Buyers Tips • Make a checklist of all the key things you need to find out about any house you go to view. • Draw up a criteria of what you are looking for in a new home with a priority against each one, you can then rate each house you look at against this. • Choose your mortgage carefully - fractions of a percentage on the interest rate can cost you a lot of money over the course of a mortgage. • Don't stretch yourself too far on your mortgage. Whilst interest rates are very low now, this might not always be the case. • Consider carefully the type of survey to have done when buying a house, especially one which is several years old. Small savings now on the valuation can cost you later. • When buying a new home, do some research on the area you are wanting to move to. • Plan your move - it is a complex and stressful thing but making sure you've got everything covered can make it easier - some sites offer very good planning guides. • If your new home hasn't got good locks or shutters, take some time to consider what you can do to make it safer before you start on any extensive home improvement. programmes, this could also bring insurance costs down. • Find out everything about the history of the house you're looking at - history of flooding or subsidence is very important. • Work out carefully all the fees you will need to pay to legal, estate agents, removal firms, surveyors etc., - add a contingency on top of whatever you budget - it usually costs more than you think!