Negotiate the Property Maze

Buying a home is the biggest purchase most people will ever make. It can be a confusing business, especially when prices are soaring. As the government tries to clean up the mortgage market, BBC News Online presents a round-up of the issues we have covered, from financial scams to successful house-hunting.

The Mortgages Jungle
Buyers who do their homework can save thousands of pounds on a mortgages. So the government issues a checklist of questions to ask before choosing a mortgage.

Website promises 'best mortgage'

Online mortgage market takes off

Endowments probe ruled out

Crackdown on tie-ins

Are mortgages a rip-off?

Top lenders shamed for scams

New standards for lenders

Crackdown on lenders

Consultation on legislation begins

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Homing in on a Special Agent
We love to loathe them but most of us buy a home through an estate agent. Do estate agents earn their money and are there other ways of house-hunting?

Finding a house with your Mouse

Homes - a working divide

Sellers' information packs plan

Rip-off estate agents warned

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Housing: a bust to come?
As property prices rise at 30% a year, it's good news for those who already own a home but frightening for first-time buyers. Are houses a good investment?

Housebuyers priced out of the market

No end to housing boom

Bust like the old days?

Buy-to-let: the pros and cons

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Homeowners hit by rate rise
An interest rate rise can make all the difference between affording that dream home or not - but interest rates are famously unpredictable.

Interest rates up 0.25%

Interest rate guessing game

Why mortgages stay up

House prices 'could rise 35%'