I know it sounds counter intuitive, but dreams can actually get in your way of purchasing a property.

Here's an example of what I mean.

I had a client who had engaged me to find her a two bed home on the south side of Dublin.

Her brief was clear........ Find me a 2 bedroom property with sea views on the Southside of Dublin with a max budget of €1.3m.

So I went ahead and found what I thought was exactly the right property, a really nicely presented large apartment with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, fabulous sea views and a car park space within the budget.

However when my client came to physically view the apartment and she looked at the lovely long sea walks beside it, she realised that she harboured a secret dream to get a dog. This dream didn't actually become clear in her consciousness until she actually started to imagine herself living in a new home.

It seems my client needed to believe that she actually was going to find a new home before allowing herself the luxury of imagining how she'd live to live in it. The only problem was, that the apartment complex didn't allow pets. So this particular dream prevented her buying the property.

So here's a lesson that all of us home buyers can learn from my client's experience.

Forget the actual search process and assume that you have found your home.

As you imagine yourself in your new home, can you think of any dreams that will be more likely to come true as a result of living here?

The kinds of dreams I'm talking about are:

- getting a pet ( dog, hens, cats etc)

- working part time ( eg. your new home will have a smaller mortgage and so allow you flexibility at work)

- having a baby

- growing your own vegetables

- having a workshop for a hobby

- having a separate home office

- making extra income by renting out a room / the basement etc.

By doing all your dreaming now, you can ensure that your property search is fully aligned with your dreams and possibly deeply held desires. Depend on it, these longings and desires will make themselves known sooner or later. The earlier you are aware of them, the less likely they are to pop up at the decision making stage and scupper a purchase.