Anyone who has ever tried to buy a house will tell you that it is one of the most challenging things you are likely to do. I (1) ___ at houses online for ages before I worked up the courage to go to an estate agent and begin my search in earnest.

• had looked

• had been looking

• looked

• was looking

I was fortunate to find an agent who was both very knowledgeable and extremely honest. Before working with her, I (2) ___ of buying a charming cottage with shining floorboards, a view of the countryside and all the latest mod cons. She soon brought me down to earth, however.

• would dream

• would have dreamed

• have dreamed

• am dreaming

‘The house you are dreaming of is not affordable with the size of mortgage you can take (3) ___,’ she explained. ‘You need to decide what is necessary, and what you can do to improve a house after you’ve bought it.’

• out

• on

• along

• in

As we looked at houses, she (4) ___ me that the things I didn’t like could be changed. It drove me crazy, but in the end it was what I needed to hear.

• always reminds

• always has reminded

• had always reminded

• was always reminding

The house I eventually bought was in need of some minor repairs, and was smaller than I would have liked, but its position on a narrow country (5) ___, and the large, well-maintained garden behind it, convinced me to go for it, and now I have no regrets at all.

• highway

• street

• lane

• track

Choose the ODD one out.

• bare

• unfurnished

• run-down

• sparsely decorated

• cottage

• altany

• shed

• gazebo

They live in an area with a high-crime rate, so they have had a __________ (burgle) alarm installed.

• cramped

• cosy

• cluttered

• quaint

It would be a shame to cover these beautiful wooden floors with a__________ (fit) carpet!