If you're in the market for your first property, it can all seem a little overwhelming. But as with all things in life, knowledge is power. That’s where mortgage brokers come in handy.

If you’ve been thinking about buying a fixer-upper because you want to “save money,” be careful.

The standard homebuying advice is “only buy as much home as you need.” Makes sense, right? If a newly married couple is shopping for their first home, for example, a two-bedroom bungalow might be a smarter choice than a four-bedroom ranch house.

Buying a home is often a long process that starts with looking at your options and deciding which ones are worth visiting, and eventually which one is worth making an offer on. What questions did you ask during your house hunt?

Anyone who has bought a home will tell you: it can be a long, drawn-out process. Sometimes what seems like a done deal, even going into escrow, can backfire and you have to start shopping for a home all over again. For the sake of your finances and your loan, hold off any moving plans until all the closing documents are officially signed.

Depending on your credit scores, applying for a mortgage without your spouse or partner could save you a ton of money.

If you live in a big city, chances are, home prices can vary quite a bit depending on the neighbourhood. If you're looking to buy a home, you want to make sure everyone you work with -- from your agent to your appraiser -- is highly familiar with the area you want to live in.

When you're trying to sell your home, you want to squeeze as much value out of it as you can. Some upgrades, like a kitchen remodel, can maximise your value, but they're also time-consuming and expensive. Here are a few simpler, cheaper upgrades you can make.

Paint can transform the entire look of a room -- so much, in fact, that it can actually affect your home's value. Zillow studied tens of thousands of sold homes around the US to see how the paint colours of certain rooms affected the home's sale price.

When you're shopping for a new home, you'll go to quite a few open houses. While you're touring a house, make note of these important features.

From picking an agent to scheduling inspections to closing on your loan, the homebuying process can be a complicated one. There are many steps along the way, and a lot can go wrong in that time. If you've been there, we want to hear from you.