Home movers & new builds

Moving home

The mechanics are familiar – agreement in principle, find the property, full application, valuation, offer, exchange, completion – but the moving parts multiply when there's a sale to coordinate alongside the purchase. We'll look at whether porting your current mortgage to the new property works, whether a full remortgage gets you a better deal, or whether a combination (port some, top up the rest) is the right mix.

If you've got equity to release, we'll factor that in. If you're moving to a smaller place and reducing borrowing, same. The goal is one realistic plan that holds together across the sale, the purchase, and whatever else needs to happen – not a separate decision at each step.

New builds

Buying off-plan or from a development changes the picture in a few useful ways.

Longer mortgage offer validity

Standard mortgage offers usually last around six months – which is fine for an existing property but can be tight for a new-build still under construction. A number of lenders offer extended offer periods specifically for new-builds, sometimes up to nine months and occasionally longer, allowing for the build to complete without the offer expiring before you can move in. If the build over-runs, we can often arrange an extension or re-issue rather than starting over.

Energy efficiency can work in your favour

New homes routinely come with an EPC rating of A or B, which unlocks "green mortgage" products from a growing number of lenders. These typically offer a small interest rate discount, cashback at completion, or both – modest individually, but worth pricing in when comparing options on a new-build versus a comparable second-hand property.

Builder incentives need handling carefully

Developers often sweeten a purchase with deposit contributions, stamp duty paid, white goods, flooring, kitchen upgrades, or part-exchange on your current property. These can be genuinely valuable – but lenders treat them in very different ways. Some count a developer's deposit contribution towards your deposit; some don't. Some allow incentives up to a percentage of the purchase price without affecting the loan; some reduce the value they'll lend against by the value of the incentive. Get it wrong and the offer comes back smaller than expected, or doesn't come back at all.

This is where having someone in your corner matters. We'll review the reservation paperwork before you sign, work out what the incentive package will look like to a lender's eye, and place the case with one that handles the structure well – so the deal you've negotiated with the developer is the deal that gets to completion.

Build quality and warranties

Lenders want to see a recognised new-build warranty (NHBC, LABC, Premier Guarantee, or similar) covering the property for the first ten years. We'll check what's in place and flag early if anything's unusual – better to know at the reservation stage than two weeks before exchange.

Chains and timelines

A chain is only as fast as its slowest member. We can't make other people's solicitors move quicker, but we aim to keep the mortgage side of your link moving – agreement in principle ready early, full application submitted as soon as you're under offer, and lender queries answered promptly so the offer is in place when the legal work needs it.

If the chain wobbles, the answer is usually communication rather than panic. We stay in touch with your conveyancer throughout so if dates slip, or a buyer pulls out, or a sale needs to be re-marketed, we can adjust on our side without anything falling over.

How we help

We'll start by understanding the move – what you're selling, what you're buying, whether there's a chain, whether it's a new-build, and what you want the next deal to look like. From there we'll work through porting versus remortgaging, look at green mortgage options where the property qualifies, factor in any builder incentives, and shortlist lenders that match the setup.

Through to completion we coordinate with your conveyancer and, on a new-build, with the developer's sales team where needed – making sure offer validity, build dates, and exchange deadlines all line up.

When you are ready, the fact-find is the quickest way to tell us about your situation – we will come back with sensible next steps and no obligation.

Start your fact-find →