— Hello, we’re looking for a four-bedroom house.

— Four bedrooms? Tricky to come by in this area.

— Tricky to come by? This neighbourhood is famous for houses big enough for growing families, plus a room for a nanny, and a granny wing.

— Those were the days! The area’s changed a lot.

— Since when?

— Since . . . let me think, now . . . since yesterday.

— So what properties doyou have on your books?

— Got a lovely two-bedder on Acacia Avenue.

— Acacia Avenue? But Acacia Avenue is lined with sprawling, detached five-bedroomed villas! – Used to be. As I say, times have changed.

— What happened. Floods? Landslide?

— Ha-ha-ha. Oh, that’s a good one, madam. No, this house is No 17 Acacia Avenue. – No 17? But another agent called us about that last week and said it had five bedrooms.

— Used to. Now it has a master bedroom; a roomy second bedroom on the half-landing; and on the next floor up there’s an airy study (20ft x17ft), perfect for scribbling your novel, a spacious walk-in closet (18ft x16ft), and a gorgeous billiards room (22ft x15ft) – all three conveniently en suite, just in case you happen to be caught short in the middle of your fiction writing, or putting on a frock, or lining up a tricky red into the corner pocket.

— An 18ft x16ft closet with an en suite? And a 22ft x15ft billiards room from which you can take a shower in between shots? Wouldn’t such spacious rooms be more suitable as bedrooms?

— Whoa! The scales are falling from my eyes! I promise you, most of us would walk into that place and just not spot the potential. Ever considered getting into property development, madam? With a sharp eye like yours you’re a natural!