But now the Spanish authorities are bringing in new property laws, this couple with the credit crunch and the fact that many of the properties over there are on finance, this has all the hallmarks of a property crash waiting to happen.

The question is when is the crash going happen? Soon is the general feeling, but it will not necessarily be a disaster for the retired or holiday home owner, it is the investors and property developers who will be hit hard and of course eventually the Spanish the property market will recover eventually.

Source [Investment Property Rumours]

There are many way tips that are circulating, like having a pot of fresh of coffee or the smell of newly baked bread. However, at the end of the day buyers are looking for the right property at the right price.

If you are a seller, who is looking to get that house sold at the right price and in a reasonable time the points below will assist you in making sure that you have your house in order before the viewer comes round.

Calculate True Costs
Finish All DIY and then Neutralise
Get a Realistic Valuation
Receiving The Right Offer
Home Information Packs or HIPS
Marketing the Property
Conducting Successful Viewings

Source [Right Move]

In fact to completely throw the current property trend right up in the air, according to some sources the actual property prices for the last quarter rose by 1.6%, this makes the average house price in Scotland £172,185!

More to the point, over the year property prices have risen by almost ten per cent and yet the amount of properties being bought or sold has fallen by 27% over the same period.

This just goes to show that an overall national average does not necessarily mean that this would apply to all areas of the country; it just depends on where people are willing to live and even if they can due to work and family commitments.

Source [Ayrshire Scotland Business News]

The couple who have six children have seen their family split up, the children are staying with relatives, because the council have failed to provide adequate accommodation for the family.

Philip and Debbie Galloway found themselves in this position when Philip changed jobs and was not able to keep up the repayments on their mortgage. The council have offered the couple up to ten privately rented houses, but the couple say that these houses are in unacceptable conditions.

In fact, they say that the shed is much better than the houses offered to them and is rent-free too, because Philip Galloway’s father owns it.

Source [Money]

The data collected has shown that the average house price has fallen 1.7% last month and 8.1% on the year, the average value of a house in the UK is now £169.316, this is a massive fall of around £15,000 on the prices seen last year.

However, there is one thing that homeowners should remember and that is the price of property is still £11,000 higher than it was just three years ago, so anyone who bought their home two to three years ago will not be looking at a loss, yet!

Source [BBC]

Nevertheless, recent reports are showing the price of property in the region is not in free fall at all, in fact far from it.

True that property prices may have fallen slightly, but this only on figures that were last year, which means yes the property may have stagnated or fallen slightly but only a very small amount and this would only effect a property purchased within the last year.

The problem which face property sellers are the buyers who feel that because the market is suffering due to lack of buyers that they can offering sums which are considerably lower than the market value, this really would have effect on the overall property market.

Source [The Property Adviser]

In fact they are suggesting a slight increase, they predict that over the next five years, property prices throughout the UK are set to reach an average price of £274,700, which is around twenty-five per cent more than the 2007 average of £222,600.

However we are still going to see a fall of around two per cent in 2009, but by the end of that year going into 2010, this is where the turn around will start, but the prices will begin to rise sharply in 2012 and 2013. If these predictions are correct then it will be a breath of fresh air for property owners in the UK.

Source [Jewar Blog]

However, this just highlights the pressures that some people are finding themselves in, as the financial pressures build on ordinary people who have done nothing wrong, apart from trying to get on in the world.

This is highlighted by the actions of a 53 year old woman who on the day that her house was about to be repossessed, she faxed a letter to the mortgage company saying that by the time that they get their hands on her house, she would be dead.

The mortgage company contacted the police, but by the time that they had arrived at the house, the woman was dead, she had shot herself.

This tragedy just highlights the inner feelings of people in this position, when a chain of events can lead to this.

Source [Time]

The average price of a house in the UK now stands at £235,219, but it has been estimated by researchers who have been using the same system as the Bank of England that property prices could fall by about ten per cent in 2008 and another six per cent during 2009.

It is not all bad news though, with property values dropping, this means that there are many opportunities for first time buyers to get onto the property ladder, providing that they are able to get their finances in order. This will in turn restart the rise in property prices eventually.

Source [Hot Property]