It’s the holy grail of house buying – finding and reserving the perfect forever home for you and your family to enjoy.

But despite our good intentions, sourcing and purchasing an ideal property can often be a tricky, not to mention a stressful and long drawn-out business.

So how do you go about sourcing a dream property? Is there a way to make things easier and speed up procedures? And what should you bear in mind when you’re looking to buy?

Here, Ann Wild, Sales Advisor at Morris Homes’ Waters Edge site, shares her checklist for success.

Location, Location, Location Before you start looking at individual properties, consider which location will be best for you, not just now but as you grow older.

I always advise customers to do some research around transport links – how close are you to essential road networks and motorways and what is the public transport system like? Are there bus services close by? Is the area served by a mainline train station?

Schools and other amenities – including shops, bars, restaurants and leisure facilities – are also important and will be a positive feature if you want to sell the property in future.

Green spaces or other local attractions can also add value and make a location more desirable.

At the same time it can be wise to invest in an area that is ‘up and coming’, so about to become more desirable and profitable in future.

The arrival of new housing developments can themselves hasten this process and become part of wider regeneration plans.

Decide on Your Development Once you have chosen a broad location, shop around for the kind of development that will suit you.

Consider house types, layout and owner types. If you have small children, you might want to live close by to other young families. If you are downsizing or investing in your first home you may want somewhere quieter.

Many developments offer landscaped and maintained public spaces or playground facilities. Find out more about these and how close they are to your potential property.

Is a view important? A canal-side development, like Morris Homes’ Waters Edge, can provide homes with stunning, open vistas, something family members and future buyers will always appreciate.

Making it Work For You Choosing a new build property brings many advantages, especially when it comes to achieving greater energy efficiency and low running costs.

The flexible modern layouts offered – designed to reflect the way people live today – can be hugely attractive too.

Experienced house builders, like Morris Homes, offer a wide range of versatile interiors to meet the needs of modern families.

At Waters Edge there is a comprehensive range of two bedroom apartments and three and four bedroom mews and detached homes, all with varying layouts to choose from.

It’s worth making a list of any interior ‘must-haves’ before you begin your search considering things like the number of bathrooms required and how you plan to use living space. Do you want individual kitchen and dining spaces, or a single, larger area? What kind of storage space do you require? Is a garage essential?

Speak to your builder about the type of properties and the fixtures and fittings available to see how they can help match you with a dream home.

Be Flexible About Finance Most people will appreciate advice about funding options and Morris Homes work with independent mortgage advisors to provide the best quality advice.

As well as reviewing individual circumstances, they can deliver expert guidance around a wide range of purchasing options to make buying a home easier than ever.

Check with your house builder to see if you qualify for schemes including Help to Buy, Part Exchange or easy mover packages.

A Date for the Diary Most buyers will have a target for completion – a date they’d love to move in. Moving dates can also change so it is worth bearing this in mind when planning.