The word ‘effortless’ isn’t something you would normally associate with a house sale. There is a certain image that comes to mind when thinking about a typical house sale. The homeowner is forced to make certain repairs, an estate agent puts up the For Sale board, curious people walk in and out of the house at odd hours of the day, and the owner then hopes for the best – however long that may take.

This typical house sale scenario is not only extremely frustrating and time consuming, but also unrealistic in today’s uncertain property market. The global credit crunch is causing UK property prices to drop, which means homeowners looking for a good price will have to sell their property as fast as possible. As we all know, this is rarely the case, as houses often spend up to a year on the market before it is sold.

But it’s not just the time limit that’s a problem. Banks and lending institutions have tightened their regulations and are granting fewer mortgages. An added factor is that rising living costs mean that fewer people can afford to pay off a mortgage. This results in fewer prospective buyers in a sinking property market.