WHEN HIS & HERS FIRST EXPERIENCED HOUSE HUNTING, IT INVOLVED TRAIPSING FROM ESTATE AGENT TO ESTATE AGENT AND PAINSTAKINGLY EXPLAINING WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR. GETTING COLD AND WET AND BEING TOLD THAT THE KIND OF PROPERTIES YOU WERE INTERESTED IN WERE ‘LIKE HENS’ TEETH’ IN YOUR AREA WAS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION.

These days, of course, there are a lot more leading digital companies offering house sellers a better deal and buyers a much more convenient way of searching for every single relevant property in their area without needing to lift a finger, or even put down their cup of tea.

This week, we’ve been checking out properties in the North West (because it’s cold and wet and frankly we have no embarrassment about cheering ourselves up by daydreaming about where we might want to live once we’ve made our millions in publishing!)

If you’re house hunting this month, too, here are our top tips:

• If you’re moving for work and you’re not 100% sure that you’re in love with the area, don’t feel pressured into buying on the basis that it’s a better investment. Renting while you get a feel for the area to make sure it’s somewhere that you want to put down roots could be a good decision in the short-term, and will take the pressure off in terms of decision making.

• Just as those January sales bargains aren’t really a good buy unless you’re snapping up something you’d want at full price, the investment opportunities in ‘up-and-coming’ areas where estate agents assure you your money will go so much further aren’t really a better investment at all unless you’re pretty sure that you can learn to love the location.

• If you’ve fallen in love with a property, but it needs a lot of work, try to be honest with yourself about whether you could live with some of the previous owners’ interior design decisions for a while, or whether you’ll find yourself compelled to tear out the kitchen or bathroom in month one. Being realistic about how long you’d be happy to wait before revamping your new home will help you to be more accurate about your budget for the coming months.

We really hope you’ve enjoyed reading this feature. For similar articles, please visit our lifestyle page. In the meantime, we’ll be wishing you happy house hunting from the His & Hers team!

With thanks to property search engine, Mitula. Image courtesy of: South Sound Magazine.