5 Tips to help you find your first home

Struggling to know where to start your homebuying journey? We’ve got you covered. There’s a lot to think about when buying your first house. It’s probably one of the biggest financial decisions of your life, so we’re sharing five tips to help you make sure you find the perfect home. Start with an open mind [...]

Bump in the road: the value of advice when life doesn’t go to plan

Bump in the road: the value of advice when life doesn’t go to plan We all like to think we’ve got life under control. A stable job, a roof over our head, savings for the future — or at least a plan to get there. But then something happens. A job loss. A health diagnosis. [...]

What are the pros and cons of 100% mortgages?

A 100% mortgage is, very simply, a home loan which allows the buyer to purchase a property without putting down any money (or a deposit) up front. Prior to 2008, it was common for lenders to offer deposit-free mortgages as standard, with some even allowing consumers to borrow more than the property’s value for living [...]

Why is it harder for first-time buyers to buy in 2025?

  For first-time buyers in 2025, the property market is in stark contrast to when previous generations bought their first homes. The average first-time buyer in 1960 paid a deposit of just £595 (roughly £12,738 today) compared to an average of £53,424 in 2024. A recent report by Skipton found that just one in eight […]

Your Guide to Saving For a Mortgage Deposit

Let’s get you ready to start saving for your deposit. Buying a house is expensive, especially if you’re a first-time buyer. 60% say the cost of raising a deposit is one of the biggest barriers to home ownership, second only to the cost of repayments. First-time buyers are being squeezed by creeping house prices, the […]

Think insurance companies don’t pay out? Think again!

Buying a home and taking on a mortgage is often the biggest financial commitment a person will make in their lives. With this in mind, protection polices offer great financial security, not just to protect you, but to protect your family, your income and even the loan itself should the worst happen. However, a barrier […]

Newsletter February 2025

Newsletter

What you need to know about credit checks before borrowing money

The information a lender finds during a credit check is important – it could affect whether you’re able to borrow money, including through a mortgage, and the interest rate you’re offered. Yet, they can also seem perplexing. Indeed, a Royal London survey found that a third of Brits had never looked at their credit report. The good [...]

How Improving Your Credit Score

Credit scores can affect anything from financing to phone contracts and loans. Most importantly, the better your credit score, the higher your chance of being offered a good deal for your mortgage, opening the door to significant savings. Lilac Financial can help you to understand your money, giving you valuable insights into becoming more financially [...]