David Jones, director of Allan Morris Estate Agents takes a fresh look at the property market as we enter the New Year and a new decade.

If you read or listen to the property press, or the national media commenting on the property market, you will know they are currently full of speculation and predictions on the way the market will behave in 2020. But this is only speculation. We have never been in conditions quite like this before - following a surprisingly emphatic general election and after three-plus years of market dormancy, brought on by political confusion and inertia.

However the national press are not necessarily the safest forecasters of the overall picture. Many seem to forget that the property market is not one single place of business affecting the whole of the country. Instead it is a whole series of mini-markets affected by local and regional economic micro climates.

As we enter a new decade, these micro conditions will once again enter into play. Regions about to see economic stimulus will come into a new focus. Areas benefiting from new infrastructures such as transport will become targets for renewed interest from buyers. Parts of the country that have been in decline will begin to bloom and perhaps even boom in property terms. Sellers will reap the reward.

Of course, buyers will still choose locations for schooling, work, retirement and natural beauty so these factors will continue to be strong personal influencers. But one thing most of us in the business can agree on is that this cloak of uncertainty which has stifled the supply of properties coming onto the market locally over the last three years, should finally be lifted.

It is as if a veil has now been lifted to reveal new hopes, dreams and aspirations. At last the buying and selling public are now prepared to act. The increased number of new buyers and sellers already contacting us this year emphasises this.

But the change in public perception will not come overnight. It will happen by degree. And it will occur as new opportunities arise. Hot spots will evolve. The secret for buyers is understanding and even anticipating where these hot spots might be.

As estate agents, and as experts in property and in our communities, we are the people best suited to comment on the market in our area. We have been doing this for a long time. Whatever your property dreams please come and talk to us first. We may even be able to help make your dreams come true.