The Market

Residential developer City & Country has just bought one of the country's most important period mansions - the Grade I-listed Police College at Bramshill in Hampshire - for an undisclosed sum.

One of the most prestigious properties in the Lake District - Underscar Manor - has been snapped up for an undisclosed sum.

"House price growth has exceeded all expectations over the past year," notes Savills as it significantly boosts its annual forecast for the mainstream market but drops next year's outlook.

Residential development land prices in prime central London rose by 6.7% in Q2, reports Knight Frank, while the average increase across England & Wales languished at +1% for the quarter.

12 streets - all in London - claim an average house prices over £10m

There's a palpable sense of relief in the South Devon air this morning;

As the Salmond/Darling slugfest raged on last night, it was quietly revealed that the prime second-hand property market in Scotland has just enjoyed its busiest 12 month period since 2008.

Hotly-tipped developer G&T London has bolstered its PCL portfolio with the acquisition of a significant site in Bloomsbury, WC1.

There's been no change in the number of new house building starts over the last quarter, although the number's up by nearly a fifth year-on-year, according to the latest Government stats.

"The price exuberance seen in some corners of the market is easing," says Knight Frank's Gráinne Gilmore, as the agency's monthly House Price Sentiment Index shows another drop.

We're about to enter one of the most important periods in the resi calendar. But will vendors be decisive or downright stubborn this Autumn? Here's what top agents are saying...

There is no doubt that the Home Counties market remains buoyant, says Garry Collins.