You'll undoubtedly realise that buying into the housing market is likely to be the biggest single investment you'll ever make. So entering the "Land of the Homeowner" might seem a tad scary. Well, it doesn't need to be. Promise! You're just buying your own place - that's all - and it's really not that difficult once you know how all the pieces fit together.

Our step-by-step guide will help you get your foot on to the housing ladder. What follows should answer most of your preliminary questions, as well as encourage you to ask a few more in the right places. It's the sort of stuff that we think you should know about right from the start.

Here's a quick checklist of the main stages you need to go through.

• Determine how much you can borrow
• Determine how much you can afford
• Start house hunting
• Decide on the sort of mortgage you want
• Find a mortgage provider
• Agree a mortgage in principle, and obtain a mortgage certificate
• Find and appoint a solicitor
• Decide on the property you want
• Double-check all your estimated payments
• Make an offer for your desired property
• Get a survey done, if necessary
• Sort out any additional insurance, contact utility suppliers & removal men etc.
• Agree contract terms with the seller
• Exchange contracts and pay a deposit to the seller
• Complete final paperwork, pack the cat etc.
• Completion and moving day

But the first question many people have is… how long will the whole process take?

Unfortunately, the answer is "it depends". The average amount of time is reckoned to somewhere between four and five months as the laws governing home buying in this country are somewhat outdated. There have been moves to streamline the process, such as the Homeowners Information Pack due to be introduced in June 2007, but for the moment we are stuck with the current, cumbersome system.

One of the best ways to shorten the amount of time it takes to move is to be prepared and to do a little homework beforehand. And that is what this series of articles is all about. Another top tip is to try and avoid situations where there is a long "chain" of buyers and sellers, as no moves can take place until everyone's paperwork is in order.