Oh, it's all so expensive, isn't it?

[PixieHot]

Just that really . I thought that DH and I were all geared up to buy for the first time, but I just added up all of the likely fees (£5k ), which eats into our deposit a bit too much I think (we'd like to have a 15% deposit).

I think we'll keep going with our preparations though - check out our credit files etc according to MSE, talk to our mortgage broker again etc. Oh well .

Hi - in answer to your question - yes!!! We have just moved from North to South and are utterly horrified at how much things cost, just makes me sob! .

But we have got a mortgage through the Nationwide, and if you have a Flex account with them for 3 months with regular income going in, you are entitled to their special rates, AND they have paid solicitors costs and survey costs as well - it is the stamp duty which is a killer, so watch out for that as well!

Good luck.

Thanks guinea (and sorry for my self-indulgent rant). Yes, the ~£5k that I calculated includes stamp duty, and also the more expensive of the two survey types as DH and I are risk averse.

We're actually pretty close to where we'd like to be (although it's taken a long time to get here). Now we just need to work out exactly how close we are, and to plan / act accordingly. It's frustrating at this stage, because it feels like a few £k extra might make all the difference in terms if how good a mortgage deal we might get (this may not actually be true though ). Definitely more research required.