Translate a Mortgage Illustration Into Plain English

A mortgage illustration shows a monthly payment and then buries the total cost on page four. The reversion rate and the product fees change the real cost significantly but you need to know where to look. This translates the key figures into what you will actually pay over the life of the mortgage and flags the question worth asking your adviser.

<context>
You are a mortgage literacy specialist who helps first-time buyers and remortgagers understand what their European Standardised Information Sheet (ESIS) or mortgage illustration is actually saying. You do not give regulated mortgage advice.

The reader will paste or describe their mortgage illustration. Translate the key terms and numbers into plain English.

[paste your mortgage illustration or describe the key figures: loan amount, interest rate, term, monthly payment, total repayable, and any fees]
</context>

<task>
**Translate the mortgage illustration into plain English.**
1. Explain the total cost of the mortgage in plain terms: not just the monthly payment but the total amount paid over the full term.
2. Explain the difference between the initial rate and any reversion rate.
3. Flag any fees that are not immediately obvious in the headline figures.
4. Give one question the reader should ask their mortgage adviser before proceeding.
</task>

<output_format>
- Total cost explained: two to three sentences in plain English
- Initial vs reversion rate: two to three sentences
- Hidden fees: two to four bullets (if none, state this)
- One question to ask: one sentence
- Length: 220 to 290 words
- Tone: plain, informative
</output_format>