With the auction season moving into full swing next week, the early indications are reasonably good for vendors, though it's still a case of steady as she goes. The word is that house viewings have been very strong over the last couple of weeks, but whether these translate into competitive bidding in the auction rooms is another matter.

A handful of houses reviewed in Property have attracted literally hundreds of viewers - some of them the usual tyre kickers, some genuine punters and a whole lot of nosy neighbours. The question is, how many serious bidders are there out there? Until that's established, vendors need to throw their homes open for public viewings on several afternoons at a time when there is so much choice for buyers.

Another problem for estate agents is that it is no longer so easy to spot the people with real money to spend. Only a few years ago, it was easy to know them by name, but now there are so many young millionaires on the scene, and not all of them look the part. It's a case of being nice to everyone since even the scruffiest looking lot could turn out to be the heavy hitters on the day.