That's only 13.3% which is about par for the course and as others have said if the place you are looking at has been on the market for some time it's likely fallen by about the same and also as you said if they want a quick sale you could drop it a bit further. An estate agent valuation is not really worth much, what matters is what someone is willing to pay at the time you want to sell.

Helena did you make a decision?

Just thinking, its like that everywhere, mine too......and everyone else....

thing is, if you could afford it then could you get the bungalow now while prices are down and rent out the bungalow or house whille you live in the other then when the market picks up sell the house at a better time? (I.e. more money plus bungalow bought cheaper - as others said its all relevant)

Only just caught this H...and was wondering if there is any news.

I'm really trying to get Clive to sell up and move to Lincolnshire, we could sell this, pay off the mortgage, and have enough to buy a lovely place out in the sticks with no neighbours and plenty of land...it is a different world up there and property is so cheap, I spent 10 years there having lived in Essex for 30 odd years before that, now these 3 years in suburbia are really taking their toll on me

As the others have said, although the value of your house has gone down, so have the others that you will be looking at, so you won't really be losing, the real losers are those that are now looking at negative equity, I feel so sorry for them.

If my house dropped that much in price I might as well give it away

They do say that the more expensive houses will drop more - so you might well be right in thinking you are better off selling now before the drop becomes steeper. Good luck with the move and I hope you find somewhere nice

Lol, I want to HAVE some money, not spend more, I've already bought that little holiday home, I don't want 3 properties to worry about lol!!!

I'm so sorry to hear that Sheree, and that is what is at the back of my mind whilst looking at some of these smaller places. We've lived the country village life for 24 years now, and to be honest, it's true what they say, you don't realise how lucky you are till it's gone, and when I imagine myself in one of these smaller bungalows or suchlike outside of this village it depresses me and that's before we've even moved! I have to think "where can I walk the dogs" before I even go and window shop at any prospective property!



So that's why my gut instinct may have kicked in then Azz! (I'm not always right as you know, but I'm never wrong lol!).

Well, I've spent the past two weeks driving the local agents nuts, I'm all viewed out now, worn myself out, and I've come to the conclusion that all that's out there at the moment, are either property developer's houses where they're trying to earn a quick buck, or places where people have died, coz they're always empty and tatty, or ott pristine, spotless new! I hate that "staged" look done by these property developers, and some of them have cut corners, and done it all on the cheap, I notice stuff like that you see, because we had ours done by a reputable, big company and it shows, it's good!

This morning, I stopped the 3rd agent coming round to give us a valuation coz we're now up to £340K which is fine by me from the last agent, and I've decided we'll never be able to downsize, well not yet anyway, so I'm going to concentrate on saving up over the next 5 years with my little caravan project that's doing so well, and re-evaluate it again in 5 year's time (if I'm not to late to spend it by then, coz I might be 6ft under lol!). Dave was very pleased last night when I told him about my decision coz he likes his big driveway, his huuuge garage and his umpteen workshops scattered around the outside, plus he has his own bathroom, but that was last night, and then what happens????? He's just come home and printed off some MORE for me to go and look from the outside coz he thinks they're quite nice!!!

I want my life back, I'm staying put for a while I think! then again....

You've got to watch out for these guys and the 'wanna be' ones are even worse. We had one when we sold our place in Suffolk, he was a hairdresser from Watford and he made an immediate offer the day he came to view, he then contracted a firm of local architects to draw up plans to make the place into a 5 bedroom executive home, and only then did he try to get a mortgage He only needed £25K but you should have heard all the excuses why he couldn't proceede, in the end after his lenders surveyor failed to turn up for the third time I told our estate agent to put it on the market again. He messed us about big time and he's one of the many people who I've had the misfortune to meet who I will never forgive He was a fool because that firm of architects charged him over £700 for the plans

Well going by what I've seen of your house (the garden) I wouldn't want to move either

I feel your pain H, I once had a woman coming round almost on a daily basis measuring up for curtains etc, and yet my solicitor kept saying he hadn't even heard from her solicitor!!! I went back on the market too!

I know Azz, it's a lot to give up, and looking up at the house from said garden, it's such a pretty house, tons of kerb appeal, I really love it both inside and out - let's hope all may viewers will too if/when it does go on the market!

Spent all morning window shopping again with Dave, found a nice new bungalow in a very quiet area, behind some very big houses, where they obviously all sold off parts of their gardens, and only about 4 new bungalows built, very posh area (right up my street lol!), but the parking is naff, only 2 cars, no garage, small garden Then, when we got home, we found the absolute peeeerfect bungalow with a big block paved driveway, tons of room to park, lovely quiet close (not Beirut either, quite exclusive) a fantastic huuuuge garden, a massive pitched roof conservatory (oh I love those), it was laid out just as we want inside.........but, after I rang the agent for a viewing she told me it's sold stc! That's what is happening, anything good and for the right price is gone in 60!

Aw I really feel for you, but sounds like a good decision you've reached. I AM envious of you having a hubby that actively seeks out properties, printing off details bless him!!!!! My oh is rubbish, all I ever get out of him is a grunt, or a flat "no, don't like it."

We bought our house very cheap 4 years ago because it needed a lot of work doing, which is now done, we're having it valued over the next few weeks, eeek, I think the price will have increased despite the awful market conditions (next door is up for sale and ours is nicer) but taking away the money we've spent on it, we won't make much... But hey ho - it's worth the move to Scotland, if I had my way I'd put it on as cheap as chips and get rid quick quick quick but my oh has other ideas, boring, greedy old fart, grrrr hahaha

Well Helen, one thing I know about you is that you will make the right decision and the right place will come along. Even if that 'right place' is where you're at right now!

Ps. Are you around next Saturday morning for a walk? It's been ages again! xxxx