UK’s Best First Time Buyer Mortgage Brokers
Independent, whole-of-market and fees-free advice from a top first time buyer mortgage broker. Fill in the form below for a callback.
For many first time buyers, finding the right mortgage can be more difficult than finding the right home. Fees Free Mortgages are here to change that. Our team believe that purchasing your first house should be fun, not frightening.
Our experts take pride in guiding first time buyers through the mortgage maze. In fact, they’ve used their whole-of-market knowledge to help thousands across the UK find their ideal first mortgage at no extra cost. Why not join them? Take the right first step towards making your dream home a reality today – stress-free, hassle-free, and fees-free.
Purchasing a home is a large financial move – meaning that in order to get onto the property ladder, you’ll most likely need to borrow some money. That’s where mortgages come in.
When buying a home in the UK, you’ll usually be required to put down a cash deposit upfront – but this only covers a fraction of the property value (typically between 5 to 20%). To pay for the remainder of the cost, you’ll most likely need to successfully apply for a mortgage: a long-term, high-value property loan generally provided by a bank or building society. After the keys are in your hands, you’ll be required to pay the money you borrowed plus interest back in monthly instalments over a predetermined number of years.
There are wide a range of mortgage products available on the market – each suited to different buyers with different circumstances. These include a number of options catering to first time buyers.
Generally, first time buyer mortgages are for people who are new to the housing market – and typically offer deals with small deposit agreements, or some form of financial assistance. You’ll qualify as a first time buyer if you’re ‘buying a property you plan to live in as your main residence and have never owned a property before’.
Discover our comprehensive range of whole of market, first time buyer mortgage services:
Looking to make your first step on the property ladder quickly or purchase a new home with a smaller deposit? A 95% mortgage could be the key to unlocking your buying potential.
Saving money for a mortgage deposit can be tricky – but 95% mortgages can help. A brilliant option for those struggling to reach the 20% deposit mark but keen to purchase, a 95% mortgage will allow for a deposit as low as 5%, and up to 10% – helping you secure your dream home sooner rather than later.
Buying your first home is one of the most exciting steps you’ll take in life. We can help you find the best help to buy a mortgage to suit your needs and plans.
The Help to Buy scheme is a government-led initiative offering financial support to first time buyers looking to get on the property ladder – mainly by means of an equity loan. Successful applicants are entitled to borrow 20% (40% in London) of their property’s purchase price interest-free for five years and may put down a minimum of a 5% deposit – leaving just 75% to repay.
Struggling to raise deposit funds for your first home? Shared equity may be the option for you.
Shared equity schemes are available through a range of providers including the government, builders, and housing associations – helping first time buyers secure 100% ownership of their home, whilst minimising loan to value ratio. These arrangements typically provide between 10% and 25% of the property purchase price in the form of an equity loan – leaving between 75% and 90% to be obtained as a mortgage.
We know how confusing the world of shared equity, 95% mortgages, and Help to Buy scheme requirements can be – and want to guide you through the process. Our leading first time buyer mortgage brokers are always available to offer independent, fully-tailored mortgage advice in plain, understandable terms, and at no extra cost – helping you kickstart your home buying journey whilst avoiding common mistakes and expensive pitfalls.
Unlike the industry ‘big boys’, Fees Free Mortgages is motivated by clients – not commission.
We’ll work hard to find and apply for the best mortgage deal for your individual circumstances; no strings attached. Best of all, our comprehensive services are completely fees free!
Most mortgage firms and brokers charge an arrangement fee upfront, or on completion of your application. We’re different. Our team work on an entirely fees-free basis, meaning you’ll never be charged for mortgage advice, or for arrangement - regardless of your circumstances.
We believe that the best brokers provide a personal touch - not outsourced calls and automated responses. With Fees Free Mortgages, you’ll be assigned an in-house personal broker and case manager, both of whom will be by your side throughout the process.
With thousands of mortgage options available on the market, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll get the best deal from your bank. On the other hand, whole of market brokers without lender ties are able to offer a wide range of deals, accompanied by unbiased mortgage advice.
Selecting a mortgage broker is a big step in one of the most significant financial decisions of your life - meaning it’s vital to ensure your final choice is trustworthy. Fees Free Mortgages are directly authorised by the FCA and are and fully accountable for the mortgage advice we give.
We promise to handle all the hard work, meaning you can sit back and relax until your mortgage completes, whilst your dedicated broker and case manager keep you in the loop. With us, you’ll always be fully informed on the stage and details of your application.
We believe everyone should have access to free, unbiased mortgage advice and brokerage. That’s why we’re proud to have developed flexible services benefitting clients from Cornwall to Carlisle and beyond. We’ll work to find your perfect mortgage, whether in-person in our flagship office, through one of our UK representatives, or over video call.
Ready to purchase your first home but unsure of how much you’ll be able to afford? Our simple online mortgage calculators are here to give you a general idea of your loan to value ratio, how much you could borrow, and even what your monthly repayments may look like – all in just a few minutes. Whatever your situation, our simple mortgage calculators are here to help you crunch the numbers.
Discover our clients’ mortgage success stories.
I had so many questions and unknowns about buying my first home but none of them were too silly for Martin to answer. He helped me with finding the mortgage lender that suited me and did all the paperwork upfront, so to make everything run smoothly later on. He advised me with insurance and gave me me guidance and updates every step of the way. For me, Martin made buying my first home an exciting experience, not a stressful one and I would recommend him every time. Thank you.
First Time Buyer Mortgage
5.0
Martin Bright has been exceptional throughout a long and convoluted process. After three attempts at securing a house (and three mortgage searches), Martin was patient and professional, always happy to help and always finding a better deal than I thought possible. He explains things clearly and puts forward his thoughts and justifications in a very considered way. I have a 5yr fix at 0.9%. Which beggars belief really! Fantastic outcome, brilliant service and a thoroughly nice chap all round. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend, and I already have done to a couple of friends looking to secure their own mortgages.
First Time Buyer Mortgage
5.0
5.0
I had so many questions and unknowns about buying my first home but none of them were too silly for Martin to answer. He helped me with finding the mortgage lender that suited me and did all the paperwork upfront, so to make everything run smoothly later on. He advised me with insurance and gave me me guidance and updates every step of the way. For me, Martin made buying my first home an exciting experience, not a stressful one and I would recommend him every time. Thank you.
First Time Buyer Mortgage
5.0
Martin Bright has been exceptional throughout a long and convoluted process. After three attempts at securing a house (and three mortgage searches), Martin was patient and professional, always happy to help and always finding a better deal than I thought possible. He explains things clearly and puts forward his thoughts and justifications in a very considered way. I have a 5yr fix at 0.9%. Which beggars belief really! Fantastic outcome, brilliant service and a thoroughly nice chap all round. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend, and I already have done to a couple of friends looking to secure their own mortgages.
First Time Buyer Mortgage
5.0
Martin and his team were always quick to respond from mortgage application through to completion. He provided valuable advice and insight throughout, especially during the economic downturn and rapid rises with interest rates, and secured us a great deal with a lightning fast turnaround. Also, Adelle made obtaining Life and Financial Protection insurance super easy – allowing us time to look through the deals she prepared and was always willing to explain complex or unfamiliar terms to us. When we end up moving house in the future – I’m sure I’ll be giving Fees Free Mortgages a call.
Free Mortgage Advice
5.0
For anyone buying a new home, looking to re-mortgage or interested in setting up life cover – then Martin is absolutely your man. My wife and I have been using Martin for the past 4-years for our mortgages, personal and business life cover, and I would never go else where. Martin offers a very personal and professional service, he is extremely knowledgeable, honest and consistent, and is always looking for the best option for his client. I would highly recommend, great guy.
Self Employed Mortgage
Martin and his team were always quick to respond from mortgage application through to completion. He provided valuable advice and insight throughout, especially during the economic downturn and rapid rises with interest rates, and secured us a great deal with a lightning fast turnaround. Also, Adelle made obtaining Life and Financial Protection insurance super easy – allowing us time to look through the deals she prepared and was always willing to explain complex or unfamiliar terms to us. When we end up moving house in the future – I’m sure I’ll be giving Fees Free Mortgages a call.
Free Mortgage Advice
5.0
For anyone buying a new home, looking to re-mortgage or interested in setting up life cover – then Martin is absolutely your man. My wife and I have been using Martin for the past 4-years for our mortgages, personal and business life cover, and I would never go else where. Martin offers a very personal and professional service, he is extremely knowledgeable, honest and consistent, and is always looking for the best option for his client. I would highly recommend, great guy.
Self Employed Mortgage
5.0
Discover our carefully crafted range of whole market mortgage services designed to meet the unique needs of anyone, anywhere.
Get it right first time, for free. Avoid common pitfalls, and save money.
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Read MoreOur experienced new build mortgage brokers are the perfect partner for those looking to secure an off-plan option, big or small.
Read MoreConvert and rent out your existing property, whilst taking out a standard mortgage on your new one.
Read MoreReady to stake your claim as a serious buyer? A mortgage in principle is the perfect first step towards securing your ideal home. We’ll put together a comprehensive document accurately demonstrating your borrowing potential – helping put you in a good position to make an offer the seller can’t refuse.
The best place to start when buying a home for the first time is to establish your approximate budget, goals, and preferences, before seeking the advice of a professional experienced in assisting first time buyers. A solicitor or mortgage broker should be able to assist in kickstarting your journey, and offering advice relevant to your homebuying or mortgaging journey.
Here at Fees Free Mortgages, we’re proud to offer free mortgage advice with experts in the first time buyer market. Our mortgage advisors will take the time to explain the homebuying and mortgaging process in simple steps. We’ll also help to assist with other services you will need along the way for example; valuations, insurance and finding a solicitor.
There are many government incentives designed to assist first time buyers.
For example, the Help To Buy scheme is the most widely recognised scheme used by first time buyers to get on the property ladder. It offers suitable applicants a shared equity loan covering between 5 and 20% of their property’s purchase price to be put towards their deposit. If the property is in London, loans of up to 40% are offered.
Other equity loan schemes operating in a similar way are available to first time buyers through local authorities and private developers.
Other options for first time buyers struggling to save a deposit include 95% mortgages, and shared ownership.
If you’d like to know more about these government incentives, please get in touch with Fees Free Mortgages. We’ll be happy to arrange a free mortgage advice session or consultation, during which we’ll work to discover which of the above is best suited to your individual needs.
There are several costs associated with buying a house that you should consider beyond just your mortgage deposit. These fees will vary from lender to lender, so it’s difficult to suggest an exact average, but here’s an idea of how much you should be budgeting for:
By using Fees Free Mortgages, you’ll be able to avoid mortgage broker fees of up to £1,000. We can help you identify what the associated costs will be in your case when we assess your situation – completely free of charge.
The Help to Buy equity loan (in England) is available to those looking to purchase a new-build property, and able to put down a 5% deposit. As we’ve briefly outlined, the government will lend you a further 20% deposit on top of this on an interest-free basis for the first five years (after this, interest is set at 1.75%, increasing on a yearly basis by the rate of inflation). This loan, combined with your initial deposit payment means you’ll only need to apply for, at most, a mortgage covering 75% of the property price – offering drastically reduced mortgage payments in comparison to buying independently with a small deposit.
The term ‘first time buyer’ refers to people all over the world who are entering the process of buying a house to live in, and who haven’t done so beforehand. You can still be a first time buyer if you have owned or currently own commercial property before buying your first house.
The term excludes people who have owned a house previously but didn’t necessarily buy it (perhaps you inherited a house, or one was bought for you, for example). If you are part of a couple that is looking to buy a house, but one of you has owned a home previously, then neither of you will qualify as a first time buyer.
Regulation introduced in November 2017 brought about changes to the way first time buyers paid stamp duty (SDLT) – all of which are still relevant today. Currently, first time buyers are fully exempt from paying stamp duty on properties with a value of up to £300,000, whilst first time buyers purchasing a property priced at between £300,001 and £500,000 will pay 5% SDLT. First time buyers opting to purchase a property priced at £500,000 or above will be subject to regular stamp duty rates.
You won’t need to take any action to ensure you qualify for stamp duty exemption. Instead, your solicitor should ensure that you meet all relevant requirements.
As a first time buyer, saving for a deposit is much the same as for other homebuyers. It will depend on how much you’re able to save and how long you’re able to save for. The average deposit for a first time buyer in the UK is a 15% deposit of £13,224.
This figure is of course highly variable because it is a UK-wide average. Some houses in some areas will have significantly more expensive 15% deposits or can have cheaper 15% deposits in line with their value.
By factoring in how much you can save over a given period, you can aim for a deposit value of your choosing, and you can see what percentage that will be of the value of the properties you are interested in. With the government’s mortgage guarantee scheme, you could save for a 5% deposit for a home, or depending on how much you are prepared to save, you could save up a 15% deposit, or even higher.
It is worthy to note however that the larger your deposit on your home (the greater the percentage), the more likely you will be to secure a mortgage with lower interest rates and lower fees. You will also make smaller monthly payments with a larger percentage deposit for the same mortgage than if you went with a smaller percentage deposit.
Buying a house is a very particular and profound journey that is as unique to each person as the properties they are looking to buy. In the UK, however, many of the steps to buying a house follow the same themes and order. These steps can be roughly surmised as:
Pay careful consideration to how you might cope if your fiscal situation changes, there is an increase in interest rates, and to what you can honestly afford to pay back every month for years to come. Additionally, make sure to check your credit score, and improve it if you can.
By the vast majority of lender definitions, you won’t be considered a first time buyer if you’ve ever owned or had access rights to property or land – whether this is within, or outside of the UK. Ownership of any property will most likely disqualify you from first time buyer benefits present across mortgages, schemes such as Help to Buy, and additional charges such as SDLT.
The above also applies to those who own partial shares of properties (common in inheritance) – but may not apply to stakeholders of property held in a limited company or corporate structure.
In order to establish whether or not you’re set to qualify as a first time buyer, feel free to contact our team of expert mortgage advisors using the form above, or over the phone. We’ll be happy to assist you in your buying journey.
Under the terms of the 5% deposit (95% mortgage) scheme, second homes and buy-to-let properties are not eligible to participate; you must live in the property. Existing and new-build properties, both to a value of £600,000 are eligible for 5% deposit mortgages initially until the 31st of December 2022.
Coming into effect on the 19th of April 2021, the scheme defines the maximum bounds the government will back. Some lenders will differ, for example, Santander will only participate in the scheme with existing builds, not new builds, and will only offer mortgages for flats and other leasehold properties up to a value of £400,000.
