In an extraordinary Observer piece, a spokesman for an equity release firm appears to be advising people to get the cash out of their properties while they still can:

'Although we normally advise people to consider equity release once they reach retirement, if prices fall here it will restrict the amount they can release. So they should consider bringing forward that decision,' he says. 'I'm already finding that surveyors are valuing houses for less than people are expecting.'

He goes on to suggest he's expecting a 30% crash in prices and dark days ahead... which in itself signals a return to the dark days of 2005/2006, when a commentator could guarantee column inches by forecasting a crash of 30%.

Technorati Tags: property, real estate