A mortgage is a loan you take out to buy a property. It is secured against your home. If you don’t keep up your mortgage payments, your home may be repossessed and sold to pay the loan back. Most run for 25 years, but WeTrust’s mortgage providers offer mortgages from five to 35 years.

It depends on several things, like how much money you earn, any additional income you receive, other outstanding credit and your outgoings. Most mortgage providers ask for a deposit of between 10% and 25%.

There are two parts to a mortgage. The capital is the money you borrow. The lender then charges you interest on the money until you repay it. You can opt for a repayment mortgage, where each month you pay off part of the capital and some interest.

Or you can take out an interest-only mortgage. You only pay the interest each month, and at the end of the mortgage term, you must pay off the capital. You have to show the lender you've got a plan in place to repay the mortgage at the end of the term. Standard repayment options include endowment policies, pensions and stocks-and-shares ISAs.

To show estate agents and prospective sellers you’re serious about buying property, you can arrange a mortgage in principle before you start house hunting. It is confirmation from a lender that based on the information provided, they will give you a mortgage. It isn't guaranteed, however. They could change their mind after seeing a full mortgage application, which has details about your finances and credit history.

Yes, there are several fees you may have to pay when you take out a mortgage, including:

- Mortgage broker fee: if you use a mortgage advisor to find a mortgage, they may charge a fee.
- Booking fee: a non-refundable fee you’ll sometimes be charged to reserve a mortgage.
- Arrangement fee: also known as a product or completion fee, it’s the fee the lender charges to set up your mortgage.
- Valuation fee: a fee charged for valuing your property to make sure it’s worth what you want to borrow.
- Mortgage account fee: A fee for the lender’s administration costs during the term of the mortgage.
- Legal fees: This covers the legal paperwork involved in buying a property.

You’ll need to decide how long you want to take a mortgage out for. Most first-time mortgages are 25 years long. The longer the mortgage, the lower your monthly repayment will be, but it’ll take you longer to pay it off. You should also consider:

- How much deposit you have: you're likely to get a lower interest rate if you've got a large deposit.
- Length of deal: lenders offer variable and fixed interest rate deals. If you change mortgages before the deal ends, you must pay an early repayment charge.
- Standard rate: what interest rate your mortgage will move onto once the fixed-rate deal ends.

It’s possible to take your mortgage with you when you move. If you’re moving to a bigger home and need to borrow more, it complicates things somewhat. It may be easier to move when your fixed term or introductory offer has finished and move then. You’ll have to go through the same checks that you did for your original mortgage. The lender will need to see you can afford to repay a bigger loan.