Your first-home planning toolkit.
Work through your budget, paperwork and the decisions ahead. Use the ten-stop journey for the overall route, and this toolkit for the detail.
Speak directly with me: 07456 935677
Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or other loans secured upon it.
Fees, service scope & firm details ↗
Where are you today?
There is a useful next step at every stage.
Separate the cash for your deposit, buying costs and a reserve. You can talk to me before finding a property.
The detail behind your plan.
Open the topic you need. These notes support the main ten-stop journey; they are not a separate timeline.
Your budgetStart with a budget that leaves room for life.
The deposit is one part of the plan. Keep buying costs and a cash cushion separate, then think about a comfortable monthly payment.
- Your part
- Outline your savings, regular spending and the money you want to keep after moving.
- How I help
- I help connect the deposit, borrowing and payment questions before we discuss a suitable mortgage.
A starting budget to discuss, with estimates clearly marked.
Your documentsPut the facts in one place.
A clear picture of income, commitments and the deposit helps the next conversation. You do not need a perfect file before getting in touch.
- Your part
- Gather income evidence, relevant statements, credit information and the story behind any family gift.
- How I help
- I explain what is needed for your circumstances and flag anything we need to clarify.
An accurate outline, followed by documents through an agreed secure route.
Agreement in principleUnderstand a possible borrowing range.
An agreement in principle (AIP) is an initial lender indication, not a mortgage offer. The full application and the property still need assessment.
- Your part
- Give accurate information and ask which credit search the lender will use before proceeding.
- How I help
- I discuss the appropriate next step and explain that an AIP may involve a soft or hard credit search.
Clarity about the indication, its limitations and any expiry date.
Viewings & an offerLook beyond the asking price.
Think about condition, running costs and how the home fits your life. For a flat, ask about the lease, service charge and planned works.
- Your part
- View, ask questions and make your own purchase decision. In the usual England and Wales process, an offer is made subject to contract.
- How I help
- I review the proposed property and borrowing details with you so potential mortgage questions surface early.
The agreed price and property details, with open questions for the right professional.
Application & legal workBring the mortgage and legal work together.
Once you are ready to proceed, the mortgage application and conveyancing run alongside each other. Your conveyancer handles the legal work.
- Your part
- Choose your conveyancer, review the recommendation and fees, and provide the information requested.
- How I help
- I explain my mortgage recommendation, submit the agreed application and follow up the lender’s questions.
An application under review and a named legal contact. An application is not approval.
Checks & mortgage offerRead what the checks actually tell you.
The lender’s valuation supports its lending decision. Your own survey considers the property’s condition; they do different jobs.
- Your part
- Discuss an appropriate survey, read the reports and raise concerns with your surveyor or conveyancer.
- How I help
- I help you understand the mortgage offer, conditions, costs and expiry, and discuss relevant protection needs.
Understand any unresolved conditions before your conveyancer advises on legal commitment.
Exchange contractsKnow when the commitment becomes binding.
In the usual England and Wales purchase, exchange makes the agreement legally binding. Your conveyancer advises when the legal work is ready.
- Your part
- Review your conveyancer’s advice, confirm the completion funds and arrange buildings insurance from the point they require.
- How I help
- I help resolve outstanding mortgage questions. Tell me about any change to income, borrowing, deposit or circumstances.
Your conveyancer confirms exchange and the agreed completion arrangements.
Completion & your keysMake room for the next chapter.
On completion, the legal teams arrange the transfer of the purchase money. Collect your keys once completion has been confirmed.
- Your part
- Confirm the key collection, record meter readings and check the first mortgage payment and ongoing household costs.
- How I help
- I remain your contact for mortgage questions and future reviews. Keep your documents and important dates somewhere easy to find.
Your home, an organised payment plan and a reminder to review the mortgage before the deal ends.
These notes support a typical purchase in England and Wales. In Scotland, legal commitment follows conclusion of missives. Auctions and new-build purchases can have different commitments and deadlines. Take advice before bidding, reserving or signing.
A deposit.
A buffer. A starting plan.
See what is left for the purchase after your costs and cash reserve. Then explore a repayment illustration. This does not assess what a lender will offer or what you can afford.
For example, £36,000 available, less £5,000 of buying costs and a £5,000 reserve, leaves £26,000 towards the purchase price.
Enable JavaScript to change the figures here, or explore the mortgage calculators.
Available towards the price
Money available − buying costs − cash reserve
- Illustrative mortgage
- —
- Loan-to-value
- —
- Repayment illustration
per month - —
- If the rate were 2 percentage points higher
- —
- Total interest over the term
- —
Assumes full capital repayment, monthly payments and a constant rate for the entire term. No fees are added to the loan. Real payments, rates, fees and lender calculations can differ.
Lender eligibility, credit history, income, other spending and the property still need assessment. An LTV figure is not confirmation that a product is available.
Talk through the next stepYour planner figures stay in this page. They are not saved, sent to Jack or included in analytics by this tool.
Your first-home checklist.
Tick what you understand or have prepared. You can start a conversation with any of these still open.
Optional preparation prompts, not an eligibility score. Ticks are not saved or sent and clear when you reload.
Read the full first-home guideTell me where
you are starting.
A question, a rough idea or an accepted offer. A short outline is enough; we can work through the detail together.
Your planner figures and checklist are not attached to an enquiry.
Good information.
A clearer next step.
General guidance, not a mortgage recommendation or legal advice. Sources checked 19 October 2026. Your conveyancer and lender confirm the requirements for your purchase.
Official guidance behind this journey
- GOV.UK: how to buy a home in England and Wales ↗
- MoneyHelper: the home-buying timeline ↗
- MoneyHelper: agreements in principle and credit searches ↗
- MoneyHelper: buying and moving costs ↗
- GOV.UK: offers, valuations and surveys ↗
- MoneyHelper: exchange and completion ↗
- MoneyHelper: the different process in Scotland ↗