Before you do anything else, do your research and find how much you can actually afford to spend on a property in Bolton. Take into account any available cash you have for a deposit and then speak to a mortgage broker, or a selection of providers and find out what they'd be willing to lend you. Make sure they put their ‘in principle' offers in writing.

Don't forget, you'll need to put money aside for any stamp duty land tax (where applicable), too.

So, you've scoured the estate agents' websites and windows, poured over the property portals and pounded the streets figuring out where you might like to buy. Time to book in some viewings.

If you have found a house that we're selling in Bolton. Please request viewings by clicking here. 

When looking around a property, use the estate agent and ask questions. You might want to think about things like:

If you like a property, be sure to get in a couple of viewings at different times of the day and invite friends and family along for a second opinion.

You've found a property you're sure you want to buy. Call the estate agent and let them know how much you're willing to offer. Don't be surprised if your first offer is declined – that's the name of the game and buying a property is all about negotiation.

If there are a number of people keen to buy the property, you might be invited to review your offer or submit your best and final offer, so the seller can make a decision as to which offer to accept.

Fingers crossed.

When your offer is accepted, you'll need to employ a solicitor / conveyancer. This legal specialist will manage any negotiations to do with the purchase of the property on your behalf. They'll check all the paperwork is in order and look after the details of the contract for you.

Most people hire a chartered surveyor, too. The surveyor will do a full survey of the property, highlighting any possible problems that might need looking at. There are two types of survey you can buy; a homebuyer's report and a building survey.

Below are just some of the fees to be aware of:

The exchanging of contracts is carried out on your behalf by your solicitor and is the point at which the sale becomes legally binding. In order to exchange, you will need to have signed the contract and transferred a non-refundable deposit to your solicitor, which is usually 10%.

If you pull out of the sale after contracts have been exchanged, you will forfeit your deposit. If you paid less than 10% deposit, the seller can still seek to claim the full 10% from you if you break the contract.

The contract will state the completion date, which you will have agreed with the seller, so at this point, you can start organising the practical side of your move.