The first step towards buying your property is to find out exactly how much money you can borrow. This is worked out according to your income, usually three times your annual salary before Tax and National Insurance are taken away. If it's a joint loan, the broker is likely to offer you either three times the annual income of the higher earner plus the total second income, or two-and-a-half times the total joint income. You can add your savings to the amount offered by your lender in order to estimate the range of house prices available to you.

Get it in writing. Any negotiations when buying any product need to be recorded in written form. If you do not have a copy in writing then you can consider whatever has been discussed as non-binding. Do not take anyone at their word. They may have believed what they were telling you at the time, but given time to cool off, they may re-assess. If a seller is offended you asked for a copy, it could mean they are being less than 100% truthful. That’s why you need things in writing. If nothing else, it acts as a reminder to both parties. The worst business meetings are those where no proper notes are taken, so everything has to be discussed again at the next meeting.