How early mortgage advice reduces stress when moving home

A recent study may have revealed that us Brits are moving home less frequently than ever – according to Zoopla, the average person moves home every 23 years – but this doesn’t make the transition any less stressful!

Moving home, especially if you are buying and selling at the same time, is in fact one of the most stressful life events people experience here in the UK – that’s more stressful than redundancy, job loss, divorce or separation, pregnancy, or exams. There are however several steps you can take to ease home moving worries and relish all the good bits. This includes getting mortgage advice early, here’s why…

So, how early is early?

If you’ve already found your perfect property or even had your offer accepted, you’ve left getting mortgage advice too late. We recommend obtaining advice before you even start viewing properties, or as early as six to 12 months before you intend to buy.

Seeking advice this early may seem like overkill but it can help you prepare properly for purchasing property on your terms. This is especially important if you are a first time purchaser or self-employed buyer, or have a smaller deposit to work with.

Why early advice matters

Getting mortgage advice early can make all the difference to your home buying journey. With the right guidance, you can fully understand what buying a property means and how best you can prepare. During the process, you’ll get to know not just what lenders could offer based on your circumstances, but what you can comfortably afford to reduce those stress levels in both the short and long term.

To ease your worries further, you’ll have the time to plan ahead for all the costs that go into purchasing a property. Early advice means you can budget for Stamp Duty, solicitor and conveyancing fees, survey and valuation costs, professional removals, insurance and that all-important deposit.

With your finances ship-shape, you can be in the best possible position to buy and leave those last-minute money worries behind you.

Giving you more buying power

By preparing early, you’ll be in a great position to make an offer once you stumble upon the property that steals your heart. We’ll let the Home Owners Alliance explain more:

“If you have your finances in place, you’ll be at an advantage compared to rival buyers who do not have a mortgage in principle (read on for more information on these). Most estate agents and their home selling clients will expect you to have a mortgage in principle when you make an offer. If you are buying an auction property with a mortgage you’ll need to get your mortgage offer quickly.”

Looking for advice? Go independent!

When seeking support with your mortgage, only independent advice will do, whatever stage of the buying journey you are at.

While you can go directly to your bank or building society to ask for a mortgage, the wider market knowledge, specialist deals, personalised offers and practical support available from an independent mortgage advisor like us gives you all you need to take the stress out of buying and moving home. Get started today by finding your local advisor.