Adrian had returned to London after working in Barcelona for 15 years and had decided to lay down some roots and buy a home.

But he was stunned when he saw the level of house prices in the capital .

“It is incredible! For what I am facing paying for a two or three bedroom terraced house in London, I could buy a villa near Barcelona with a pool and an acre of land.”

Adrian was looking to buy a small railway cottage or mews style house in Wandsworth in south London.

But the going rate for such a property was between 400,000 and half a million pounds.

“I have some savings to call on but I will still need a hefty mortgage, I am not prepared to over-extend myself.”

‘Appalling’ service

As his search for a home got underway, Adrian quickly became disillusioned with the treatment he got from estate agents.

Experts say house hunters should start their mortgage search early

“I have been appalled at the level of service I have received - the local agent has a virtual monopoly on the area I am looking in.

“The sales people are pushy, increase your offer to suit them and then do not pass on the offer in a reasonable time to the seller.”

As Adrian’s house hunting gathered pace, his thoughts turned to securing a mortgage.

Getting the right deal was a key objective. He was looking for a mix of flexibility - with the potential to overpay - and a low rate.

Adrian’s tactic of sorting out his mortgage early won the approval of Simon Holdsworth from Towry Law mortgages.

“All too often house buyers start the search for a mortgage after they have had their offer accepted only to find that either they have been over optimistic as to what they can borrow or even that they can in fact afford more,” he said.

He taking advice early and sorting out the finance before starting to make offers.

Hopes raised…

After viewing more than dozen properties Adrian began to home in on his dream cottage.

Adrian’s top house hunting tips Decide on a budget and stick to it Do not set your heart on a place as there is good chance you will not get it Sort out the mortgage at the start of the process Have a thorough survey carried out do not just rely on the one the mortgage company does Keep in touch with your solicitor and estate agent, do not let the buying process slide

But it was by no means a journey.

At one point he had his heart set on a property, and the signs seemed promising.

“I had put in an offer and according to the estate agent I was the highest bidder,” he said.

Adrian had one key advantage which should have swung the deal in his favour - he was not in a chain and did not have to sell before he could buy.

“I am ready to move within a few days, I thought that was a real negotiating advantage,” he said.

…and then dashed

However, this was before the Bank of England Monetary Policy surprise move to cut interest rates in February.

The rate cut was widely tipped to breathe new life into the London property market which has shown signs of weakening.

“The same day as the rate cut the seller decided my offer was not good enough, I upped it a little but I was determined not to be bounced into paying over the odds.”

In the end, after numerous calls, Adrian reluctantly gave up on the home, but perhaps this was for the best.

“The next day I saw a property which was much better all round. It was bright, modern and above all more tastefully decorated than the one I had been rejected for.”

Adrian put an offer in and waited.

More expense

His offer was accepted, meaning he then had to consider getting a survey of the house done.

I had no idea of the hassles I would face making sure that all the parties were on board to make the move possible Adrian Plant

Some first-time buyers skimp on survey costs in order to scrape together enough money for a deposit.

“More than eight out of 10 homebuyers rely solely on the mortgage valuation survey,” Jeremy Leaf housing, spokesman for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), told BBC News Online

“However, often a mortgage valuation survey does not involve a close examination of key areas such as the roof space or drains.”

Mr Leaf recommended that Adrian arrange a full building’s survey - particularly as the property he was looking at dated from Victorian times.

“With properties this age it is best to be safe than sorry. A full survey could be carried out for just over 500.”

Frustration

When the offer on the cottage was accepted, Adrian aimed to move in within a month.

But his target proved over optimistic, and in the end it was three months before he finally got the keys in his hand.

So what went wrong?

“Little niggles at every turn, friends had warned me that it would take longer than I had anticipated but I had no idea of the hassles I would face making sure that all the parties were on board to make the move possible.”

Firstly, the structural survey on the Victorian property revealed that there was rising damp in some of the timbers.

Taking the approach that it was better to be safe than sorry, Adrian put the move on hold while he had the damp checked out.

Then the move nearly collapsed as Adrian’s solicitors were waiting for paperwork confirming that the double-glazed extension at the back of the property had full planning permission from the local council.

Home at last

“Having lived in Spain I have some experience of how they go about buying and selling homes, I think the English system is much more pernickety and almost designed to run into problems,” Adrian said.

“Primarily I have bought a home not an investment, if I get back what I paid for it in five years time then so be it, I would have had a great time.”

All in all, Adrian feels he was left wiser by his house move experience.

“I think I did things right - I got mortgage advice before starting to house hunt, I have kept up contact with all parties and I haven’t let the move slide. it has been a difficult process.”