Step 1

Contact us to get your mortgage agreed in principle. We will complete a Mortgage Fact Find to establish your needs and objectives. Importantly, any advice we provide to you will reflect these. An agreement in principle will give you confidence to start viewing suitable properties, knowing that you are eligible for a mortgage.

Step 2

Find a property. You should register with local Estate Agents so that they contact you when a suitable house comes to the market as well as checking local websites and property newspapers. We also recommend you visit national websites such as www.rightmove.co.uk and www.primelocation.com regularly.

Step 3

Make on offer on the property. We can do this for you so that we can confirm that you have a mortgage agreed in principle and that you are a credible buyer. Remember the agent is paid by the vendor to get the best possible price for them. We work for you.

Step 4

Once your offer is accepted the agent will ask for your solicitor details. We will help you source a solicitor from our panel of over 150 firms and, with your permission, instruct them on your behalf. (please see our separate section on solicitors for more details).

Step 5

We will then source the most competitive mortgage deal to suit your requirements by using our computerised sourcing system. We will revisit our original recommendation as it may be possible to improve on this. We will provide you with an illustration together with a detailed report of our recommendations.

Step 6

Complete the full mortgage application for the lender and product recommended. We will supply you with the forms and complete as much information as possible on your behalf. We will help you to complete the paperwork and provide you with a list of documentation required to get the application processed. Generally, these include items such as payslips and identification together with any fees payable to the lender such as survey and arrangement fees.

Step 7

We will submit the application to the mortgage provider and inform you immediately of any outstanding information. We will also advise you on the valuation results as soon as they are available and whether any employment references have been requested so that you can ensure their quick return. Lenders usually require references from your landlord to establish that rent has been paid on time, but for those clients living in Married Quarter accommodation, payslips are usually sufficient as rent is deducted at source. A mortgage offer takes approximately 3 weeks provided there are no problems and we will keep you informed on the progress of the application.

Step 8

Following underwriting you will receive a mortgage offer from the lender. A copy of the mortgage offer is also provided to your solicitor for them to approve and discuss in detail with you. We also receive a copy which we will check to ensure the terms offered by the lender are accurate.

Step 9

Once your solicitors are happy that everything is in place they will ask you to sign the contract and forward your deposit to them. They will discuss a completion date with you and then exchange contracts with the vendor's solicitors and agree a date to complete the transaction. This contract is legally binding and although either party could still pull out of the sale/purchase the costs involved usually make it prohibitive to do so.

Step 10

Your purchase will be completed and the property is legally yours to move into. Your solicitor will provide you with a statement showing all the transactions during your purchase including the balance of their fees.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

The FSA does not regulate legal advice or some forms of mortgage.

Military Direct Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority and is entered on the FSA register (www.fsa.gov.uk) under reference 468095