Buying a house in the UK, it’s an exciting endeavour but often can be a confusing process. Whether you are a first-time buyer or not, buying a house does take time and has to be achieved by completing a number of steps.
Many individuals seeking to make the first investment into a property but don’t know where to start often ask how to get on the property ladder?
The answer is you first make the decision that you want to buy a property, and make sure you have enough savings to buy this property outright, buy it with the help of a mortgage, or use a UK government scheme, like the help to buy scheme, that is geared towards empowering people to buy their first homes.
This article discusses a number of different aspects that all present various ways and alternatives one can get on the property ladder in UK from discussing mortgages, to government schemes to buying with cash.
Mortgage in Principle
Expert property advisors often advise that buyers who would like to buy a house with a mortgage, first of all, acquire a mortgage agreement in principle agreement. This agreement will be issued by your landlord or bank in writing and will be based on a financial check that they will carry out on your behalf, after which they will state how much money you could potentially borrow from them if you decide to buy a property. A mortgage in principle agreement lasts between 60-90 days giving between 2 or 3 months to find your property of choice and then apply for a mortgage from your bank or lender.
The mortgage application process
Mortgages are determined by an authorised lender such as a UK bank or building society on their assessment of your personal financial situation and employment situation and are awarded on how likely it is that you can afford to make the repayments. The process of getting a mortgage can take a number of months, and in order to qualify, you will have to show information about your outgoing that include:
- Existing debts
- Household bills and outgoings
- Other costs and liabilities, like childcare costs and travel
- Your credit rating will be checked
If a company employs you, you must show up to three months’ payslips from your employer. If you are self-employed, you will need to show your tax returns and accounts that demonstrate you have been in business with no issues for three years.
Government Schemes
The UK government has a number of schemes that are there to give buyers help so they can jump on the property ladder. Some of these schemes include:
Affordable Housing Schemes
Help to Buy scheme
Shared ownership schemes
Buying a house with cash
If you are planning on buying a home outright with cash it makes everything much easier as you do not need to present evidence to qualify for a mortgage and you do not need to apply for a government scheme. However, you will still need a good solicitor and/or surveyor to guide you on valuation survey, the process of transferring your funds to the seller, and making sure the process runs smoothly.
For more info and for expert property advice about buying a home in the UK it is always of great benefit to speak with a team of qualified experts such as those at mypropertyadvice.com, they will be able to guide you further through the process and answer any questions you may have.
