First-time buyers are facing both affordability and process challenges. The Cambridge has expanded its 98% LTV First Step range with a five-year fix, while MAB has added Gable Mortgages’ 100% LTV zero-deposit products to its panel. Separately, Tembo research suggests that navigating the homebuying process has overtaken raising a deposit as a leading concern for many buyers.
This creates a practical role for AI and workflow technology: turning complex milestones into clear client checklists, drafting plain-English explanations, flagging missing documents and providing status updates from application onwards. Stonebridge’s new customer app and Plannr’s Mortgage Brain integration point to growing demand for joined-up digital journeys, but advisers should retain human oversight for eligibility, affordability, suitability and vulnerable-customer considerations.