What style of home is right for you?

What is your budget?

As with any major purchase, budget is the first port of call when discovering which style of home is right for you. Although budget places some restrictions of the type of homes you’ll be looking for, knowing how much you can spend up-front helps you to stay focused and realistic. While certain houses may be out of your price range, there will still be plenty of options within budget, so make sure you’re honest with affordability from the outset. For peace of mind and to show you’re a serious buyer, it’s always worth getting a ‘mortgage in principle’.

Are you willing to do work on your house?

The next big decision when choosing a style of house is agreeing how much work you’re willing to do on it. While you may have to modernise a mid-20th century house - perhaps with a new kitchen and bathroom suite, or by re-plastering the living room - a Victorian or Edwardian property may need more complex structural work to address damp issues or subsidence, for example. At the other end of the scale, a new build home won’t need any renovations, so you can move in without worrying about wholesale improvements. Instead, you can focus your attention on decor, furniture and room layouts to put your own personal stamp on the interior.

Do you have a family, or will you be starting one?

If you have a family, it goes without saying that you’ll need enough space for everyone. But how many bedrooms do you really need? How big should the garden be? If you’re thinking of starting a family, it’s good to have a house that will grow with you, so keep this in mind if you’re planning on staying in your new home for more than two or three years. When looking at houses to buy, pay attention to inbuilt storage solutions that will help to keep your family home in order. From understairs cupboards to utility rooms, it helps to have a well-designed, modern home to stay organised.

Be open-minded

When viewing houses, remember that there’s lots of scope to create a home in a style that works for you. Be open-minded and realistic about what you can and can’t achieve with a lick of paint and a roll of wallpaper, and don’t be afraid of DIY decor and unusual room layouts to really maximise your space and tailor your home to the needs of your family. Whether you’re scouring interior design blogs or finding inspiration on Pinterest, there are plenty of ways to inject your own personality into your new space, so treat your home as a blank canvas and get creative.