As a first-time buyer, you want to be clear on what you should be doing to feel prepared and ready to buy your first home.

In this guide, we teach you exactly that. Let’s start with the first step and why it matters so much to your success.

Many of the first-time buyers we speak to often ask what is my first step or where should I start?

It’s a great question and something that applies whether you are the type of person who loves to plan ahead or are nearly ready to view properties and want to get prepared.

If you do your research online you will learn that the first basic steps include:

• Deciding if buying is right for you – Have you thought about the pros and cons of buying and is the timing right for you?
• Understanding what you can afford – Are you confident in your budget and that you can borrow what you need to?
• Working out your deposit, moving costs and saving up – Do you have a clear savings goal and a rough idea of when you will reach it?
• Learning about what to expect next

Once you complete this first stage buying will start to feel real for you. You will know where you stand and this will give you the confidence to look forwards to what you should be doing next.

Have you completed this first step? If not learn about our free first-time buyer mini-course that makes it easy for you to complete these steps in under 30 minutes >>

Often these steps are just the first part of getting prepared to buy

You are probably saving hard right now and starting to think what else do I need to do so that I feel prepared for this next step in my life.

This includes a lot more than just these basic steps. You probably already know deep down there has to be more to it than that.

The average first-time buyer article you read will focus mostly on the steps. However, most of us have other things that are important to us that we want to get right too before we are confident to start going out and finding our next home.

Avoiding common mistakes

This is your first time buying a home and you have never done many of the steps before. A common fear is it will be really easy to miss a step or do things in the wrong order, which might lead to some problems in the future.

Feeling prepared includes knowing what to expect and what we should and shouldn’t be doing.

It’s perfectly normal to be anxious about making some mistakes when buying your first home, so that’s why it’s good to learn what they are so you can avoid them.

The better you understand the process the more likely you will be to get things right the first time.

Understand how mortgages work so you make good decisions

Then there are all the other new things that you need to learn about.

If you are anything like me you like to learn as much as you can so that you can make your decisions easier.

When it comes to buying homes that includes learning about mortgages and how they work so you are confident you have made a good choice.

It can also be useful to speak to a mortgage adviser who can not only make sure you can borrow what you need, but is also there to explain everything to you.

You don’t want to find your ideal home only to discover you can’t buy it because you couldn’t get the mortgage or have overstretched yourself.

Get all things money right

Buying this home is probably the largest financial commitment you will have made in your life so far.

With all the recent uncertainty in the economy and job situations right now it’s no wonder we want to get this right.

You want to be happy in your new home so that you can relax and enjoy it without stressing about money. So planning your finances and budget, not just thinking about the mortgage makes sense too.

Don’t undervalue the importance of getting ready for the next stage

Much of getting prepared to buy is learning and preparing, so you know by the time you find the right home things will go smoothly.

Once your finances are sorted and you have worked out what you are going to buy, you can start thinking about the next steps.

You will want to learn how to carry out your viewings the right way, so you avoid expensive mistakes or common first-time buyer regrets, as well as the basics of making an offer to buy.

Next, you will want to know about the sales process as well as conveyancing, surveys and the mortgage application process so you have the best chance of success.

If you are already at this stage our ultimate checklist will help.

You now know more about the importance of preparing to buy your first-home

By the time you start viewing properties, you want to be ready to go forwards without any problems or surprises along the way.

You want to end up making good choices that mean you are much more likely to be happy in your new home and can enjoy it.

The easy way to do this without feeling overwhelmed is to start with a simple list of these essential areas. You can then slowly begin to learn more about them so you are confident you can get them each of them right.

Alternatively, a good mortgage adviser should help with a lot of this as part of their service, but it does depend on which one you choose, as not all of them offer this level of support and advice.

If you want a simple list of these top things to think about so that you don’t miss any of them, then download our free guide below:

YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE