It’s been a turbulent time for the economy, backed up by figures that confirmed Britain had entered a double-dip recession. The effects on the property market have been huge and hard felt by first-time buyers and those wanting to sell their property as asking prices soar to crippling levels and deposits double to 20%.

Banks and leading economists have warned of a worsening financial crisis and investment manager, David Kauders recently suggested that this is the start of a ‘slow-motion crash’ in the housing market, predicting that now mortgage credit has contracted so too will house prices.