Ignoring recent meteorological conditions, the ice age that has befallen the housing market for the past 6 years, is showing tentative signs of thawing (according to some recent newspaper reports). Is it? I read with interest that Savilles Estate Agency has put forward its mainstream forecast of a 0.5% rise in house prices this year under review, whilst the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors is looking at whether its should scale up its predictions of 2% growth in 2013. The article gave cause for thought because it was full of addresses and postcodes that have no relevance to a family living in South Wales. I am not surprised that estate agents based in Kent had three viewings on a new instruction on the first day of listing; when they point out that the recent opening of the high speed rail link to London had made a huge difference, bringing the property into the commuter belt. Fulham, Battersea, Clapham, Oxford, Folkestone and Northumberland bear little resemblance to Pontypool, Bettws, Ringland, Greenmeadow or even the more up-market parts of Newport. Here at Cheshire and Co we have definitely seen more activity but properties with a £4 million asking price are not representative of the housing market as a whole. As always, the right property, in the right location, at the right price will find a buyer.
