This is becoming an attractive option to secure a property - but could leave you paying more than £30,000 extra on a home loan. Additionally, with the average age of a first-time buyer now at just over 30, many borrowers could end up saddled with mortgage debt well into their retirement. Aston Carter and his fiancee Emma Shuker opted for a two-year, fixed-rate deal over a 40-year term.

Older borrowers are no longer being overlooked by Britain's biggest mortgage lenders with a move by Nationwide Building Society to increase its upper age for mortgage maturity from 75 to 85. The change comes hot on the heels of Halifax raising its own upper threshold from 75 to 80 last week.

There has been a big rise in the number of first-time homebuyers taking out mortgages with a longer term than the traditional 25 years, as they try to keep up with property prices. This may deliver lower monthly payments but a £150,000 mortgage over 40 years rather than 25 will end up costing £63,000 more.

The property, in Abbey Wood, south-east London, features a lounge (bottom right), a kitchen (top right), one bedroom (bottom left) and a shower room (top left) and is on the rental market for £700 a month. These details would pique the attention of many a struggling renter in the capital - particularly given figures published today that showed tenants typically pay almost £1,600 a month. However, there is quite a substantial catch. This property, in zone four, is a converted garage (centre). At just 7ft 5in, the rooms in the property are quite narrow, and having your neighbour drive in on the other side of the wall while you're watching TV might take some getting used to.

Tougher conditions for the buy-to-let market could backfire and result in amateur landlords selling their properties on to bigger players -  reducing properties available to home movers and first timers. Despite hopes that small landlords selling up in response to tax changes would increase the number of homes on the market, a mortgage expert has warned of the opposite.

The Land Registry data revealed that even in the South East (outside London), where property prices soared more than anywhere last year, suffered a 0.4 per cent dip last month. While annual rates of house price increase are still high in the South east at 10-15 per cent, the figures show a surprise turn for the housing market in a month when prices were expected to surge.

A string of cities across England and Wales are rapidly becoming 'unaffordable hotspots' for first-time buyers. In Brighton, property prices have increased by 463 per cent in the last 20 years, leaving only 9 per cent of homes in the coastal city in the 'affordable' category, compared to 100 per cent in 1995. Across England and Wales, the average cost of a home has risen by around 306 per cent since 1995, with a typical property selling for 5.51 times more than the average first-time buyer's annual pay packet, the Post Office Money Mortgages said.

Steph McGovern, the BBC Breakfast presenter, says the worst financial decision she ever made was investing in property. McGovern, who bought a three-bedroom terrace house in Middlesbrough just before the 2008 financial crash, estimates the home is worth 15 per cent less than she paid for it. She reveals all in Me & my money.

Rising house prices will see the average value of a home in Britain reach £270,000 in 2020, meaning a typical first-time buyer will need to earn a salary of £64,000, according to new research by charity Shelter.

Buying a home is now cheaper than renting in nearly half (48 per cent) of cities in the UK, a bigger proportion than just over a third (36 per cent) in October, property website Zoopla said today. Savings can be upwards of £600 a month in some areas when rental costs are compared with an average monthly mortgage.

Borrowers could be in something of a sweet spot, with lenders keen to lend, house prices rising and a first rate rise still considered a way off. We look at the best mortgage rates and whether now is a good time to fix your home loan.

For many buy-to-let looks an attractive income investment in a time of low rates and stock market volatility. Climbing house prices, rising rents and improving mortgage deals are tempting investors - although they will need a big deposit. Read This is Money's top ten buy-to-let tips

First-time buyers were dangled a new carrot by Chancellor George Osborne in last month's Budget, with a generous bonus available to those who earmark savings in a new Lifetime Isa for a deposit on a first property. The Mail on Sunday outlines the challenges and the lending initiatives designed to make the process of getting on to the property ladder less fraught.

Families who own homes with 'granny flats' could be forced to knock them down if they want to sell their houses after being hit by a new tax. As many as 33,000 homeowners live in properties with a self-contained flat for an elderly relative. Under tax rules introduced yesterday, they will be classed as owning two properties if they try to sell up.

But the 'time to save' report by estate agents Hamptons International found that buying with someone else as a couple typically shaves around 10 years off the time it takes to get on the housing ladder. Couples in London face an eight-year wait to save enough for a deposit, compared with single people who face a wait of around 45 years and nine months, it found. Meanwhile, although the majority of Britons want to own their own home, 'generation rent' is giving up on getting on the property ladder, according to housing charity Shelter.

My sister and I are wondering whether to sell our late mother's house or let it out. If we sold now, would it be liable for capital gains tax? What would be the situation if we sold in ten years' time? Our mother spent the last two years of her life in a care home, so the house wasn't her main home.

The concept of a ransom strip may sound like an urban myth, but It's a serious problem for homeowners, property developers and corporations, as it means they risk a charge of trespassing when they enter or cross the ransom strip.

A greenhouse not only provides a weatherproof outdoor sanctuary but a practical space where you can grow plants that will help you knock hundreds of pounds off your annual grocery bill. Those put off by the expense may find someone local who is willing to donate an old greenhouse for free. It will save the donor the effort of taking it away when no longer required.

A fifth of 25-to-29 year olds still living with their parents, and half of those aged 20-to-24 and one in 10 aged 30-to-34 are also in the same boat, according to new official figures. The ONS research also found young men were more likely to live with their parents. One in three men aged between 20-to-34 were in this category, compared to one in five women.

Houses are expensive. The average home in the UK costs £268,000, according to the Office of National Statistics. Unless you are very wealthy, you are unlikely to be able to buy a home outright. Instead, you can use a mortgage to fund the bulk of the purchase. We explain the essentials.