Moving home can be a daunting task, especially for first-time buyers, and knowing where to start is often the first challenge. To make the process much easier, we have put together a 15-step guide to buying your new home.

1. 1. Decide on a Budget. Plan how much you’re willing to spend on a property, including the deposit and weekly mortgage payments. Take into consideration that bills may fluctuate and so could mortgage payments, depending on the type.
2. 2. Get your Finances in Order. Decide on whether you want a fixed or variable mortgage type. Talk with a mortgage broker, research first-time buyer mortgages, if that applies to you, and research mortgages for new build properties if that is what you are looking at. You can then choose a mortgage company.
3. 3. Decide on a Location. Consider locations, and then specifically the neighbourhood that you want to settle into. How to Choose a Location to Buy a House can help point you in the right direction.
4. 4. Make a Checklist. Think about everything you want the property to have, and make a note of this.
5. 5. Choose Properties. Find a selection of properties that check off the majority of points on your checklist, follow your budget, and are in your chosen location.
6. 6. Go to house viewings. And lots of them! Make sure there are no hidden surprises in the houses. You can avoid this by curating a list of questions you have about the property. It is also a good idea to research good things to ask during viewings; make the most of these opportunities.
7. 7. Make an Offer. Once you have decided on the property you want to have as your new home, make an offer and wait for it to be accepted! If your offer is not accepted, you can put in another one, or look for a different property.
8. 8. Arrange your Mortgage. Once your offer has been accepted you need to arrange a mortgage. After following previous steps of organising your finances, this step should be relatively straightforward. Organising your finances at an earlier stage is important, otherwise, the seller may lose patience, and you could lose the property. You must get back in touch with your mortgage company and provide them with the accepted offer on the property in order to move forward.
9. 9. Hire a solicitor. There is a lot of legal work and requirements that must be handled in order to transfer ownership of the property between buyer and seller. Make sure you maintain contact with the solicitor during the process and chase up any information that you require.
10. 10. Get a Survey. The mortgage lender will do a survey to evaluate the property. It is a good idea to get an independent survey of the property yourself to flag up any issues with the property that need to be fixed before you can move in.
11. 11. Arrange a Deposit. A minimum of 10% of the accepted offer needs to go to the solicitor. You cannot move on with the process until this is complete.
12. 12. Exchange Contracts. You are now legally committing to the property. If you pull out of the contract, you might forfeit your deposit. A completion date should then be decided. Contracts should only be exchanged when you receive the surveyor’s report, a formal mortgage is received, and the deposit has been paid. At this stage, you should take out billing insurance for the property as you are now responsible for it.
13. 13. Final Arrangements. At this point, you should negotiate anything that is left to settle. Make a checklist of everything you need to do such as hiring a removal company and making arrangements for gas, electric, heating, electricity etc. The solicitor should liaise with the mortgage company to get everything finalised for you. Again, chase up information if you require it.
14. 14. Congratulations, you have a new home!
15. 15. Next steps. Make sure you pay council tax, stamp duty (link blog for stamp duty tax) and any other post-purchase fees that are legally required.