Stage 1 checklist

That's the groundwork. The point of this stage was never to have everything sorted, it was to make the rest of the process legible so nothing catches you out. Here's the test.

Can you answer these?

1. 1How buying property could benefit you specifically, and what it would cost you.
2. 2Your why, and roughly when you're aiming for.
3. 3The buying process at a high level, from savings to settlement.
4. 4What you'd need to do to be financially ready, and where you are against that.
5. 5Which government schemes you're likely to qualify for.
6. 6What other support, if any, is realistically available to you.
7. 7What a mortgage is, how repayments work, and which features you'd want.
8. 8The costs of buying and owning, up front and ongoing.

If a few of those are shaky

Go back to that chapter rather than pressing on. Stage 2 assumes this material, and the money you save by understanding it is larger than anything you'll negotiate off a purchase price later.

Ready?

Stage 2 is about getting prepared: assembling the people you'll need, getting to pre-approval, learning your market, and understanding what you're actually looking at. Go to Stage 2.