Once you have decided what sort of property you are looking for and the area where you want to live, contact as many local estate agents as possible. Ask them to send you details of suitable properties on their books on a regular basis.

If it is a competitive area where lots of people are looking, try to get to know one or two of the agents and make sure they are clear on what you really want. It’s worth calling the relevant estate agent once a week or so to ensure you get an early look at properties which have only just been placed with the agent. In this way, they will know you are a serious buyer and they will generally make the effort to contact you when new properties come up.

Once you get started, you will probably see a lot of different properties in a fairly short period of time. Keep a record of each one you have visited, together with a few notes reminding you of its good and bad points. Then you can look back on this list to check that you are still fulfilling your requirements in the properties you are viewing.

Charcol is not authorised to offer investment advice.  We recommend you seek professional advice with regard to these topics if you believe they may affect you.