Property is the worst investment for cash mobility. In times like this, your money needs to be available and at the ready when required, not cemented to the ground.

Mark, Chelmsford, UK

Daniel, Leeds. You are way off pal. Simon is 100% right so do yourself a favour and think about the opportunity that you are unlikely to see again for 15 years. I'm making an absolute fortune out of this crash and I'm not alone. When it recovers I'll double make, and no I'm not mad or being ironic.

Matt, Leeds, UK

I have cash. why would I buy now? Its the worst time in history to buy! Simon, Bristol Im assuming youre note is thick with irony? Or have you recently endured a frontal labotomy?

Daniel, leeds,

Historically house prices double every 7 years. I bought my first 21 years ago and its doubled in value 3 times since then. There is no doubt it will have doubled again by 2015!

Simon, Bristol,

If the property were built of solid gold bricks with a productive oil well in the back garden then investors might pile in.

Paul, Coventry,

This is interesting. Neither Halifax nor Nationwide will pick any of this up directly because they only measure sales that involve a mortgage from them.

Later, they might detect an increase in prices, if they allow anyone to have a mortgage.

Ian Tinn, Slough, England

Are we supposed to belive this?
If true, then good, there'll be less money around so less competition when I want to buy following another 30 to 40% drop.

Np, England, UK

Great idea, buy a tenanted property as prices continue falling. Tenant loses job and can't pay the rent as recession bites. Protected tenancies reintroduced as in the 1960s.
What goes around comes around.

Clive, Bournemouth,

This is total self-serving fantasy. I had a literary agent like this.

Matthew Spencer, Bedford, England

If you cannot sell a house what is the point of buying it ? The prices will even fall further to about 15-20% by 2010 . Why people should buy houses now? wait and buy cheaper later thats the best thing . And last but not least have faith in the government's latest interventions who will help banks.

NICHOLAS , LARNACA, CYPRUS

Complete lies. No one would believe a word what is being said unelss one wants to loose their shirt!!

Property prices are dropping almost 2 to 3 % every week. In my vicinity a house came on the market for £499k (over inflated by the estate agent in the first instance) 20%! Still no buyer!!!

Balwant Munglani, Northwood HA6 1ND, UK

If Savills are really excited about shifting houses in any condition for £50,000 I'd suggest that's a sign of a collapsed market and something to worry about not celebrate.You can shift anything at giveaway prices whatever the financial situation.

Dave, Plymouth,

But this is exactly when the Icesave bank did our money. They pumped it into properties in England. They beat once again.

Jim Plowman, Hampton, England

It's the buy-to-let mortgage holders who are in trouble because they can't afford the rates. Housing is a long term investment and landlords with cash can force desperate sellers down to get a bargain. Only people who HAVE to sell are selling now. House prices will go up again, they always do.

Charlie, Nottingham,

You know it is at times like these that I can go to bed and have a good nights sleep without worrying because I am relatively poor with nothing to loose, thank god for poverty.

billythurso, lincoln, England

Investing in property is about leveraging to make a return 1000X better than All bank accounts. Property is the only way to make money!

shah, london,

If you believe a single word of what those so-called estate agents said, then please contact me; I've got five million pounds in a secret bank account that I want to share with you.

Tim Turner, Gibraltar, Gibraltar

great, lets start pushing the housing market back up to levels which are unattainable for people earning average wages . Most other countries seem to have the much more sensible idea that houses are somewhere to live rather than a source of income

Helen, Manchester,

What is remarkable is not how much prices have fallen, but how little. 13% just takes us back a year and half or so. Prices in relation to earnings are still very high by historic norms.

Nick, France,

Buy gold!!! Its at a massive high, it is the safe place to be.
Why not housing, it is tangible, at some point you are more than likely to at least get your money back. Estate agents spin, a bit. But if you buy a good solid property in a good area, that is what you will have in 10years. Rental!!!!

Mike , Cambridge,

Here we go again .
this time next year we will all be millionaires !

jonathan charles gale, lymington, ENGLAND

I'm sticking my overdraft under the bed

Dave, Cardiff, UK

Would Ms O'Connor and Gilmore like to declare their interest? How much have they invested in property? Then perhaps they can explain why they are using a national newspaper in furtherance of their interest.

David, Guildford,

Could this trend be being led by estate agents who are looking for commissions?

hamad Lone, London, England

Estate agents are not in a position to drive the market up or down....they are subject to market forces! The press has, for years been predicting a collapse of the property market...and in today's fragile world, brick and mortar especially London's remains the most secure manageable investment!

Marie-Cecile Boulle, london,

The only advantage to buying a property in a declining market is that it can be insured. Otherwise, the property will simply devalue and the money invested won't keep pace with inflation. This is just estate agents trying to talk up the market.

Chris, Derby,

No, no, no... i'm buying Guatamalan precipice bonds.

nhed, warwick, uk

That's a clever idea! Let's all invest in another depreciating asset! Er Mr Estate Agent, I know times are tough - but no thank you!

Faye, London,

the lengths people go to to sell property!!

adam cope, valbonne, france

If someone has more than 50k in a bank - even this is not safe these days (Iceland anyone?) then buying an asset is safer in a wipeout. Only a collapse and inability even to pay Council Tax would negate this. If a market correction then don't buy houses.
Huge global debt is the elephant in the room.

Les, Ramsgate, UK

I look after a lot of my clients property portfolios and we have decided, with them, that the US property for 20c in the $ is the safest bet. People still holiday and the land costs more than the building. guys like Coresi have great solutions. Uk property will not be safe for another 3-5 yrs.

CI, Glasgow, UK

The banks will not be allowed to go under and everyone is in the same boat. Your panicking the market and causing banks problems shifting your money. I cant believe that everyone thinks it safer to put there cash into Irish banks when the I Government dont have enough to cover one bank NM 6

CI, Glasgow, UK

Invest in property but NOT in the UK. Try the UAE, Qatar ect where they still have oodles of cash and no exposure to the credit crunch and ONLY lend at sensible multiples for local mortgages.

Gwilym Ashworth, Wisborough Green, UK

He might be a wealthy well known businessman- but so was Robert Tchenguiz.

donald, london,

It would be an idiot that put his/her money into property which is falling at a rate of 15%-20% every year, even Government gilts are a better buy.

billythurso, lincoln, England

I bought a 3 bed-semi for £165000 (£50000 mortgage) and I get £700 per month, £400 per month profit and homes can only go up from now. Safer than any bank and still real asset.

Bob, Liverpool,

i agree, i am investing my 300k into a house, because at the end ofthe day i will have something to show for it, and how can we trust the government when they say they will cover us all, they do not have enough money, at least i will have a house to live in at the end , no mortgage no debt

katy, london,

wonderful news . I will buy couple of house this afternoon.

joey, London, UK

I have a second property - I bought 2 years ago and it's part of my pension. I'm not sleeping any easier than anyone else.

C Richards, Bristol,

is that headline real? you must be insane if you are buying property.

avergage Joe, Woking, UK

Estate Agents are only any use when property is going up! They are clueless in a downturn and always talking their own books.

paul, london,

No chance. A last chance plea from the agents to try and shift more than the 2 a mon th that they are currently selling. Who on earth would buy in a market where all of the experts are expecting another 10-20 per cent drop.
No thanks

Andy, Maidenhead, United Kingdom

If you're in for 7-10 years now is a great time to buy good quality family houses to rent out.

Long term trends in house values in the south east remain re unaffected by recent turmoil.

In 2 years time people will look back on late 2008 as a golden property investment opportunity.

bob blenkinsop, farnham,

What nonsense! The property journalists have turned the Times into an outlet for the estate agents propaganda. Money at Northern Rock yields 5-6% risk-free, when houses depreciate at 15%/ year...

Frdo, Cambridge, UK

It will be many, many years before property becomes a speculative asset again. It will fall to at least year 2000 values or lower before the market eventually begins to gain some stability.
Anything else is wishful thinking.

hery, Southampton, UK

Those cash buyers will be in for a nasty surprise in a couple of years when property is still declining and the stock market and banks have recovered. They shouldn't panic buy into the asset class that got us into all this trouble in the first place. Overvalued property is the root of the crisis.

MB, Edinburgh ,

Gary Sharp, Wirral....it is the land cost that is ridiculously overvalued..... think you've missed the point!

Brendan, London, England

some seems to forget that rental income is in the region of 7% and future increase in value is a bonus....how can you go wrong if you buy it at the right price.

essam, Hove, UK

You are all missing the point, have a look around, find a cheap house, then buy the Housebuilders Bible, match the construction costs to your bargain and add in the land cost and a builder or your own time cost to do it. Once you have priced up you will know if its a bargain, they cant go below this

Gary Sharp, Wirral,

Is it April 1st ? What is the value of a house if it can't be sold ? You may be able to touch it but if you can't sell it and it is falling in value what is the point of owning it ?

ed truax, northampton, uk

A house may well be a tangible asset. However, prices are still going to plummet until they reach realistic levels. It is only the greedy estate agents who are trying to talk the market up in order to save their skins.

David, Nottm,

Another lot of estate agent balderdash! Just a desperate attempt to hold onto their jobs.

sophie smith, london, uk

Surely a ploy by dubious hard up estate agents wishing to drum up business before they have to inevitably go out of business

Rana, Smethwick, UK

There is nothing that will stop those dreaded estate agents from spreading their utter bull in order to encourage a sale.

Only an estate agent could urge you to put your money into UK property that is still continuing to fall than to put it into, say, Gilts or a Northern Rock savings account.

Andrew, Berlin, Germany

Oh yeah? Spin spin spin.

Jeannie, Perugia,