Sold, subject to things beyond our control

Foxtons made headlines for all the wrong reasons again this week over the allegation that a negotiator refused to show a property without the applicant taking mortgage advice from Alexander Hall; Foxtons' mortgage advisors first.

Farcical as the whole episode is, it is indicative of the fragility of the 'green shoots' of recovery. Activity levels are up, there is no doubt about that, but how much of this activity will actually result in completions?

Rightmove's latest survey has shown that consumer confidence has increased dramatically since the beginning of the year, but it seems likely that the basis of this confidence is driven much more by desire and hope than by understanding.

It remains highly debatable whether the banks will value properties at anywhere near the price that buyers agree to. It also remains horrendously difficult for the vast majority to obtain a mortgage at a decent rate, if at all. An article in The Times today suggests that lending criteria has the potential to get even tighter because of European directives introduced last year.

Consequently, there may be some busy negotiators inclined to feel the same way as the Foxtons chap, dismissing those who they're not sure are good for the money or the mortgage.

If your resources are stretched and stock is still limited, it is of course vital to ensure your team are qualifying applicants diligently and professionally. But remind them that you only ever sell to a small percentage of applicants and that percentage has more to do with market share than market conditions.

There is a will again, we just need to help find a way.