Property buyer Tracy Kellett on over-inflated house prices, greedy vendors, and whether that 'derisory' offer is really as bad as it looksTracy Kellett works for property buying agents BDI..

More than half of renters are 'trapped' and cannot afford to buy, Rightmove's latest consumer rental forecast saysMore than a quarter of tenants who feel "trapped" in the rental system are..

Buy-to-let mortgages at highest level since 2008 – but tenants and would-be first-time buyers feel the squeezeDemand for buy-to-let mortgages has increased significantly in recent months..

Putting money into community projects could mean the local hydro-electric turbine or a stake in the village pub – and you could get a return on your cash tooPutting money into a community..

Why should I pay a fee to claim £516 worth of dividends due from my Scottish & Southern Energy shares?I received letters from Capita Hartshead Tracing Solutions offering, for a fee of £93..

From a former oast house in Kent to a stately home in Hertfordshire

Financial journalist Edmund Tirbutt, who has been burned by the Bulgarian property market, on why you should stick to FSA-regulated schemesIt felt satisfying to certify myself as a ..

An ordinary, extraordinary seaside resortWhat's going for it? An eternal mystery of the property market drifted through my mind as I gawped at the Southfork-on-steroids at Sandbanks while..

I'm waiting for some post that might have slipped through my redirect, but I'm not convinced I'll ever see itPart four Diary of a landlord: last minute requestsSince moving in to my..

KJ and his pal have a drink while they discuss pensions and debt. But who's paying?

The housing minister has called for the introduction of 30-year mortgages, but those who took up such deals last time around are still paying the priceIn July 2007, when the property market..

CML's chief economist warns that the housing market is likely to weaken over coming months, as it reports figures substantially below historical levelsMortgage lending fell by 2% in..

Three people from the financial services industry say whether they think it is still worth paying into a pension fund. Whom do you agree with?

Insolvency service reports a sharp increase in the hard-selling of unsuitable farmland for property developmentLandbanking scams, where unsuspecting investors are persuaded to buy..

The refusal of many older people to downsize is damaging the prospects of those looking to get on the housing ladderA report that says there are 25m unoccupied bedrooms in England alone..

Persuading older people to downsize their properties after children have flown the nest is a good idea, but the problem is harder to remedy than it looksBefore I'd eaten a mouthful of..

Parents are no longer downsizing after their children leave home, meaning today's families are increasingly locked out of the housing marketForty years ago my parents moved into a smart new..

From a London ecohome to a Georgian mansion in EssexAnna Tims

Q I am about to buy a house with my boyfriend. He is putting up 70% of the deposit and I am providing 30%, and we have agreed – given that we are not married – that a tenancy in common..

Q Our mortgage finishes in 18 months, but it is an endowment with a shortfall of about £12,000. I do not work as I care for my elderly mother, and my partner is self-employed and earns..

September's 5.2% figure will be used to determine rise in state pension and other benefits in April 2012State pension payments is expected to rise by 5.2% in April 2012 in line with..

Latest figures from the Financial Ombudsman Service show that the most complained about financial products include credit cards, current accounts, mortgages and motor insuranceComplaints..

Companies flush with cash forecast to pay out £67bn this yearWestern governments may be sinking under a mountain of debt, but many of Britain's largest companies are flush with cash and..

Shrinking supply and exploding demand means that raw material markets are likely to soar even if the west falls back into recessionDespite stories of copper being nabbed from church roofs..

From a Ludlow wreck to a Cornish tearoom

Every time we put our hands in our pockets we're making a choice. Guardian Money looks at how to be environment-savvy without it costing you the earthNational Ethical Investment Week, which..

Its true beauty is shining through at lastWhat's going for it? I've never seen paving slabs like them. This city is awash in a new carpet of stone, glinting in the autumn sun. Derry (or..

There is no cheap answer to housing but as rent gets more out of reach the state has to find ways for all to afford a homeKen Loach's Cathy Come Home at the British Film Institute last week..

KJ's feeling the squeeze so decides to rent out another room

Hope for first-time buyers as HSBC joins banks and building societies lending to those with small depositsFirst-time buyers are being targeted with a new range of mortgages from HSBC, which..

Number of first-time buyers drops to lowest level for a year as mortgage lenders freeze out those with small depositsThe number of first-time buyers fell in September 2011 to the lowest..

Financial Services Compensation Scheme is contacting advisers who sold Keydata investment productsThe Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) is pursuing independent financial..

Shelter reveals that families are being priced out of the 'out-of-control' rental market in 55% of English local authoritiesFamilies have been priced out of rental property in the majority..

Property tycoons behind One Hyde Park have saved money by moving to cheaper offices … in KnightsbridgeFormer Barclays boss Matt Barrett famously said he never borrowed on his Barclaycard...

From a new build near Whitstable to a period home in CheltenhamJill Insley

The tenant has asked for a few things before she moves in. What exactly is wrong with my beige blinds?Part three Diary of a landlord: a spanner in the worksThe last days of living in my..

Q We are thinking of downsizing and really like the property our son owns. We own our own property outright, which is valued at about £300,000, but my son's property is mortgaged and..

Q I am returning to the UK with my American wife after many years living in the US. We have owned a home in the US but never in the UK, and wondered if we would still qualify as first-time..

Lending for remortgages, first-time buyers and house moves increases as borrowers take advantage of low interest ratesThe mortgage market showed "welcome signs of life" in August,..

Most economists expect house prices to fall further with both Halifax and Nationwide reporting year-on-year falls in house prices in their latest figuresA growing number of homeowners..

With banks reluctant to lend, are there better options out there for small and medium companies looking to expand?Amid the latest round of quantitative easing by the Bank of England there..

The Bank of England base rate has been at 0.5% for more than two years, and savers are suffering. We look at some alternative places to put your moneyIt is now more than two-and-a-half..

If we are suffering a lack of housing, why are there so many empty homes? We want to hear about those near you to find out what went wrong and highlight the issue on a bigger scaleWe're..

This time homeowners and estate agents are asking not whether house prices will fall but just how far and how fastJob losses, banks on the brink and recession knocking at the door. Sound..

Cornwall council offers owners of empty homes option of interest-free loans to bring properties back to use – or compulsory purchase orderA council with one of the biggest housing..

From a beachside wreck to a castle overlooking the Solway Firth

My retirement was rescheduled from April to July after delays in administering a voluntary contribution policyWhile I was in employment, I paid as much as I could afford in voluntary..

The stock market is plunging, but not all funds have fallen with it. We pick the winners and losers among top fund managersThe London stock market has had its worst three months since the..

It's quite the hidden gemWhat's going for it? Cornwall, Cornwall, Cornwall. People are always blethering on about Cornwall. Yes, yes, yes, all very lovely. But while you losers are..

With rents up to £10,000 per month possible new contract clauses are being inserted to kick out tenants for the GamesA four-bedroom house at £8,000 a week? A two-bedroom maisonette for Â..

Fears for old East End neighbourhood as young professionals and penthouses push up Stratford house pricesAs night falls on The Grove in Stratford's town centre, the neon lighting casts a..