Many people aspire to work their way up the property ladder in the hopes of one day owning their dream home. This traditional route often sees homeowners start off small buying a cheap first house before progressing to buy larger, more expensive homes.
But whether it's down to the state of the economy or unprecedented life events, climbing the property ladder doesn't always work out exactly as planned. Some people have to take several steps back and start again in order to move forward, which is how Clare, 45, ended up buying her beloved character cottage in Ashton-under-Lyne.
The mum-of-one spoke to us as part of the Where I Live series. Each week we chat to a different homeowner across Greater Manchester about their home-buying journey, the costs involved and how they've renovated to make their house a home.
