First mortgage appointment: what to cover and what to bring

Invite buyers to a first appointment early in their search, before they fall in love with a property, and use it to understand the project, look at their situation, list the documents you'll need, and explain how you work and how you're paid. Make it a bookable service with slots outside office hours, in person or by video, and send the document list with the confirmation. Buyers arrive with their papers, and you can tell them what to do next before they make an offer.

Buyers who come after signing an offer leave you a short, stressful window to find financing. Those who come before viewings know their budget, can move fast when the right property appears, and have time to gather documents calmly. Say this on your booking page and in your communication with estate agents: the right time to see you is at the start of the search.

Keep precise figures and calculations for after you've seen the documents. A first meeting built on estimates is a starting point, not a promise, and saying so avoids disappointment later.

Send the list with the booking confirmation or in the service description: identity documents, recent payslips or accounts for the self-employed, tax returns, bank statements, proof of savings, existing loan statements, and the property details if they already have one in mind. Ask them to send documents through your secure channel, not in the booking note.

Estate agents meet buyers before you do. If you work with local agencies, give them your booking page link so they can pass it on to buyers who haven't checked their financing yet. A buyer who books straight from the agent's message arrives at the right moment: searching, not yet committed. Ask in the note how they heard of you, so you know which partnerships bring clients. Keep the relationship transparent with the buyer: say in the description how you work with agencies and that the first meeting doesn't commit the buyer to anything.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. You open slots for each service at the length it takes, one place per slot. Buyers pick a service, then a free slot, without creating an account.

Durations and prices are examples: set your own, and follow the rules of your profession on how fees are presented. In the description, say what the meeting covers and where it takes place.

The public booking form asks for first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note you read in your new-booking email. Ask for the project in a sentence and whether a co-borrower will join. Don't ask for income or amounts in the note: those belong in the meeting and in documents sent securely. The note can't be edited once the booking exists.

Couples buying together may both work office hours. Open early-evening slots and a few on Saturday mornings, repeated each week on chosen weekdays until a date. If a buyer calls, create a slot and book them in yourself from your calendar: first and last name are required, email and phone optional. Buyers can't move bookings online: they contact you, you reschedule or cancel from your bookings list and let them know, since Book doesn't email clients about changes. Book doesn't store files or take payments; it handles appointments. It costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.