Getting on the property ladder is a dream for many people, with it seemingly impossible sometimes to save up a deposit while often having to pay rent at the same time. And it's even tougher at the moment with interest rates on the rise.
But one woman has shown that it can be done with good money management, along with sacrifices along the way. Sarah Yates managed to buy her first home aged just 24 - and she did it alone.
Sarah, now 27, spoke to the M.E.N as part of its Where I Live series, where each week it hears from a different homeowner to find about their home-buying journey, the costs involved and look at how they've made their home their own. Sarah from Stockport, was eager to save money from a young age, starting to put money aside ever since getting her first job delivering newspapers aged 14.
