Sort out your finances: Part 5, buy a house

Estate agents and banks have conspired to spoil the house-buying party over the past few years. If the banks will lend it, the agents can charge it. Simple. Until it all goes wrong. So here's hoping that when these professions get their own houses back in order, and common sense returns, houses will become affordable again.

And that's vital if you're following our eight-point plan to financial salvation. Because at number five is: buy a house - if you want to live in a house and can afford it, that is. Renting is fine, but do you really want to still have to pay the rent when you're retired and your only source of income is a pat on the back from the boss of the local charity shop, where you work part-time? 

There are various ways to do it. The Germans for instance tend to rent and save then buy when they retire. The Brits tend to buy and then talk about it at dinner parties until they retire. And that's when they really start talking about it. Whatever you choose, you can't buy a house in your lunchbreak but you can bookmark a few sites for when you're ready.

Absolutely don't miss if you're thinking of buying
>> Mortgage guides
>> Find a mortgage
>> Mortgage calculators
>> House price news

Useful property finder sites
>> Nestoria
>> Find a Property
>> Prime Location
>> Rightmove
>> Your Property

Nice gimmick
>> Property snake

Discussions
>> This is Money's house price chat
>> housepricecrash.co.uk

Sort our your finances

Part 1 - the will
Part 2 - the credit card debt
Part 3 - the life insurance
Part 4 - the company pension
Part 5 - the house
Part 6 - the emergency savings
Part 7 - the get rich slow plan
Part 8 - the fee-based adviser

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