Can you help me?

I'd be interested to know something about

property prices in this area.

Yes, of course. But first,

could you tell me a little more about your present situation?

I've been living in rented accommodation for several years.

Now I'm wondering

whether it's a good time to buy somewhere for myself.

Okay. What sort of price were you thinking of?

You know, nothing too expensive.

Could you be a little more specific?

We have some small one-bedroom apartments

that start at around ¡ê120,000.

Was that the kind of thing you had in mind?

Possibly, but I'm not ready to

think about individual properties just yet.

I wanted to know more about the market in general.

There are a lot of stories in newspapers about housing prices,

and they worry me.

Okay. If I understand you correctly,

your worries are probably these:

you don't want to buy at the top of the market

and see your house fall in value,

but equally you don't want to miss the chance

if prices are going to continue to rise.

Yes, exactly.

This is of course a concern for all our clients,

but you know it's very difficult to time the housing market.

Newspaper stories can make forecast(s), but no one really knows.

I see what you're saying, but you must have some idea.

I read one article that said

housing prices are going to crash.

I don't think that's true.

Prices have stabilized recently,

but they're not going to crash.

Really? Do you think so?

My friend bought an apartment near here last year for ¡ê165,000

and now other apartments in the same block

are just going for less than ¡ê150,000.

Well, of course, it all depends.

There are many factors that can cause these short-term changes.

But there is another way of looking at this.

If prices have dropped temporarily,

then now is a good time to buy.

But going back to what you said earlier,

have prices stabilized, or are they actually falling?

I disagree with you about now being a good time to buy

if they are still falling.

In certain areas they are still falling,

but I think we're losing sight of the main point.

You're living in rented accommodation,

and the rent you pay could be going to repay a mortgage.

And you would have your own home.

That makes sense, but it's a difficult issue.

You're absolutely right.

But while you're here, why don't I give you an idea of

what's available in your price range?

OK.

Right.

I'd like to start by writing down one or two personal details,

and then we can move on to look at

some of the properties we have on the market.