The free guides
The whole journey in plain English, with the numbers shown and the catches named. Verified against official sources, updated as the rules change.
01
Buying your first home, step by step
This is the whole process in England, from "can I actually afford this?" to keys in hand. It's written for first-time buyers and new investors buying a whole property in their own name, and it assumes you're smart but ha
02
How much deposit do you actually need?
This one's for UK first-time buyers and anyone buying their first investment property in their own name. The honest answer is "5% gets you in, but every extra 5% makes the mortgage cheaper", and there's free government m
03
Stamp duty, explained with real numbers
If you're buying a home or your first buy-to-let in England or Northern Ireland, stamp duty is probably the biggest single fee you'll pay, and the one most people get wrong when budgeting. This guide gives you the curren
04
Freehold vs leasehold (and the traps)
Buying your first home or first buy-to-let in England or Wales? This is the legal distinction that can quietly cost you tens of thousands. Here's what freehold and leasehold mean, the traps ranked by pain, and where the
05
What your solicitor actually does (conveyancing)
You've had an offer accepted. Now a solicitor takes over and, from the outside, nothing seems to happen for three months. This guide is for first-time buyers and new investors in England and Wales who want to know what's
06
Which survey to get (and what to do with it)
This one's for first-time buyers and new investors who've had an offer accepted (step 7 of the first-home guide) and are now staring at the word "survey" wondering which one to pay for. Short version: the survey is the o
07
Your first buy-to-let: the honest version
This is for UK first-time landlords who've heard property is a good earner and want the real numbers before committing a deposit. No hype, no shortcuts. Just how a buy-to-let actually works in July 2026, including the bi
08
Yield: the number everyone quotes and most get wrong
If you're looking at your first buy-to-let, "yield" is the number every sourcer, agent and Instagram guru will throw at you. This guide is for UK first-time investors who want to know what that number actually means, why
09
Buying at auction without getting burned
Auctions look like the cheat code for buying property: fast, transparent, sometimes genuinely cheap. This guide is for first-time buyers and new investors who've watched a few episodes of Homes Under the Hammer and are t
10
Below market value: what BMV really means
This one's for first-time buyers and new investors who keep seeing "BMV deal, £30k instant equity!" and wondering if it's real. Short answer: sometimes. Long answer: only if you know what "market value" actually means, a
11
The Renters' Rights Act: what landlords actually need to know
This is for first-time landlords in England trying to work out what actually changed on 1 May 2026, and what's still coming. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 became law on 27 October 2025, but it switched on in phases, and h
12
Every certificate and check a landlord legally needs
You've bought a place, you've found a tenant, and now you need the paperwork that keeps you legal. This is the full compliance checklist for letting a single residential property in England as of July 2026: what each thi
13
HMO licensing, explained before you buy one
HMOs (houses in multiple occupation, shared houses rented by the room) earn more per property than a standard single let. That's why every first-time investor eventually looks at one. This guide is for anyone in England
14
Making an offer (and negotiating it properly)
You've found a place you want. Now comes the bit where most first-time buyers, new landlords and new investors leave thousands on the table, or lose the property entirely by playing it wrong. This guide covers the Englan
15
What a house actually costs to run (the number nobody budgets)
This one's for first-time buyers, new landlords and anyone whose budget spreadsheet has one line on it that says "mortgage". The monthly payment your broker quotes you is usually only 60 to 70% of what the house actually