If you are a young man or woman looking to move out of your parent’s home for the first time then you will be no doubt nervous and a little wary of the best way to go about it. The first thing you will need to do, of course, is decide whether you want to buy or rent your first home.

Chances are you won’t have a big enough deposit to buy your own home, so you will be renting a property. This is actually a relatively simple process so don’t worry yourself too much.

First of all, decide where you would like to live. If you’re staying in your hometown this will be much easier – it is then just a matter of picking an area you know and like (and one that is far enough away from your parents so you can live your own life but close enough that they’re around if you need them!).

Once you’ve done that, you need to find a letting agent. Choose one in or close to your preferred area. The internet can really help here. Do a search for “letting agents Manchester” for example, and you’ll soon find four or five you can contact.

Ask for a list of available properties in your price range from the two or three that reply to your require the fastest. Those that are slow to respond are likely to be unreliable so this is a good indication of which letting agents you can trust.

Once you have your lists, look through the details and the pictures and narrow your selection down to four or five properties that really appeal to you. They could be houses, flats or apartments – just make sure you can afford them easily, as you don’t want to stretch your budget on a rented property.

Contact the relevant letting agent or agents and arrange to view the properties you’ve chosen. When you are at each one ask questions about the property itself, such as any faults they know about, the neighbours, the local amenities such as shops and transport and anything else you want to know to feel comfortable. The agent is there to provide you with as much information as you need to make a decision on the property.

By know you’ll know which property you want to live in and you can fill in an application form. You will be asked for various bits of information concerning your employer, your salary, any references you might have – this is all perfectly normal, so don’t worry. Just answer the questions honestly and provide any paperwork or contact details the letting agent asks for as this will make the process shorter and easier.

Once your references have been checked and it has been determined that you can afford the rent and bills the letting agency will give you the keys and you are free to move in to your first home. Congratulations!

It is possible that you are in a position to buy rather than rent your first property, in which case the process is not hugely different to letting. You will need to arrange a mortgage with a bank or broker so you know what you can afford based on what you earn but after that it is simply a case of finding some estate agents to help you find the right property. Again, a search online for “estate agents Manchester” will do the trick.

Then you look at various properties until you find the right one, just as you would if you were renting. Once you have found your favourite property you can make an offer on it.

This is where things get a little different as the process will take much longer than renting, you’ll need a solicitor to carry out conveyancing and process the purchase. It could be three months before you eventually get the keys from the estate agent so be prepared for that.

Eventually though you will own your first home and will have taken your first step on the property ladder. Congratulations to you!

Author Bio: Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Shepherd Gilmour, specialist letting agents Manchester.

Category: Advice
Keywords: property to rent, property to let, letting property, renting property