Purchasing property is one of the most exciting things that you can do in your life.

Making the change to upgrade, downgrade or invest represents a significant milestone in many people's lives that they are fulfilling their dreams.

Many buyers we work with often find it difficult to decide if they should sell first or buy first.

This mainly relates to the fear of not having anywhere to go, should you sell your own home, and later on, what are we going to do if someone else buys the house we want?

The key question here is, what stage of life are you at?

Are you adventurous and prepared to accept risk or would you prefer to have everything sorted?

We often recommend that should you not be able to find the perfect home, that you sell your own so that you know how much you have to spend.

You can then rent a temporary property until you find the perfect one to move into, this helps to reduce the risk.

Have you seen the home that you want? If you're not in a financial position to purchase it, it can cause undue stress and pressure. Buying a property should be fun and exciting.

The best way to avoid the situation is to work out the buying and selling costs and then step out the next actions, from obtaining finance, locating the perfect property to buy and the current market value of your own home.

As professional real estate agents we can assist by using one of our buy and sell assessment worksheets, making the process that little bit easier.

At the end of the day it is your decision. Sometimes people make the choice to stay where they are, but this can simply delay the inevitable. Keep moving forward.

Amber Werchon is the REIQ Salesperson of the Year 05 - 07 and her team is Number One for Ray White Queensland. They can be contacted through Ray White Maroochydore on 5475 0250 and would love to help you.