Mortgages

Free 30-page MSE mortgage PDF/printed booklets

The MoneySavingExpert.com guide to mortgages is a fully detailed step-by-step guide to getting the best possible mortgage deal, suitable for first time buyers, buy-to-let getters and those who've had poor credit histories.

Just fill in the form and choose whether you want a PDF (you will need adobe acrobat reader, if you don’t have it, download adobe free here), or a printedbooklet mailed to you.

We need your details below as, whilst completely editorially independent, it is sponsored by London & Country mortgages – which allows a printed version to be available. But don′t worry, we′ll NEVER give your informations to anyone else and you′ll get no mailings whatsoever from us or L&C. It is purely for tracking purposes.

There's a limited supply of the printed copies, so please download the PDF version if you can.

Who's it for?

Any first-time buyers or first-time buy-to-let mortgage getters. Those who already have a mortgage and want to cut its cost, move house, consolidate debts or change the deal should instead read the Remortgage Guide.

WHY A PRINTED GUIDE?

The reason we've produced a printed guide is because getting a mortgage is just too large a subject for an online version. It's something you need to sit down, read through and take some time over.

After all, a mortgage is likely to be your biggest single expense and therefore getting it right is the biggest single MoneySaver.

For every 1% you can cut off your mortgage deal, you'll save £1,000 a year on a £100,000 repayment mortgage. So it's well worth taking the time.

What's in the guide?

If you want a sneak peek before getting the whole thing, here's a quick breakdown and intro for each section of the guide...

THE FIRST TIME MORTGAGE GUIDE

Getting a mortgage is a huge financial commitment, so it's scary. Yet it needn't be difficult, as you can get top-notch financial advice for free. However, they are advisers, not instructors, so this guide should help YOU make the decision.

• Chapter 1: What type of mortgage to choose?

  This explains what a mortgage is, how it's 'secured' on your home, and lays out the choices in front of you.
  
  Would you prefer interest-only or repayment, fixed or variable rate, and do you want flexibility?

• Chapter 2: Boost first time buyers' ability to get a mortgage

  The days when lenders threw out mortgages like sweeties are long gone. To get a decent interest rate doesn't just need a big deposit, you now need a decent credit score too.
  
  Yet there's hope; this chapter shows you how to maximise your chances.

• Chapter 3: Mortgages for the self-employed / contractors

  If you're self employed or a contractor, then getting a mortgage is tough.
  
  You'll need cast-iron proof of what you earn. That's easy for the employed with payslips, but it's much tougher if you work for yourself or don't have a permanent contract.

• Chapter 4: How to get a mortgage

  This covers going solo (if you're ultra-confident), the two KEY questions to ask a broker, and how to find a top broker to help you.
  
  Chances are that using the right type of broker will be the best bet for most people, as they can whittle down the top deals quickly and offer you an extra layer of protection.

• Chapter 5: Watching out for the hard sell

  As the mortgage market has developed and lenders have become increasingly competitive on headline rates, some have upped other fees to compensate.
  
  This chapter shows you which fees to look out for, what you should be expecting to pay, and how to dodge the hard sell.

• Chapter 6: Don't forget the fees

  Make sure when you do the sums, you add the full costs of buying a house and mortgaging.
  
  You can try to minimise them, but you can't magic them away.

• Chapter 7: Buy-to-let

  If you want to buy a property to let out, you need a special mortgage. You can choose between fixed, discount etc, but the key factor's likely rental income.
  
  This chapter quickly runs through all the options to ensure you choose the one that's best for your situation.

How come it's free?

The guide is sponsored by fees-free mortgage broker London & Country. But don't worry, it has no influence on the content, which purely depends on our view of the best way to save money.

The guide is written with complete editorial independence and it's purely focused on finding you the best deal. This was something we made sure was in the contract with London & Country.

Having said that, L&C isn't stupid. We've been independently listing it as one of the top brokers for the last few years (see the Cheap Mortgage Findingguide) so it had a pretty good idea it wouldn't come out too badly.

The reason it sponsors the guide is it gets a one-time chance to include its own letter promoting its service. Just to assure you, you won't be sent any follow-up advertising or marketing, or any of that malarkey.

In the trade, this is known as a payment for ‘lead generation' and in this case that means L&C pays for the publishing, printing, posting and a fee to this site. See more about this site's ethical financial stance.

Are there any more guides?

Yep! As well as all the online guides on this site, there's a selection of special PDF downloads:

The Remortgage GuideFor people after a cheap remortgage deal - not for the first time you get one.
Get full PDF / Printed guide: Remortgage Guide.

Teen Cash Class
A 40 page guide to teach kids AND parents all the essential money lessons.
Get full PDF / Printed guide: Teen Cash Class

Annuities Guide
A 30-page printed and PDF guide on how to get the very best retirement income.
Get full PDF Guide: Annuities

Mental Health Guide
This is a free 40-page PDF booklet supported by Mind, Rethink, and others.
Get full PDF Guide: Mental Health

We only have a limited supply of printed copies, so please download the PDF version if you're able to.