Property Today

Yesterday we looked at five steps to get yourself ready to buy your first home.

And today we're focusing on what you need to do to assess properties you see, buy the right one and move in.

6) Use your head not your heart: The first time you buy a home it's far too easy to make a purchasing decision based on emotions. Of course it's exciting finding what you think is the home of your dreams. But in 12 months time, will you still enjoy living with a motorway flyover out the front and an electricity pylon in your back garden? Worse – will you be able to resell the property in the future. As hard as it will seem, you need to strip emotions out of it and use your brain to assess properties. Compare each one to your lifestyle now and what you think you will be doing over the next few years.

7) Trust your friends and family's opinions: First-time buyers should never try to buy property on their own. It's not like renting where a mistake means six months in a flat you hate. This is bigger, much bigger, and you need to approach it with the help of people you trust, but who won't be living there. This is an ideal way to strip the emotion from the process.

8) Think long-term when you buy: Every time you buy property you must ask yourself: Could I live here for ten years? You might not be planning to, but circumstances change, and a major swing in the economy could plunge you into negative equity, where your home is worth less than the money you owe on it. Negative equity means you cannot afford to move house. By taking a long-term approach you are giving yourself more options in the future

9) Stay up-to-date with completion details: Once you've found "the one", put in an offer and with any luck, you will be a few steps away from moving in. The house will become yours on completion day – that's also the day you move house. It's highly advisable to demand regular updates from your solicitor so you can stay on top of what's happening. Regular information won't necessarily speed things up, but could take away the feeling that everything seems to have ground to a halt.

10) Get help to move in: And once it's all sorted, moving day will be here. Get some help to move into your first property. It's an exciting day that deserves to be celebrated. So get your friends round you, some champagne out of a packing box, and enjoy your first step on the property ladder.