Any good mortgage advice books

tryingtosave_3

I'm a FTB just starting to looking into the market and of course mortgages etc.

There is clearly a wealth of information on this site and forum - and others - but I was wondering if there is a good guide to mortgages I can buy (or borrow from my local library ... every penny ;-). A little bed time reading ...

I'm sure I saw a reference to a Which guide by Martin, but I'm not sure if that was specific reviews of actual products or rather a general guide to what's what (which is what I'm after).

Don't mind if the book gets technical, although only if it starts off with the basics.

I will of course get independent advice - but like to know a little about the subject first.

Thanks!

PS. Any other useful resources would be helpful. Thanks.

MSE_Martin

There's a free guide to remortgaging, which covers a lot of the ground for mortgages too. You can either download it or get a printed version sent to you - see the link at the top of this page. While it's not a book its 8,000 words!

tryingtosave_3

Thanks - I did see the guide, but just assumed (foolishly!) that it wouldn't be relevant ... I guess it pays to try - especially when something is free!

Thanks - for the site / entire concept as well.

michaels

I have to say it is a sad indictment of mortgage lenders that something as strraight forward as a mortgage (which after all is just a loan secured against an asset) should frighten borrowers so much that they feel the need for a book to explain things. Plus as money savers we all know why - the complexity is there to hide extra charges so that the customer can not easily make comparisons between lenders.

tryingtosave_3

I've realised that my post was quite misleading - what I was actually looking for, and have now bought, was a guide to just buying in general. I bought the “Which? Buy, Own and Sell a Flat” by Michael Haley. Seems good.

Yes, I know I posted in the wrong forum, and yes, I apologies for expecting people to read my mind ;-)

Michaels - it's not so much that I'm frightened of mortgages - although I think it's healthy to feel a little concerned borrowing that amount of money – but rather I like to have read around the subject and be able to form my own opinion; independent experts have steered people wrong in the past …

But you're right that it does all seem overly complex - and is something that I understand anecdotally is a thousand times easier in some other countries. At least it can be got right, so there is always hope!