Adapted from Buying and Selling a Home For Dummies, UK Edition

Looking for a new home? Although everyone's requirements are different when it comes to buying property, there are a few general rules that you should bear in mind.

• Be clear in your mind about what you want before arranging to view any properties.
• Research the area carefully, particularly if you aren't familiar with it.
• Don't let the agent or seller rush you into a decision: take your time and trust your instinct.
• Ask yourself whether you can envision yourself living in a property. You should get a feel for this as soon as you walk through the door: if you aren't sure, keep looking.
• Ask the seller about the neighbours and whether he has had any problems with them. If he has made a complaint about them, he is legally obliged to tell you if you ask.
• Time the commute to work and the school run at the time of day you are likely to make these journeys.
• Visit the property after dark. If troublemakers are hanging around on street corners, you may not feel safe walking home late at night.
• Commission a survey. If you don't, you may miss serious structural problems that are expensive to rectify once you have bought the property.

What to Remember About Mortgages

Your home is likely to be your most expensive purchase becomeemdash ever. So getting the finance right is vital.

• Don't accept the first mortgage offered to you by your bank. Shop around to see whether it's competitive.
• Use an independent mortgage broker to find a home loan; doing so can save you time and effort searching the market for the best deal.
• Make sure you don't overstretch yourself: Can you afford to meet the repayments if interest rates rise? To find out, write down your incomings and outgoings. The balance is the amount you can afford to spend on the mortgage each month: if it's not enough to afford a decent loan, make sacrifices or delay the purchase until you can afford it.

Save up a deposit. Not all lenders require one, but if you've got a deposit, you'll get a better rate, have lower monthly repayments, and won't have to pay mortgage indemnity guarantee. Consider asking your parents for help as they may be able to stump up a deposit or act as guarantors.

• Avoid extended redemption penalties. Paying a penalty for switching mortgages before a fixed offer comes to an end is fair enough, but don't accept a mortgage with penalties that extend beyond this period.
• Watch out for compulsory insurance. Some lenders charge borrowers a one-off fee if they don't take out their buildings or contents insurance. It might be cheaper to pay this and buy your insurance elsewhere.

Preparing for a Viewing

The majority of prospective buyers go with their gut instinct and decide whether to make an offer on your property or not almost as soon as they've set foot inside the place. Try to convince them that they can live there by following this checklist.

On the inside

• Spring clean. Take out the rubbish . Clean out cupboards and wardrobes. Hire a steam cleaner to remove carpet stains.
• De-clutter. Hide the family photos and trinkets cluttering the shelves. Remove extra furniture and put it in the garage (or into storage) to make the rooms appear bigger.
• Attend to repairs. Broken drawer handles, cupboard doors hanging off their hinges, and missing bathroom or kitchen tiles create a poor first impression.
• Paint grubby walls, or those which are dark or in unusual colours, in light, neutral shades.
• Check the plumbing. Prospective buyers often flush the toilet and will notice leaky taps. Make sure you replace washers, if required, and fix the toilet, if needed, before showing anyone round your home.
• Check all windows, curtains, and blinds. They should be clean, unbroken, secure, and operate properly.
• Check all rugs, lino, and wooden floors. They should be clean and in good condition. If there's a hole in the carpet, strategically disguise it with furniture or a rug.

Check bathrooms. Thoroughly clean the toilet, bath, shower, sink, mirrors, and cabinets. Put a new toilet roll on the toilet roll holder. Put a clean hand towel in the bathroom. (Matching sets of fluffy white towels give a much better impression than odd, tatty or dirty towels.)

• Put freshly cut flowers in as many rooms as possible. You can't beat fresh flowers, but must make sure they are fresh. If they smell especially fragrant, all the better.
• Replace any burnt out light bulbs. If you are showing prospective buyers round in the evening, remember that soft up-lighting is more flattering than a harsh bulb without a lampshade in the middle of the ceiling.
• Make sure your home smells fresh. Brew coffee, bake bread and light those scented candles. (Avoid air fresheners, they smell too artificial.)
• Make the beds!

On the outside

• Don't forget kerb appeal. First impressions count so make sure the exterior of the property is free of rubbish. Tidy the garden and hide the old banger that's leaking oil everywhere.
• Mow the lawn, trim the hedge, and weed the drive. Keep the front of the property as neat as possible.
• Remove clutter from the windowsills. Remember, the prospective buyer will notice untidy windowsills as she walks up the front path.

Other stuff to do

• Ask a neighbour to look after Fido. Not everyone likes pets, while some prospective buyers may even be allergic.
• Perform a final inspection of the entire property for appearance and cleanliness.

What buyers and sellers have to pay for

Some expenses are the domain of the buyer, others the seller. Here's a quick break down of who pays what.

Buyers

• Solicitor's fees, local searches and land registry fee.
• Mortgage lender's valuation and survey.
• Mortgage application fee, booking fee, arrangement fee and mortgage broker fee (where applicable).
• Stamp duty.
• Removal costs.

Sellers

• Preparing the property for prospective buyers to view, doing repairs and redecorating.
• Estate agent's commission.
• Legal fees.
• Costs incurred in buying another property).