This advice was given to me by my brother, who has moved house successfully three or four times. It might not be appropriate for everyone, but he reckons its a really good way of reducing the stress in homebuying.

His theory is house buying would be simple if you didnt have to worry about two transactions at once, namely someone buying your house and you buying another one. So he suggests intentionally breaking the chain to give your self half the work

Top Tip:

Consider selling your property and renting or staying with relatives for a short period before purchasing again. This gives you the advantage of being able to focus on getting best value for your property, without the pressure of having to compromise if you are under more pressure to complete on the property you are buying. Similarly this gives you time and space to consider your next purchase - and a cash buyer is always more attractive when someone wants to sell, for reasons of speed and certainty.

Obviously this tip isnt for everyone, and it may be that are larger family or one with small children would encounter the stress of moving twice, but ultimately it has given my brother contro over the biggest purchase he has been involved in