Keeping control of your personal finances and avoiding over-stretching yourself has always been the right approach to take but now more than ever, the household bills you have and how much you pay have a big impact on your ability to buy your home with a mortgage.
Tighter lending criteria
The era of cheap and easy loans is over and mortgage lenders in particular are exercising a far greater level of caution when it comes to the amount that they agree to lend so that you can buy a property or move to bigger one.
Borrowers who already have a family to look after are now finding that mortgage lenders are sometimes penalizing couples with children and reducing the amount they are prepared to lend in these circumstances.
One of the questions on an application form has always been to ask how many dependants you have and depending on who the lender is, if you confirm that you have children it could trigger a reduction in what they offer you by as much as between 10% and 20%.
The key to getting the loan you want in today’s financial climate is to have as high a credit score as possible and to reduce the perceived financial impact of raising children by keeping a tight control of your household finances, so you can demonstrate financial prudence and lower outgoings.
Your credit rating
The Money Advice Service has a useful guide as to what affects your credit score and how it also affects the overall cost of borrowing and how much you are offered by a lender.
Credit scoring for a mortgage application works on a number of factors such as the information contained on your application form and also what your past payment performance and credit history looks like.
Paying your credit card, water and gas and electric bills on time is an important thing to do if you want to get the best possible rates and the maximum loan amount available for your income.
Household finances
A good way to get your financial house in order and keep your financial commitments as low as possible is to try and get the best possible deal for your energy bills, as these are a major expenditure in household budgets.
An energy comparison site like UK Power can help you to find the best possible deal so that you minimise the impact of rising prices on your finances and also your credit score.
If you can demonstrate stability it can boost your credit score, so make sure you are on the electoral register so that your residency can be confirmed and shop around to get the best deals on not just your energy bills but also other borrowing costs such as credit cards and personal loans.
Keeping good control of your household bills and finances can certainly help boost your chances of getting a bigger mortgage.
Scott Byrom is an experienced writer and often provides tips and advice to help consumers keep their finances in order and reduce their outgoings and bills.
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