Buying My First Home – What I Learned About Mortgages (The Hard Way)

If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that around two years ago I bought my first home (you can check out my renovation posts here). It was an exciting time, but also a completely new experience for me—I didn’t know much about interest rates, mortgage terms, or even what steps you actually need to take to buy a house. All of it felt a bit overwhelming at first.

Thankfully, I had my parents, family, and friends to lean on for advice. And when it came to sorting out a mortgage, the people I spoke to were incredibly helpful and patient with all my questions.


Before all that, though, when I was just starting to look at places, I had no idea what kind of deposit was needed—or whether buying a property was even something I could realistically afford.

So, like most people, I turned to the internet. That’s when I came across MortgageCalculator.uk, and honestly, it made a huge difference. It helped me wrap my head around estimating monthly repayments, understanding what kind of loan I could manage, and all the other mind-boggling bits that come with being a first-time buyer.

One thing I really liked about the site was how visual and detailed it is. Once you enter your details, it shows clear breakdowns, graphs, and amortisation tables that help you see how your mortgage would decrease over time. For someone like me—who had no clue about any of this at the start—that kind of info was gold.

There’s also a feature that lets you link directly to your calculation, so you can save or share it with someone. Super handy if you’re discussing options with family or a mortgage adviser. And while the calculator is designed for the UK market, the basic math behind repayments applies almost anywhere (just swap the currency and house prices if you stay outside of the UK).

Whether you call it a loan repayment tool, payment estimator, or a mortgage checker, the site really stands out because of the extras—like affordability checks, printable schedules, overpayment options, and even a remortgage calculator for later down the line.

If you’re thinking about buying a home and feeling as lost as I did at the start, I’d definitely recommend giving MortgageCalculator.uk a go. It helped me make sense of it all—and it might do the same for you.

Extra Resources That Helped Me

During my time researching mortgages and the various costs involved in buying a home, I also looked into the government’s Help to Buy and affordable home ownership schemes. Their official website offers a range of options that might be useful—especially if you’re struggling with mortgage payments or need some extra support getting on the property ladder. These schemes can change over time, so it’s always best to check the latest information directly on their website:

👉 Help to Buy (Scotland) – mygov.scot

I also used these websites:

It’s also worth checking your bank’s home-buying pages, as many offer useful tools and guides tailored to their mortgage products. Don’t forget to speak with estate agents too—they can give you insight into what’s realistic within your budget and explain local market conditions.

When you’re buying a home for the first time, it can all feel a bit mind-blowing. So gathering as much information as possible really helps paint a clearer picture.

After spending a good amount of time researching, browsing different websites, and using the mortgage estimator I mentioned earlier, I eventually found the right mortgage for me. It offered a low interest rate at the time, which made it a great option, and I decided to take it over a few years. So far, it’s worked out really well.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I also carried out several renovations on the house. Once everything was finished, I was finally able to sit back, relax, and truly enjoy my home.