When you’re thinking of buying a house, the first thing to do is find out how much you’ll be able to borrow for your mortgage. You can talk to independent advisers or approach a bank or building society, but whichever mortgage you choose, you should be sure the repayments and running costs of your new home are affordable. Some lenders now provide certificates of mortgage approval and these can be very useful to demonstrate you’re a serious and credible buyer to sellers and agents.

There are a number of other costs you’ll incur when buying – with stamp duty and solicitor’s fees likely to account for several thousand pounds. You’ll also need sufficient funds to cover any deposit and fees for surveys, valuations, land registry, mortgage arrangements and removal expenses.

When you find a property you like, you can make an offer to the selling agent and if it is accepted, you should ask for the property to be taken off the market. At this stage, you should instruct a solicitor to act for you, and together with the seller’s solicitor, they will draw up the contracts for the sale. Your solicitor will make any enquiries that are needed and resolve any questions or queries you may have.

While this is being done, you should arrange for a survey on the property and if this is unsatisfactory, you will still be entitled to pull out of the sale without penalty. Prior to contracts being exchanged, you will be asked for a deposit, and once you’ve paid that, your sale should proceed to completion on the date you and the seller have agreed.