Getting advice for a mortgage before we're ready to buy

[WildWombat]

At the moment we're exploring our options. We won't be ready to sell our place and start properly looking and making offers for a year or more, but it would be useful to know how much we could afford and whether there are any paths open to us that we haven't considered to make the most of our budget. Would we be able to get any free advice at this point, or would mortgage advisors/brokers not want to know until we're actually in a position to get started?

You can always get an affordability calculator run and chat through options. Most brokers will do this for free.

Go to a broker. Some charge a fee, some operate on a commission-only basis. All will have an initial chat and advice.

Personally I would choose the one that felt like the best not the cheapest.

Cheapest?! For most of us, mortgage advice is paid for via commission, don't pay a fee unless you have very specific/difficult needs.

Brokers might talk to you because they want your business later so it's good customer service, but they cannot advise you about borrowing an unspecified amount at an unspecified time, only give you information - which is readily available online.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/managing-your-mortgage/