Advice for buying your new home

Trying to find the ideal home can be a time consuming task. But there are things you can do to make it less stressful.

1 - Be focused
Write a list features which are really important to you, things that your ideal property (within your budget) must have or have the potential to have. If a property doesn't fit the bill, don't waste your time or the seller's time viewing it.

2 - Research
Research the areas you think you are interested in. Visit the area at different times of day and different days of the week (if possible). At the end of the day, there are a lot of changes you can make to a property, but you can't change its location.

If you're planning to buy a property with a mortgage, speak to a mortgage adviser/broker (see our business directory for a list of local companies) or research mortgage products online. Consider the costs involved with your purchase to define your available budget. Remember: mortgage costs and deposit amount, solicitor fees, stamp duty (payable on most purchases of over £125,000 and can be up to 4% of your purchase price - see http://www.hmrc.gov.uk for full details).

3 - Viewings
Print out the details of any property you are viewing and jot down any questions you have for the owner before you view. Take the details and your questions along to the viewing (and a pen!) If you think of anything after the viewing, email or telephone the seller.

4 - Making an offer
When you've found an interesting property, don't be afraid to make an offer (but only if you're serious). You'll be a better position to make an offer if you have a mortgage in place and/or your own property under offer. If you're not in this position, then your offer can not be realistically accepted, since you wouldn't be in a position to proceed. Also, arrange a solicitor, price them carefully. Solicitors prices can vary greatly. If you have a solicitor ready, then it indicates you are serious about the purchase. Ask your seller if they would like the offer in writing. If there are more interested parties, then the seller may ask for sealed bids of your best and final offers, including your solicitor's and mortgage providers' details.

5 - Next steps - waiting...
Once your offer is accepted, you should have a survey done. This may be through your mortgage provider. Regularly check up on your mortgage provider (if applicable), surveyor and solicitor. No news is not necessarily good news. Sales can go through quickly (3 to 4 weeks) but they often don't, especially if you're in a chain. Hurry up your end of the chain by keeping in close contact with the professionals involved in your sale. Queries can be answered in seconds on the telephone, or it can take days if you wait for the post.