How do I prepare to buy my first house

Getting ready to buy your first house can be daunting. Credit scores, deposit, and mortgages are all on your mind. Here are the 3 steps:

Step 1: Determine how much house you can afford

The first thing to do before buying a home is to make sure it's the right time to do so. Generally speaking, owning a home pays off financially if you live in it for at least five years. Otherwise, there's nothing wrong with renting.

How do you determine how much you can afford to buy up to:

    • Identify the amount of funds you have for your deposit?

    • Speak to a mortgage broker to confirm how much you could borrow based on your circumstances and income.

    • The addition of your deposit and the amount to can borrow will be your purchase price.

    • You'll need funds to cover legal costs, valuation and stamp duty. Speak to us to help you prepare.

Step 2: Prepare your finances for the mortgage process

The last thing you want to do is find your dream home only to discover you're not financially qualified to buy it. To guarantee you're financially ready to buy your first home, you'll need good credit, cash to close, and a
verifiable income to support your mortgage.

 

You need to convince lenders that you've got the financial discipline required to pay back your mortgage. One way they investigate this is by searching your credit records to find out if you have a good repayment history.

Your credit file lists your past credit cards, loans, overdrafts, mortgages and even mobile phone and some utility payments, for all accounts that were open over the past six years.

How to get a free credit check

Credit rating agencies top end service is 'credit monitoring', which costs up to £14.99 a month. To tempt you in they offer free month-long trials, which require you to set up a direct debit or regular credit card payment.

Access yours from a provider that pulls together a report from three of the major reference agencies Equifax, Experian and TransUnion all in one report - Access your report for 30 days FREE.

Step 3: Go shopping for a property

What shall I do next?

Get in touch so we can help you:

  • Establish your credit rating. We'll also help improve your ratings if required!

  • Access the entire UK mortgage market so you can find you the best possible deal

  • Do everything possible to help secure the mortgage

Testimonials

Viral and his staff provided excellent advice, service and prompt attention to assist me in obtaining Equity Release on my home for ongoing projects. I can thoroughly recommend Custodia Financial Services to any prospective customers.
Roger Bannister
Roger Bannister
22:02 13 Oct 24
Viral was amazing in explaining the legal aspects of my parents will and give a clear picture of various scenarios and how to deal with. His advice is very impartial and clear. I would definitely recommend him and his team for their services.
Kamlesh Lad
Kamlesh Lad
10:16 30 Sep 23
Have been using various services from custodia since 2010 and have never been disappointed. Highly recommend
Mustafa Cherawalla
Mustafa Cherawalla
10:53 10 Aug 23
The team at Custodia are absolutely brilliant, thoroughly professional in what they do from start to finish. I was fortunate to be introduced and can’t thank them enough for the service they provided in getting the mortgage approved within the allocated time. They kept us informed every step of the way and communicated effectively if they needed to submit more information to the lender. 5 star service from a 5 star team.
Kiri Tharan
Kiri Tharan
23:03 10 Jun 23
Viral has been helping and supporting ALL my questions and he is always super kind, available and very reliable.
Laura Curina
Laura Curina
16:40 16 Nov 22
Custodia recently completed my mortgage application, very professional and great service. Highly recommend if you require a mortgage.
Chaitan Joshi
Chaitan Joshi
20:03 06 Sep 22
I needed some help with a mortgage for my home. Viral guided me through the process along with simple forms. After he evaluated the same and my needs he compared the market and suggested the best deal for me. He organised the whole application process and the whole job was made very simple and efficient with regular follow up by him in the background. I would definitely recommend any of their services as they take the time to understand your needs and throughout the process they make sure you understand the pros and cons of the decisions you are making. I would always want him and Custodia by my side for any financial service and I have no hesitation in recommending him or his firm.
Atul Sangani
Atul Sangani
10:53 28 Jun 22
I highly recommend working with Custodia Financial Services. I instructed Viral Patel to help me and my husband remortgage as we were having trouble finding a mortgage adviser able or willing to help as our situation is quite complex. We were extremely lucky to be put into contact with him. Viral Patel and Laura Jones are highly professional, responsive, helpful in so many ways, honest and trustworthy. They are a delight to work with. I will definitely work with them again. Thank you.
Sarah Khaneboubi
Sarah Khaneboubi
04:45 01 Jun 22
We received fantastic support to get our mortgage sorted. Very quick responses, great advice and very thorough work. Super reliable and professional.
Anna Surace
Anna Surace
08:28 30 May 22
I am a first-time buyer and chose to work with Viral Patel from Custodia Financial Services after a glowing recommendation from my parents. From our initial consultation phone call to moving forward with my mortgage application, Viral has been incredibly responsive, knowledgable and fast-moving. He has always been available to provide clarification or answer any questions, and has clearly had my best interests in mind with every step of the mortgage application process. I will forever be grateful to him and his colleague Laura Jones for streamlining what can be a lengthy and complicated experience. Would recommend!
Shayda Kashef
Shayda Kashef
20:17 20 Jan 22
Great and fast service from Viral and the rest of the Custodia Financial Services team. Will definitely use them again.
Sanjay Vishram
Sanjay Vishram
12:12 07 Jan 22
By far the best financial services provider I have dealt with. Viral Patel and Laura Jones have been absolutely fantastic with helping me with my mortgage. They were extremely helpful from start to finish and responded immediately to every query and question I had. Getting a mortgage can be a very stressful experience but I feel I was working with the best. Both have been so amazing I would highly recommend them to all my friends and family. Thank you both so much! Thaira
Thaira Sheikh
Thaira Sheikh
17:04 06 Dec 21
I've been using custodia for my remortgages for the past 5 years, they have have been very professional and very quick to respond. I would highly recommend them to anyone who needs any financial services especially Viral who has been there from start to finish throughout the process.
Nitesh Varsani
Nitesh Varsani
16:50 17 Nov 21
Great service, professional and knowledgeable.
Ben Tippen
Ben Tippen
09:16 07 Oct 21
I would highly recommend the services of Viral and his team. Viral is extremely professional and knowledgeable. His support has been invaluable over the last few years from the beginning to the end of our re-mortgages. Despite all the questions we ask, Viral is always so friendly and patient. He is willing to go the extra mile to help us. Thank you so much for your patience and guidance, we couldn't have done our re-mortgages without you!
Usha
Usha
23:11 04 Oct 21
We have used Viral’s services for many years, the latest HMO, limited company, buy to let mortgage for our investment property purchase. Always provides a efficient and responsive service. Thank you so much.
29Bricks
29Bricks
20:42 04 Oct 21
Viral has been invaluable to us! He’s reliable, responsive and such a pleasure to work with. We trust him and the advice and service he provides is top notch. 100% recommend Custodia Estate Planning.
Diana Kim
Diana Kim
12:17 16 Sep 21
I have dealt with Viral re a remortgage, and he has been excellent providing a first class service. Advice, support and execution have all been exactly as required. I would highly recommend.
Deesch Achal
Deesch Achal
22:47 21 Jul 21
The team at Custodia are the best at what they do. They are professional, manage your expectations and brilliant at communicating regularly. They exceeded my expectations!
Shan Shanthakumar
Shan Shanthakumar
05:59 17 Jul 21
The company were diligent in the work they did and made the whole experience educational...
Norman Giscombe
Norman Giscombe
15:30 16 Jul 21
Efficient good quality services. Viral and his team made sure to keep me updated where necessary and also responded quickly to any queries I had. I highly recommend using their services.
Chandni Patel
Chandni Patel
15:57 14 Jul 21
Viral Patel was extremely helpful with a mortgage matter. He found a great deal and guided me through the whole process. I highly recommend him.
Usman Sheikh
Usman Sheikh
15:28 17 May 21
Excellent and professional service provided by Custodia Estate Planning and received amazing support from Viral Patel.
minaxi vishram
minaxi vishram
20:29 05 Apr 21
Custodia and Viral in particular are a great company to deal with. Extremely high level of technical knowledge across all of the financial advice spectrum. Highly recommended
Steve Mannakee
Steve Mannakee
15:12 30 Mar 21
I have instructing Custodian for close to tow years for all my work and there is one word that best describes their service: "Excellent!" I have been very impressed with Viral Patel. he is an absolute pleasure to deal with, he is very attentive and has a can-do attitude. He provides first class service and will always reply to your emails, return your calls etc but above all he give very professional and objective advice. He takes great care to ensure that you are provided with the products that meet your needs. Highly recommended.
Mayur Patel
Mayur Patel
11:46 21 Mar 21
bgpostman
bgpostman
20:33 19 Mar 21
Been using these guys for years. Best mortgage deals on the market and great personal service. No one does it better!
Duncan Richardson
Duncan Richardson
13:52 16 Dec 20
Looking for a bridging loan and I was put in contact with Viral and his team. They found a great deal which suited our requirements exactly.Very friendly, helpful, patient and most importantly knowledgable. Happy to recommend.
Simon Cooper
Simon Cooper
13:28 20 Nov 20
Nimit Patel
Nimit Patel
12:02 29 Oct 20
Custodia planning is an extremely professional and helpful company. Could not stress this anymore. I have used them for two properties and as stressful as it is they make your life a lot easier. Viral is extremely helpful and always willing to help anytime of day any question.
George Morton-Clark
George Morton-Clark
07:10 07 Oct 20
I had a great experience with Custodia planning. Viral handled the case extremely well and got us the best deal for our needs. There were some specific needs in our case, Viral took everything into consideration and helped us choose the bank that would be more acommodating and had the best rate. They have already handled 2 cases for us and will certainly reach out to them again if needed.
Saulo Consalter
Saulo Consalter
07:38 06 Oct 20
Excellent service by viral
rikesh patel (mncoachworks ltd)
rikesh patel (mncoachworks ltd)
14:32 26 Sep 20
Excellent service and very friendly responsive
Daxa Kalyan
Daxa Kalyan
20:57 22 Sep 20
Viral worked diligently to secure us a good mortgage during these trying times
Balbinder Jagpal
Balbinder Jagpal
13:19 22 Sep 20
Viral provides a really high level of service and really takes the time to understand requirements before presenting a solution.It’s very reassuring to know that your needs are taken care off in the best way possible by someone that genuinely cares.Highly recommended!
Drijen Shah
Drijen Shah
13:22 18 Sep 20
Professional and responsive service and fantastic result! I couldn't recommend Custodia highly enough!
Jacob Figura
Jacob Figura
07:49 16 Sep 20
We have been working with Viral and Custodia for more than five years now. We have always received amazing support and service. They are our financial super heroes and always been there for us during the good times and the challenging ones and have never let us down. I highly recommend Custodia.
Davidene Harrington
Davidene Harrington
11:18 09 Sep 20
Excellent service! I have only use CEP services for all my financial needs.
Rashik Vishram
Rashik Vishram
06:24 12 Jan 20
Custodia planning are a God-send. They helped me tidy up my credit, secure an affordable mortgage, advised me on my will, life insurance. Recently they helped consolidate my debt (saving me 1000s!) Thank you Custodia!
Bonz H
Bonz H
20:07 16 Sep 19
Viral and the team at Custodia are excellent, I recommend them!
Richard Baggaley
Richard Baggaley
16:25 07 Dec 18
The best ever mortgage services .
Sina Motesharei
Sina Motesharei
14:09 14 Nov 18
I know Viral for 8 years in which he has advised me on financial transactions, insurance matters and made several mortgage applications all successful due to his experience and invaluable adviceViral and his team are professional, fantastic communicators and a pleasure to work withI would not contemplate making a financial decision without Viral’s adviceHighly recommendedAndiCovaci
MrAndicovaci
MrAndicovaci
16:14 03 Nov 18
Great Service, Thanks Viral
Dai Rose
Dai Rose
13:02 31 Aug 18

See how we can help you buy your first home

Risk Warning

The choice of interest rate and product terms will depend on your circumstances and the amount of the mortgage. Before you make a mortgage application, we will carry out a full review to establish your needs and preferences and if you meet the criteria, we will give advice and make a recommendation to you. There may be a fee for mortgage advice. All mortgages are subject to status. Please note that all products show an indicative rate only and may not be suitable for you. You must be 18 or over.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up with mortgage payments.

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