For the vast majority of people buying a property for a home will be the biggest financial decision they will ever make, and also the best one. It does seem to be more of a "British" thing than a European one though as a far higher percentage of Europeans are happy to rent their homes and don't see owning a property to be as important as the British do. Sometimes in periodic downturns in the market some people start to wonder if this concept is flawed but just by looking at a few facts we can easily prove that this is not the case.

Worldwide property prices have shown a steady increase in value for decades and will continue to do so. House prices in the UK have risen at an average of 5% year upon year even allowing for some 'housing slumps'. These are always compensated for by the property surges we see on average every 7/8/9 years. 5% down on a 300,000 house is an investment of 15,000. In any given year this house will rise in value by 15,000. Give a stockbroker 15,000 and see if he can guarantee you those profits year on year!

Consider putting 15,000 into your stockbroker's hands and him getting a 5% gain for you which most would consider to be ok. Your profit would be 750. Compared to the average property increase figures previously mentioned it's not too hard to spot the better investment and this is just for an average year. There are periods when we are having a property boom (every 7/8 years or so) and some properties can practically double in value in the space of a couple of years.

There are also some lean times in the property market. Your property could possibly go down in value in the short term even if the overall trend over a period of time will ALWAYS be up.

Here's another example of how the property market is the best and most consistent investment over time. Let's say a semi detached house was worth 80,000 in 1997. The value of that house today would be in the region of 150,000. Your investment in that house could have been as little as 4,000. If yu had invested that 4,000 in the stock market in 1997 you would now be worth around 7,800. Where would you rather have had your money?

The beauty of the property market is that home values tend to increase more or less steadily over the period of time. There are spikes and troughs but these are nowhere near as dramatic as those when you are dealing with stocks and shares. It is a true fact that the housing market has NEVER yet failed to recover from a slump in prices. The British attitude to owning property will always ensure that this remains constant.

As the property owner goes through life and their careers they can upgrade their property at the right time and this can mean their investments can be Tax Free. Profits form a house sale ploughed into a larger house purchase are very ofetn not liable ofr Capital Gains Tax which is a really BIG bonus!

There is no reason to fear home ownership in the market in the current market with all the doom and gloom around. Simply look for the type of property and payment mechanism that you can afford and resist the temptation to use your home for a "bank" when you need money as in an equity line of credit. The home will be by far your best asset in your future financial portfolio and will continue to make you feel secure in your financial future for the rest of your life. Everybody's circumstances are different and a really important task is to make sure you are in the best mortgage for you! There are lots of different mortgage options out there and it can make a massive difference to your lif if the get the best advice for you.

As the economy takes a bit of a slump if you find your finances are getting a bit difficult to handle then a good option is to consider a debt consolidation mortgage. Your monthly outgoings can be significantly reduced by taking this option as opposed to paying other high interest loans and credit card balances.