Buying a house can certainly be a daunting experience, especially when it’s your first time doing so. What doesn’t help is the wealth of jargon and terminology used during the mortgage process and throughout the entire journey to buy your new home. If you’re looking...
Six key factors that can affect your first mortgage application
Applying for your first mortgage is an exciting milestone, but it can also feel overwhelming. Lenders assess numerous factors to determine your eligibility, and some seemingly minor financial decisions can significantly impact your application. To help you secure...
Why is it harder for first-time buyers to buy in 2025?
For first-time buyers in 2025, the property market is in stark contrast to when previous generations bought their first homes. The average first-time buyer in 1960 paid a deposit of just £595 (roughly £12,738 today) compared to an average of £53,424 in 2024. A recent...
Should I consider private medical insurance?
Life can be full of surprises. You can’t be prepared for everything. You may have some insurance to support you financially if the unexpected happens, but have you considered how private medical insurance might offer you and your family the peace of mind you need if...
How can the Bank of Family support first time buyers?
With gifts and loans from the Bank of Mum and Dad totalling a whopping £9.4bn in 2023, it would be one of the UK’s biggest if it was a real bank or lender. Given the clear affordability challenges still facing house buyers – particularly first timers – that figure...
What are the pros and cons of 100% mortgages?
A 100% mortgage is, very simply, a home loan which allows the buyer to purchase a property without putting down any money (or a deposit) up front. Prior to 2008, it was common for lenders to offer deposit-free mortgages as standard, with some even allowing consumers...
Jargon Buster: What are the key mortgage terms every first-time buyer should know?
Buying a house can certainly be a daunting experience, especially when it’s your first time doing so. What doesn’t help is the wealth of jargon and terminology used during the mortgage process and throughout the entire journey to buy your new home. If you’re looking...
Living in interesting times: how advice can help
We’re living in unpredictable times; from rising living costs and market fluctuations to fast-moving changes in jobs, tech, and even family structures. For many people, the old financial playbook no longer applies. In these moments, advice isn’t about chasing the...
How private medical insurance can help you cope with cancer
Cancer impacts so many of us Cancer is a disease that leaves very few of us untouched. Statistics from Cancer Research UK suggest that as many as one in two people born after 1960 will be diagnosed with some form of the disease over the course of their lifetime....
First-time buyer benefits – what schemes are available?
Any first-time buyer trying to save up for a deposit to purchase their first home may feel daunted by how expensive the housing market is. There is no doubt that it is much more difficult to get your foot onto the property ladder than ever before. In 2023, House Buyer...