How we did 100% mortgages in the olden days without "help to buy"

I sat exams in this, back in the 90s :) You can see why, it is complicated *eye roll*

1. Sit down with your customer and go through their budget with them, including the kind of place they want to buy and the cost
2. Work out the difference between rent and mortgage + insurance + bills
3. Discuss the cost of solicitors, decorating, furniture
4. Emphasise importance of paying bills and not knackering your credit file for $200 trainers out the clubby book that you don't pay for
5. Customer puts holidays and big TV on hold
6. Once customer has saved the difference monthly, and maybe a little more, for the duration of time it takes them to save up to pay solicitor etc, regard them as capable of meeting the mortgage payments, and give them a mortgage

What this requires:-
- people who will talk to the bank manager honestly about money, not their "right to privacy" and "ooman rights"
- permanent jobs with guaranteed hours
- a bank manager, not a machine
- patience
- housing that costs less than 3 x your annual salary

What this does not require:-
- a government scheme