Browse your mortgage property prices. No matter how attractive owning rather than renting a property is, buyers should beware of becoming financially overstretched. Or visit the age concern website opens in a new browser window for a guide on raising capital from your home.

Times your joint income, but sometimes, up to 4 times one income, plus the second. Calculate the likely cost of your mortgage repayments opens new window. The value of a company as measured by the total stockmarket price of its shares.

Don’t be put off if a lender refuses you a mortgage or offers you an expensive deal - it’s still worth shopping around. Lenders vary quite a lot in the multiples that are used to work out how much money you can have. Treating your supermarket like a bank.

Capital - critical illness cover. If you're self- employed or have an irregular income, you will usually need to provide the lender with accounts for the last three years. Allow for the fact that interest rates may increase in the future when deciding if you'll be able to afford the payments.