Property expert Myra Butterworth replies: Buying your first home can be a daunting prospect.

There are so many things to think about, from how much money you will need to where - and in what sort of property - you want to live.

If you can make sure you get the first steps rights, you will be on your way to a successful purchase.

So before you make a serious start, we ask some property experts for their views on what questions you need to ask yourself at the outset. 

Buying agent Henry Pryor suggests these three key questions:

How much money do I have? 

It sounds obvious but half of all house-hunters go looking without actually having the money to threaten an estate agent with. 

Get your finances sorted and arrange a mortgage in principle rather than relying on a widget on a website.

What are my 'anchor points'?

Where are my friends, job, gym or social life? Look for a home that relates to these things rather than just being fashionable.

You almost certainly won't be able to afford the best location, but maybe your life doesn't demand it.

Working from home may mean you can commute much greater distances because you only do so two days a week.

What could I live with?

What do other people dislike that I could live with? For example, do trains or planes bother you? Lots of people would pay to live away from them. 

Do you need to be near a station to commute? Homes in these areas are more expensive.

And if you don't have kids, do you need to pay to be in a school catchment area? Why pay for things that other people want, if you don't need them or they don't bother you. Why not go for the homes that people don't want, but that would suit you.

Remember the Boy Scout motto - 'be prepared'. Buying a house should be the ultimate retail experience, and it only gets a reputation for being as much fun as your grandmother's funeral because people don't prepare.

Like everything in life, if it hurts you're doing it wrong. Get a solicitor who will act for you. Get the money ready. Polish up your credit file. Work out what you actually want. 

You'll find an army of people who will want to do business with you and because you look serious, they'll treat you seriously.

North London estate agent Jeremy Leaf had these suggestions: 

When to move It is not so much about the first step, but 'steps' plural, as there are many things to consider when buying a home.

Timing is one of those things: what is the latest comfortable date for moving in, as this will determine when and where you start.

Location

Then, you need to consider the accommodation you require and location - where would suit your commute if you have one, your work and your lifestyle?

If you work from home at least some of the time, you may need a home office. If you work in an office or at a different location for at least part of the week, how convenient is it to get there? 

Also what about your family life, do you want or need to live close to family and friends?

Time horizon

How long do you anticipate living there, and will that accommodation still meet your requirements in two, three, five or even ten years ahead? 

How flexible does it need to be to meet your continuing requirements?

What can you afford? 

Then you need to consider cost and affordability, which is clearly just as important as all of the above.

How much can you comfortably afford to pay on your mortgage, and can you get help from family with a deposit?

What will you comfortably be able to afford, building in your own buffers in anticipation of interest rates potentially rising further, and taking into account any criteria imposed by the lender, assuming you need a mortgage.

You may want to speak to a whole-of-market mortgage broker who can give you a broad idea as to how much you can borrow and what it would cost.

When you have answered all of those questions, you might want to start looking at locations. What compromises do you need to make, bearing in mind that very few properties will tick every box? 

When you have concentrated on, or drilled down, to an area that you may be comfortable in, then think about the type of property and how much it will cost over the next few years at least by going in with your eyes open in terms of service charges, repairs required etc.

A survey or condition report will help answer your questions, while there is plenty of information about the use and value of property available on the internet without the need to spend any money.

Whether you're having beef, lamb or even chicken, no Sunday roast is complete without a Yorkshire pudding. 

Recently named Britain's most treasured regional delicacy, this delectable cup of cooked batter can be the trickiest item on the plate to get right. 

Even chefs at top restaurants and pricey gastro pubs have been known to mess them up. 

And is there anything worse than a Yorkshire Pudding that's too flat, too dry or simply stone cold?

To mark National Yorkshire Pudding Day today, we have provided a step by step guide for making the perfect Yorkie, according to science. 

The RSC's recipe strictly requires plain flour – not self raising flour, which has baking powder added to it. 

In fact, no baking powder or bicarbonate of soda should be added at all to the mix, because this can actually result in flatter, deflated puddings that haven't risen properly. 

'One of the theories is that they will make the batter rise too quickly before the gluten has time to strengthen the mix and will then collapse,' British food technologist and Yorkie fan Elizabeth Head 

Also, bicarb can turn the batter too 'cakey' or increase the risk of burning, according to RSC. 

For the liquid, RSC claims chefs should use 92 per cent milk and 8 per cent water, rather than just milk as commonly done in the country's kitchens. 

The extra moisture from the water leads to lighter, puffier Yorkies, because the movement of the steam created by the heat encourages them to puff upwards. 

No less important are the eggs, which also add moisture and act as an emulsifier, allowing the ingredients bind together. 

Two eggs should be enough for a batch of six puddings, along with 250ml of the liquid (230ml milk and 20ml water), 85g of plain flour and half a teaspoon of salt. 

Once the batter is whipped to a thin consistency similar to single cream, it must be kept at room temperature – not be placed in the fridge. 

'Batter needs to be room temperature so that when it hits the hot oil you get a better rise. 

'As the batter hits the hot oil it is easier for the oil to heat a room temperature batter than a really cold batter. 

'A cold mix will not rise as well and you will have a dense pudding.' 

Following these steps correctly should result in Yorkshire puddings that are at least four inches (10cm) tall; any shorter than that and they are not technically Yorkshire puddings, RSC claims.

One of the most important tips is not opening the door of the oven as the Yorkies cook, as they could deflate from the cooler room temperature air, according to Mrs Head. 

Of course, the perfect Yorkshire pudding recipe will vary from chef to chef.  

Heston Blumenthal, known for his scientific approach to cooking and gastronomy, published a recipe for the perfect Yorkshire pudding in his latest book, 'Is This A Cookbook?' 

He says 'properly hot oil' is the key to a great Yorkshire pudding, and he opts for vegetable oil because it has a high smoke point (RSC suggests using beef dripping for the same reason, while Mrs Head opts for lard).   

The incredibly hot fat not only cooks the batter quickly, but provides a protective layer that helps prevent the batter from sticking to the pan, Blumenthal says. 

Just 0.2-inch (5mm) of oil should be placed in each hole of a Yorkshire pudding tray before being pre-heated at 230°C/446°F. 

Just like many of Britain's most treasured dishes, the exact origins of the Yorkie are unclear, although the consensus is it was always associated with the north of England. 

According to Hazel Flight, a nutritionist at Edge Hill University in Lancashire, the dish was originally known simply as a 'batter' or 'dripping pudding'.

The prefix 'Yorkshire' was first added in 1747, in the bestselling cookbook 'The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Simple' by cookery writer Hannah Glasse, a Londoner.

Back then, it was always served as a separate course before the main meal, usually with gravy made from the juices of the roast joint. 

Yorkshire housewives served Yorkshire pudding before the meal so that they would eat less of the more expensive main course. 

As for why it was even called 'pudding' in the first place, originally puddings weren't always meant to be sweet like we know them today. 

The word 'pudding' comes from the French word 'boudin', which in turn comes from the Latin 'botellus' – both words for small sausages. 

In medieval England, use of the word 'pudding' likely referred to the sausage when it came encased in the batter. 

But in years to come, the name 'pudding' remained even in absence of the meat.