One of the hardest things to do in life is to get onto the property ladder. It’s not as easy as just asking the bank for a mortgage. You have to prove that you can afford it – and the years you have spent renting and paying that rent on time isn’t proof (unfortunately!).
If you are looking to buy your first home, you need to know exactly how to do it – but if you’re a self-employed individual, you’re about to walk into a whole new world of research you didn’t know you needed to do!
Buying a property as a self-employed person is hard.
You might already be struggling with being paid on time, or guaranteeing your work. Longer term mortgages can be difficult to get because of those factors. You have to be a ‘sure thing’ with a bank or a lender: they need to know you can and will pay your mortgage and be able to uphold the maintenance on your home at the same time.
Convincing a lender to lend to you and give you a mortgage is often made much harder when you work for yourself, but that doesn’t mean that you should stop doing it. Instead, you should look at these tips for getting a mortgage as a self-employed person.
Plan in advance
If you want to dazzle the bank with your impeccable savings and great money management skills, then you need to plan in advance for your meeting. Lenders are looking for reassurance that you will have no problem in making the payments on your house. If you can prove two completed trading years with tax documents, you’re going to have an easier time of it.
Affordability can be based in different ways depending on how you have set your business up – but profitability is key!
Lenders want to make sure that the numbers are going to work. You also might need to prove your tax payments – so plan in advance and get as organised as you can.
Get some help
How much time do you have to get through the significant admin that comes with buying a house?
Your time is precious and as a freelancer, you might find that it’s more precious than most. A good ‘whole of market’ mortgage advisor be able to do most of the work for you and this can make a big difference to your sanity while you get through this process.
Find the lender that is right for YOU
It’s tempting to chase the best rates when it comes to buying a house, but you want to consider the lenders who can best cater to your circumstances.
A lender who can ensure that you get the best mortgage isn’t always the one with the cheapest rate.
Try to boost your credit
The numbers matter to lenders – which is unfortunate because mistakes in the past could ruin your chances now!
You need the best possible credit file so get a copy from the three main reporting agencies in the UK. You can then ensure that you know the data held against you and what data is being shared with lenders, too.
Hudson Rose is a mortgage advisor that specialises in helping self employed people and limited company directors get mortgages in Cirencester, Stroud and the surrounding area.
We are down to earth, relaxed and friendly and want to remove the stuffiness associated with financial services.
Give us a call and lets have a chat about how we can help you.
And if you’ve enjoyed this blog, here are some more you might find useful:
Can you get a mortgage if you haven’t been self-employed for long?
Should I use an online mortgage calculator?
