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Choose a neighbourhood

Location, location, location. You've heard this time and time again, and it's never been truer than in property. The most important aspect of a home's value is the area it's in. What good is a beautiful, 2,500-square-foot restored Victorian house if it's in a dodgy part of town.

• Use your home wish list to guide you. Which areas fit the criteria you set?
• As you look at neighbourhoods, ask yourself these questions:
• • What's your job commute going to be like? Is the traffic heavy or light when you'll be on the road?
  • What are the local schools like? Even if you don't have children, the quality of the education in the area affects your home's value, so it pays to find out
  • How much crime is there?
  • How accessible are shopping centres, libraries, churches and other necessary destinations?
  • Do you prefer urban living or country living?
  • If you're priced outside of the area you want to be in, look for homes that need some work. You can also find bargains if you're willing to go outside popular neighborhoods and scout up-and-coming ones
• What house you get for your money differs from city to city. See what it's like to live in:
• • Newcastle
  • Edinburgh
  • Manchester
  • Cardiff
  • Nottingham
  • London
  • Exeter

Choose a type of house

The type of house you choose (detached, semi-detached, bungalow, apartment etc.) depends on how much ‘common interest’ you want to share with your neighbours. For example, apartment residents share walls and possibly common public areas such as a courtyard or balcony. Residents don't have to maintain these areas, because a management company take care of them through monthly fees collected from residents.

• Each type of building and ownership comes with its own pros and cons, so choose one that fits your lifestyle
• Decide which home features are most important to you. Ask yourself these questions:
• • Do you have pets? You may want to narrow the field to homes with big enough gardens
  • Is your family growing? Make sure there are enough bedrooms for today and five years from now
  • Be shrewd about storage space. Houses with cavernous rooms may be impressive to look at, but they sometimes compromise storage space to achieve that effect. Would you rather have a place to hang your crystal chandelier or a place to hang your coats?
  • Is any work needed to make the home move-in ready for you? If so, are you handy with a hammer or would you prefer to find a home that needs little work?
• You can also buy a newly constructed home. Many builders and developers are offering generous incentives to get rid of houses that are sitting empty

Choose a style of house

Houses come in different architectural styles, from Victorian and modern to mock Tudor. Each has its own history, character and maintenance issues