As is often said, "buying a home is one of the most important and one of the most expensive purchases we will ever make" It is therefore vital to get accurate, honest and professional advice.

Before searching for your property decide on your price bracket. This will depend on your income and the value of your current property.

Don't fear if you are a first time buyer. This can be an advantage due to you not being subject to sale, therefore possibly making you more appealing to vendors. To ascertain how much you can afford for your potential property we recommend that you acquire some financial advice. Our in-house Independent Financial Advisors can provide this.

Getting a valuation of your property can be a good idea if you are interested in moving home. It will determine how much your current property is worth and along with a financial quote can give you an idea of which price bracket your potential home will be in. We will do this for you without charge.

Ascertain the type of property that you are looking for in order to narrow down your search. Generally detached houses will be the most expensive followed by semi-detached, apartments, town houses and terraced property.

A new development property can be customised to suit the buyer's needs. This may be in the form of altering the internal layout or including a garage or sunroom for example. All of our new developments are NHBC or Zurich registered, providing 10-year guarantees.

Another option is to buy a site and build your dwelling on it. This means that you can construct the property to your own specification and tastes meaning you can be assured of your dream home. This is especially popular in more out of town rural locations. Expense is usually high though due to the price of the land as well as building costs. Getting building quotes before your purchase of a site is highly recommended. Planning permission should also be taken into account as well as its drainage, soil type etc.

It can be of benefit if you make out a list of 'must-haves' before setting out to find your perfect property, considering things like location, size, freehold or leasehold etc.

Having found the details of a suitable home the next step is to view it at first hand. Contact us to arrange a suitable and convenient time for an appointment with a member of our sales team.

If you are interested in a property after your first viewing go a second time. Bringing a friend can be a good idea. If your first viewing wasn't during daylight ensure your second is, this can give you a chance to view the external aspects of the property. When putting an offer on a property establish what fixtures and fittings are to be included in the sale of your potential property. This can avoid unnecessary problems or disputes.

Keep in mind that offers are always subject to survey and contract, so don't panic if the surveyor or solicitor finds a problem of which you were unaware! We recommend a survey be carried out on the property you are buying, especially if it is over 5 years old. This gives you a specific idea of what work (usually structural) needs to be carried out on the property. A quote can then be determined for any work, which is required.

Recent changes in legislation mean that any other items included in the purchase price eg: carpets, curtains etc must be included in the total figure and are therefore subject to duty. There is no duty payable on a sale by the owner.