Mortgage questions

Important note about your credit rating

Many websites don't make it clear that filling in their mortgage enquiry form means you might be credit checked.

This can put you at risk.

UK Mortgage lenders may assume an enquiry you have aleady made to another lender means you were turned down - and not that you are in fact carefully shopping around and rejecting the bad deals.

The best way around this significant problem is to ask an independent mortgage adviser to make anonymous enquiries for you.

Without risking your credit score an adviser can find you the best available mortgage deal. They will also know how likely you are to be accepted by the lender if you decide to make a formal application.

If you would like a recommended adviser to check out the best deals for you, anonymously, simply fill in the quick form below.

" Hmm..." You might think; "Won't I be hounded by a salesman hungry for my business? "

This is the most common question we hear from our users.

The answer is no you won't.

Firstly your enquiry is only passed to ONE person on a carefully vetted list of independent advisers.

Secondly, these mortgage advisers are professionals. Even when the market is slow they are busy people. There many people who need to move homes, or get a remortgage and are looking for advice all the time. Regardless of the state of the property market, life goes on.

So the advisers don't have time to hassle people. It just doesn't work like that. No one is gong to be forced into taking out a mortgage unless they really need one.

The advisers are very used to talking with people, perhaps like yourself, who are only "dipping their toes" into the water.

Many people just want an initial quick chat and if they feel comfortable will ask the advisor to contact them again later - often in several weeks or months. As a professional, the adviser will simply diarise this and call back at the appropriate time. There is no obligation at all.

(In the unlikely event that you ever feel at all "hassled" by someone on our list please let us know immediately. We have never heard of this. But if it happened we would definitely want to know).

What is a mortgage in principle?

This is a conditional offer made by a mortgage lender that - provided the information you give them is correct - they will "in principle" give you the loan you have discussed with them.

It's very useful to have one before you even start looking for a house to give you the edge over any competition. Having one means you should be able get the actual mortgage quicker when the race to buy your chosen home begins.

Knowing what you can afford will help you narrow your search. You can get this offer in writing to show to Estate Agents and sellers who will see you as a serious prospect and not a timewaster who's interested, for example, in looking around peoples' homes for a laugh.

To get a mortgage in principle you have to go through the same motions as an actual mortgage, ie consider what type of mortgage you want and then find a mortgage lender you feel can offer you the best deal. See How to get a mortgage

You should be able to get a mortgage in principle offered over the phone. It's only when applying for the actual mortgage that the mortgage lender will want to see the proof of your pay etc.

Read enough? Just want a quote? To get your best mortgage quote quickly and easily we can put you in contact with a recommended mortgage adviser. It's free, completely confidential and there's no obligation at all. Simply fill out the form below

How to check your credit rating

For �2 you can get details of the credit files held on you by either of the two credit reference agencies, Experian and Equifax.

If the information on your file is wrong, or if you would like to add a note of explanation, Either of them will add an agreed statement to your file.

Who are we?

MortgageSorter is written by non finance professionals who were fed up with the standard finance industry "information".

We have come up with a website that tries to answer the most basic questions without bias or jargon.

One of us works in the charity field so we are giving 15% of any profit to our nominated charity.

Value of Property	£	(eg 159000)
Borrow How Much?	£	(eg 125000)
Your Mortgage Type
Are you First time buyer?		Yes No
Have you found your property?		Yes No
Country
Sorry ! The amount you want to borrow is less than �25,000. This is the minimum allowed for a mortgage. But don't worry ! You could get the money via a personal loan. I want a free no obligation loan quote Click OK No thanks. I will change my borrow amount to more than �25,000 Click Cancel
Have you missed mortgage / secured loan repayments in the last 12 months, been declared bankrupt, had CCJs, Defaults or an IVA?		YesNo
First name:
Surname:
Age next birthday:
First line of your address:
Please enter your current postcode:
Email address:
Daytime phone number:
Evening phone number:

Important note about your credit rating

What is a mortgage in principle?

How to check your credit rating

Who are we?

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