It’s hard to ignore the headlines about the current state of the property market but every cloud has a silver lining.

I was reading through statistics from Rightmove recently and it seems as if around 30 per cent of property deals fall through before completion. There are all sorts of reasons, some of which may be connected to the current state of the mortgage arena, but some undoubtedly fail because buyers entered into the process in a somewhat half-hearted manner.

One upside I’ve noticed is that there’s a drop-off in what car dealers call tyre-kickers. They browse the stock and may even show an interest but when it comes down to it they lack the ability to make the purchase.

I’ve seen that among home buyers but recently that seems to have fallen away. The good news for sellers is therefore that the diminished pool of buyers is populated by those swimming towards a definite destination when it comes to moving home.

So while the tide may seem against making a home sale at the moment, there is still demand. The market has always contained those who have to move, either because of their job of simply because the family has outgrown the current space.

If the latter applies to you, especially if your current mortgage deal is nearing its end, then maybe it’s time to tie getting a new deal with finding a new home. Making this double move of home and finance makes a lot of sense. There will be fees to pay to remortgage even if you stay put so why not invest that money more wisely in a new place to live?

Colin Shairp,

Director, Town and Country Southern Estate Agency.<