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First-time buyer guide · 2026 edition

Buying your first home? Start here.

Deposits, credit files, surveys, solicitors. It's a lot. This guide breaks the whole thing down in plain English, from your first Rightmove scroll to your front door photo.

  • Exactly which documents you'll need, and when
  • How much you could borrow, with a worked example
  • Deposits, gifted deposits and the Lifetime ISA
  • Every cost beyond the deposit, so nothing catches you out

23 pages · PDF · worth a fresh brew

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

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5%The minimum deposit most lenders look for
3Credit agencies lenders use. Check all of them
6Costs on top of the deposit that people forget

What's inside

Everything, in the right order.

From “Where do I even start?” to “We've got the keys!”. Practical steps, real examples and the Ask Alan tips I've picked up along the way.

  1. 01

    Documents you'll need

    The fiddly bit, sorted early so your application flies through

  2. 02

    Budget planner

    What's really left each month. Boring now, brilliant later

  3. 03

    Your deposit

    Minimums, gifted deposits from the Bank of Mum and Dad, and the Lifetime ISA

  4. 04

    Your credit file

    Three agencies, and why checking just one is not enough

  5. 05

    How much can you borrow?

    The rule of thumb, with a worked example

  6. 06

    Schemes, AIPs and finding the one

    Shared ownership, equity loans, property types and offers that stand out

  7. 07

    The application

    Lenders, products, surveys, solicitors and every extra cost

  8. 08

    Offer to completion

    The home stretch. Then the keys

Ask Alan tip · from the property search chapter

Location beats layout. You can fix the house, not the postcode.
Alan Greenin

Who's writing this

Hey, I'm Alan.

The Alan in Ask Alan Mortgages. I help people across the UK buy, remortgage and protect their homes. I've helped loads of first-time buyers, plus self-employed business owners, families moving up, and people who thought getting a mortgage was impossible.

My job is to make the complex simple and the stressful manageable. There are no silly questions here. Every single person I have helped started out not knowing something.

“Plain English, no jargon, and the same advice I'd give a friend. That's the whole job.”

Your keys start here.

Whether you're still saving or ready to put in an offer, the guide shows you what comes next.

Get the guide →Or book a 20-minute call

Initial consultations are completely free of charge. There's no obligation to proceed and our broker fee of £495 will only become payable if we proceed to a full application.