When Should I Take out a Mortgage?

It can be a concern for many people as to when they should consider taking out a mortgage. It might be that they always intend to buy a home, but knowing when the right time to do this is, can be difficult. There are some main things that could influence the decision though which could help with it.

Being Happy to Stay in One Place

It is important to be aware that once you buy a house it will tie you to a place. This means that you will need to be in a position where you know what location you want to stay in. This could be near to where you work or near to your family and you need to think about this and be sure that you will not move. Obviously, you can sell up and buy a home elsewhere, but this is not easy as it can take time and so it is better to try to avoid doing it that often. Some people will rent out their home and move away temporarily, which can work, but it is not always easy to find tenants and they may not look after the property, so when you return you may have a lot of work to do to get it back into a condition that you want to live in. You could rent it out and buy elsewhere, but you will need to swap to a buy to let mortgage, which is a lot more expensive and you will have to pay for all the safety checks and things like that which are mandatory when you are renting out a place.

Having a Permanent Job

It is important to make sure that you have a permanent job. Not only will this mean that you have a better chance of managing the mortgage repayments that you will always be confident that you can pay it. You will also find that you will be a big factor in where a mortgage company will take you on. They will need to see that you have a permanent job and that you have been in it for at least 3 months, probably longer and certainly have worked through any probation period that you might have. You will need to think about that you will not feel so free and easy with regards to switching jobs either as you will have a big commitment to paying the mortgage and so you will need to make sure that you are doing something that you are happy with as well as something that you think is likely to be secure.

Having a Deposit Saved up

It is also important to have a deposit saved up. You will need to think about how much you might need and also how you might afford to save up. It is important to think about how you are going to do this. It is a good idea to get into the habit of putting some money aside each month and also perhaps having a dedicated savings account for it so that you can see the money building up to motivate you and do not accidently spend it on other things. It could be a good idea to put in a certain amount in each month using a regular transfer so that you do not forget. Try to find ways to increase this as much as you can such as spending less by finding cheaper items to buy and buying less things as well as looking for opportunities to earn more. Then the deposit will grow more quickly which means that it will be easier for you to buy a home.