bills, food, drink and leisure activities. This will demonstrate how much money you actually have free to put towards monthly mortgage repayments.
It may seem like a difficult process, but without taking the steps we mentioned above, it is not possible to proceed with any lender or broker. Once you have taken the necessary steps, you’ll be just that little bit closer to your home owning dreams.
It’s better to prepare yourself in advance, making a collection of everything a mortgage lender might wish to see. This saves both your time and frustration further along the process, especially if it’s something that could’ve easily been arranged at the start.
Date Last Edited: September 2, 2024
