Savills estate agents are expecting some impressive growth (5%) in the prime Central London for 2006, on the back of big City bonuses and a shortage of property. They also expect the top end of the London market to drag the South East region with it, and forecast a 3% rise. Anywhere else the in the country? You're out of luck (a 5% drop, but picking up again in the next three years). Clearly, the market doesn't split into prime Central London, the South East, and the rest of the world, and if Savills could predict price movements with that kind of accuracy they'd be wealthy enough to buy up all that prime Central London property themselves (oh, right)... but the basic message is one we've been seeing pretty consistently for the last year - a shortage of fabulous London homes for sale, a surplus of not fabulous London homes for sale, and a market that will bump along unsteadily for a few more years. No crash, though. Sorry. More, here.