Owning a multi-million pound mansion is a goal that might be on many people's bucket lists, but it's out of reach for most of us. But for a lucky few it's achievable with hard work, or luck, or simple initiative and passion - and there's always the lottery.
Serial entrepreneur Mat Rees, 43, spoke to us as part of our Where I Live series, where each week we take our readers inside a different home in the north west to look around, find out how much it cost and hear all about the homeowner's journey that got them to where they are today.
In February this year, Mat and his partner bought a stunning £3,550,000 five-bed property in Wilmslow, Cheshire, which sits in a sought-after gated community popular with celebrities. But climbing up to the top of the property ladder - and the process to owning their dream home - wasn't exactly smooth sailing.
