Would-be house buyers are demanding properties on quiet roads, close to transport links and near good primary schools.

“It is common for buyers to request a ‘quiet road’ and not a main one when looking for the perfect home,” Adele Brown, sales and marketing director at estate agents Seymour Green, told Your Mortgage.

“As primary school places throughout the UK are restricted the entry criteria is strict with specific guidelines in place relating to distance. Therefore the closer the property is to the school gates the higher in value it will be.”

Brown said for professional clients, being located close to transport was important, particularly if they had a long journey to a neighbouring town or city.

“There appears to be a ‘golden rule’ about transport which is if the property is within a ten minute walk to the nearest optimal transport link that’s fine but any further than that is undesirable,” added Brown. “This is often because professionals can have a sizeable journey anyway and so to add on ten minutes is doable but more than that just eats into personal time.”

“If the property is looking tired and in need of work find out if the work is cosmetic or structural,” she adds. “The difference between tarting somewhere up with new wallpaper, carpets etc versus roof repairs can be pricey. Nevertheless finding a ‘run down’ property could be the one that gets you on the ladder.”