This means either speaking with the bank, or a mortgage broker. They’ll talk your through what you need so you can start budgeting and setting goals.

Budgets sound boring (I know), but actually they can be as simple or as complicated as you like. Get this right and future you will thank you for your kindness.

Get creative and make your budget fun. If it’s a house you’re saving for, then put a picture of a house on your budget! We all have an artistic side!

We’ve all heard that location is the most important thing and yes there is a whole lot of truth to that. So start looking around.

Does it fit your finances? You know what you can afford now. And no, you don’t have to spend it all!

Don’t let advertising or social media draw you into the idea that everyone lives in a perfectly painted restored villa, or house of the future. We’re all different.

If you can’t get into an area you want to be in, don’t worry. It doesn’t need to be your forever home. One step at a time.

This is where it gets really fun! Start going along to open homes. You’ll start to meet agents who can tell you more about the property and location.

If you see something you like, start looking online to get an idea of what makes this location special. If it suits your budget and needs then you might be onto something.

Take your time. When you’re ready to make a move, you’ll know.

Actually, there might only be one duck. This is your solicitor or conveyancer. Lawyers aren’t scary. They’re there to help you make the right choice and are 100% on your side. Most solicitors don’t charge you to find out what their fee is, and will make this part easy.

Find out who you want by your side to give you the best legal advice

If you’ve found that special something, it’s time to get all of the property files. Ask your agent to send you these, or if you don’t have one, download them from the listing advert.

Ask the agent about anything you’re unsure of. And remember, you’ve now got a solicitor for legal advice.

If you don’t have a solicitor yet and feel comfortable with what you see, don’t worry. You can still make a conditional written offer that they can look over once accepted.

Getting nervous? Hopefully by now if you’ve been working with the right agent, you’ll be ready to do this with ease. Even the seasoned pros have a few stray butterflies when making an offer. We’re all human.

The best way is to make an offer in writing. The agent will have all of the paperwork and will walk you through the process. You can make your offer conditional on anything that suits your situation.

Not yet! First, your offer will be presented to the owner (or owners) and they’ll have some time to consider whether it’s acceptable.

They’ll either countersign your offer, making changes where they see fit, OR they’ll be happy with it, and sign with no changes.

It’s important to note that until the buyer and seller have initialed any changes, signed and dated the agreement then it’s not legally binding.

Congratulations! If your offer gets accepted, it’s now time to work with your agent and solicitor to make sure you’re holding up your end of the contract.

Depending on what you agreed on, your offer will be “conditional” or “unconditional”.

If it’s conditional, your solicitor will advise you about anything you need to do to make it unconditional.

If it’s unconditional then you’re really close to owning the property! Your solicitor, bank/mortgage broker and agent will work together to get you ready for settlement day. That’s the day you’ll be the new owner of the property and you’ll get the keys!

Settlement day has arrived and all your hard work has paid off. Once the buyer and seller’s solicitors are both happy that the property is ready to change hands, you’ll get a call from the agent to arrange for you to get the keys.

This will be an exciting day and no doubt you’ll want to move in as soon a possible. Settlement is completed during working hours and usually in the afternoon. Be patient and trust in the professionals you’ve chosen to work with.

By now you would have planned to start moving in on settlement day, or planning for the weekend.

Whatever you’ve decided, enjoy the moment. This is what you’ve worked towards and now it’ll all pay off.

You did it!