Experts can help you weather the storms

18 January 2010

TV news channels love a good weather story and they’ve certainly had plenty of material since Christmas, with blizzard conditions across much of the UK.

That said, there are only so many things a reporter can say while stood in front of a line of non-moving traffic that still manages to maintain a sense of heightened drama.

It’s perhaps no surprise that as time passes, reporting subtly shifts from what has happened - “we confirm that there has been a lot of snow” - to what might happen - “it may get colder”and so forth.

This is not a million miles away from coverage of the mortgage and property markets. It is always the most extreme opinions that gain the greatest coverage.

We’ve seen warnings that the property market would drop 60% (it didn’t) to celebrations that the market is now fully back on its pre-2007 feet (it isn’t).

When deciding whether to make a car journey, I consult the RAC and Met Office, rather than my excitable local TV news reporter.

Similarly, those seeking accurate information on the property market would be best served seeking out experts.

Ideally this would be someone whose only job is to provide factual information to clients so they can make objective decisions and who prosper based solely on the accuracy of their own advice whether dramatic or not.

On this basis, I suggest your first port of call should of course be a surveyor.