Out of interest, why have you chosen now to buy, having rented (I believe) for years? I'm not saying I think you're doing the wrong thing, or anything, I just collect views on the housing market, not being 100% sure what to do myself. (-8

Because I recently acquired a lot of extra money, so this is the first point at which buying has really been feasible for me. I've never liked renting, and this is my first chance to stop doing it. The state of the housing market doesn't really come into it except insofar as it has failed to rise fast enough to stay ahead of my increasing means.