Mortgage news

The cost of climbing from the first to the second step of the housing ladder has more than doubled in the past decade, a new report has found.

New figures from mortgage lenders give further signs of a housing market upturn.

The number of first-time buyers managing to secure mortgage deals rose by a fifth in March, thanks to Government measures to get the market moving, according to lenders.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors says April saw the number of inquiries from would-be buyers hit their highest level since November 2009.

Requiring estate agents to pass compulsory competency tests would boost first-time buyers' confidence, experts are claiming.

House prices rose again in April, suggesting the property market is finally beginning to pick up.

Record-low interest rates are helping owners stay in their homes.

Half of home owners on interest-only mortgages won't have enough money to pay their loans back, warns a regulator.

The housing market received a boost in March when mortgage approvals improved.

Property sales in excess of £1 million have bucked the economic trend and soared to a five-year high, it has emerged.