With your mortgage secure, you are ready to purchase a property. You will probably have seen quite a few potential properties advertised in the local paper, online or at the estate agents and you may even have had a chance to look around some.

If you have not yet looked at any properties, it is a good idea to look at a range, even if you are not sure that you will buy them, just to get an idea of what is available and what is good value for money.

That way, when you come across a property that you really like, you will be much more confident that you are getting a good deal.

Below are some tips to consider when inspecting properties:

• If you see a property you like, try to see it more than once before making an offer
• Try to visit at different times of the day or in the evening. A quiet street on a Saturday afternoon may have a lot of weekday rush-hour traffic
• Try to get an idea of what the neighbours are like, how do they keep their property?
• If the property is looking a bit run down, try to imagine what it would be like after a lick of paint. Often people pay more for freshly decorated properties and you could miss out on a bargain
• If you are buying alone, try to bring another person along, as they may notice things that you have missed and it is useful to discuss the pro's and con's of the property afterwards
• Look closely at fixtures and fittings, check appliances and taps, are there any obvious signs of damp? Some problems are easy to fix, whilst others could be quite expensive
• If you are buying a flat or apartment, try to ascertain the noise levels and find out about service charges. If the block has a lift then charges can be quite steep
• Find out why the property is up for sale and how long it has been on the market for
• If you have looked a lot of properties, it may become difficult to remember which ones you liked and why. Put together a file of the properties, saying why you liked them and why you didn't like them. You may also want to take photographs and add them to the file
• Find out what the seller's timescale is for moving. A short time scale may help your bargaining position
• Let the agent know that you are a first time buyer as any offer that you make may be more readily accepted by the seller who knows that you can move faster than someone with a property to sell

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