The sun is high in the sky. And prices remain sky high.

House prices rose again in June. But only by 0.1% this month, according to this report. Hardly anyone can be arsed to buy by the sounds of it. What with the football on and the weather good and the prices as high as the temperatures.

Searching has certainly been on the backburner for me as England disgraced themselves in South Africa. Word on the street, avenue and cul de sac is that the ending of HIPs has made more potential sellers want to put their house out there to see what they'll get for it. Many of these probably aren't serious sellers unless they get an offer that's too good to refuse.

They won't be getting anything of the kind from me. I'm determined to have my first offer laughingly rejected.

My word, there's a lot to do.

Moving from A to B isn't easy. Was looking into all the stuff that needs doing before, during and after moving house, and my, oh my, there's so much to remember. So many things that can go wrong. So many people who can put a spanner in the works. So many others who need paying for doing their bit along the way. How do people put up with it? Surveyors. Conveyancers. Estate Agents. Solicitors. Milkmen. They all seem to need to know what you're up to at some stage of the moving process, and you can bet they'll all want paying.

Ten Grand Lopped Off

Ah, that's better. One of my saved properties has had ten grand knocked off by the vendor. A sign that some common sense or desperation is creeping into the market? Or just a one-off? Time will tell, but that loss of ten k certainly makes the whole deal more appealing.

A Home For Under A Hundred Grand

Just been offered one via email. Obviously we're not talking top of the range. It's a mobile home in fact. But still, the novelty of a five-figure price tag is worthy of a mention. I won't be getting on my mobile to arrange a viewing though...

House Price Inflation On The Up

Not what I wanted to hear. The rate of rise is up to 10% according to this report. That's about as welcome as next door's rabid cat. How are bricks in mortar increasing in value when there's no money about and spending cuts on the horizon? Grumble. Grumble. Back to the football...

Two Up. Two Down.

That's basically all I can afford to buy when I do finally take the plunge. A narrow house with a narrow garden. Maybe a parking space out front, but probably not. Maybe a shed out back, but probably not. Maybe an upstairs bathroom, but probably not. I'm really not excited about getting on the property ladder, simply because the ladder feels about three rungs high. I don't think I'm gonna be proud of whatever house I end up with. It'll have two up, but will leave me feeling very down.

Quiet Week (Yawn)

Nothing new has floated my boat this week. Getting mails featuring the same old unsold, overpriced houses that have been on the market all year. Yawn. The best mortgages still require a 30% deposit. Double yawn. The likelihood of a double dip recession seems to be on the increase (triple yawn with a little anxious yelp thrown in for good measure). Still, at least the World Cup is on.

Another Mortgage Disadvantage

I've only ever paid contents insurance in my time as a renter. Of course, as soon as you enter mortgage land, the delightful world and extra cost of Buildings insurance enters the fray, as welcome as a wasp's nest in your shed (not my shed, I don't have one).

You know, with all these extra costs, I'm surprised so many people readily agree to get mortgages. 'I want to own my own home' they tell me. 'But you don't own it,' I tell them. 'The bank does until you've paid them back.'

A Two-Bed For£36,000

Several times I've been sent emails with properties that have asking prices for £56,000. Or better still £36,000. Now, I know this is an error on the part of whoever compiles these mailings, but it doesn't stop me clicking on the photo and taking a look to see if the offer is for real. Always on the look out for a bargain, me.

World Cups and House Hunting

I don't think the two are happy bedfellows. One involves a lot of shouting, drinking and moaning. The other is the biggest sporting tournament on the planet. The need to find somewhere that will provide me with a roof over my head for the next few years will have to play second fiddle to my need to watch a football fest. Holland to win it.

Leasehold law too complicated? What a surprise.

Just like nearly everything involved in the house buying process, it's either too expensive or too complicated. Leaseholds fall into both categories if this report is anything to go by.

Once again, it's an example of how the unscrupulous can use the housebuying process to make a quick buck at the expense of the homebuyer who doesn't want to wade through pages of dull legal waffle. As I've said before, there's just too much outdated, complicated crap involved in the housebuying process, and leaseholds are just another twist in the maze. It all needs looking at.

Google Streetview

Here's an invaluable tool for the modern day househunter. Streetview lets you check out the neighbourhood, see how dangerous it is, peer at your potential future neighbours, all without being seen.

You can see how far your target home is from that open prison, that busy mainline train station, or the silage works. You can check out the kind of cars people in the area drive to see if yours will stick out either cos it's half the size than the 4x4 rest, or if it's way too flash and likely to be key-scratched or taken off your hands altogether.

Now, if homeowners could overcome the obvious burglar fears, it would make my life a lot easier if vendors would let the nice Google cameras into their homes so I can see what it's like inside before I make my long trek to a viewing. Google Through The Keyhole would catch on methinks.

House prices falling?

That's what it says here. Splendid news for buyers like me who've been holding out until some common sense returns to the market. However, the fall is less than a half of one per cent, so it's not quite time for me to throw wads of money I haven't got up into the air in celebration. But as I've said all along, if every vendor knocked 20 grand off their initial asking price and allowed me to knock a further twenty off that, we'd be doing business.

Need to find an extra twenty grand I reckon...

That's how much more I reckon I need to up the quality of the house I'll be able to afford. My current budget offers only a limited selection of pretty similar houses. However, up it a bit and suddenly there's a whole new world of choice. Some with two bathrooms. Three bedrooms. A garage! A garden with room for trees. Now, if only money grew on trees...

A 25 Year Sentence

That's always been my view on mortgages. You tie yourself into a long term deal in which you have to pay back a certain amount every month. A certain amount that's certain to get higher methinks.

I can't help feeling I'm going to wish away that quarter of a century, until the day I owe the bank nothing, and own my house. But I'll be (calculator out) 65 by then. Youth and even middle-aged long gone. Hair as well probably. I hope that's not what life's all about, but I fear it might be...

Mortgage Press Ads

There's a fair few of them about now. But before I get all excited about the rates they offer, I'm quick to check out the LTV. That's loan to value, I believe. The percentage of the overall price of the house the banks are willing to lend you. Seems I'm picking up a lot of the lingo during this house search. Nearly all the ads are only relevant if you can pay at least a 30% deposit. That's 60 grand on the type of property I'm looking at. Loose change of course. Where do I sign?