The process of buying a house can be a long and laborious process.

Countless visits to estate agents, visits to unsuitable properties and the general insecurity that comes with committing to, and moving into a new property.

But a growing band of top-end buyers are turning to property search agents in order to eliminate the traditional trek around houses.

The service of a property search agent doesn't come cheap, with retainer fees ranging from £500 to £3000 as well as a percentage commission payment.

But the services they offer can be invaluable to some buyers, allowing the opportunity to gain advice on the local housing market to find properties within their mortgage budget, as well as helping potential buyers to locate properties that might not find their way onto the open market.

Such services can also help buyers to save a little money on the value of the property, as well as allowing more time to sort out other details including mortgages.

Most property finders have a two-tier charging structure, usually involving a sign up fee and a commission payment upon a successful purchase.

Property finder services can be useful in helping to search the market at difficult periods, especially when prices are rising and mortgage rates are increasing.

For those considering hiring a buying agent, it's important to select those specialising in the local area. Most will advertise in the local paper or have a company website.

If you'd rather not hire a property buyer, there are other methods which could help you locate hard-to-find properties within your price range.

One of these methods involves signing up for a property auction alert service, which can deliver e-mail alerts of properties for sale at auction in set areas, as well as detailed analysis of previous properties on sale and their sale prices in that area.