Markets are always changing. I was once told by a very successful and experienced investor that all markets are actually driven by sentiment (as opposed to fundamentals), which drives prices up or down, as it strengthens or weakens and greed changes to fear. So what is happening 'at the coal face' of the prime Cornish property market right now - and crucially what could that mean for both sellers and buyers?

In the last 15 years years the UK property market has suffered turbulence from the global financial crisis, Brexit and of course the Coronavirus 19 pandemic.

Variety is the spice of life so they say.

Well Cornwall's market is unique and I am pretty sure there is no other county in the UK where there are so many hugely different types of property, in so many contrasting locations.

I write this on a dark January evening, and despite being in a lockdown, I find myself busier than than I can ever remember in the first month of the year.

Earlier this year I wrote a piece as we were just coming out of the first lockdown, and I write this one as we have just entered the second (and hopefully the last!). It must be said that it feels a lot like a ‘soft’ lockdown this time around, as schools are still open and most people are working as normal, albeit some from home. The government have also confirmed that the property market should continue to function, whilst taking the appropriate precautions.

If you are contemplating selling your property over the next twelve months, now is a good time to try and secure some good, professional photographs. In fact, there is probably about a month left before the sun drops too low, shadows get too long, and the leaves start falling. For waterside property, there are still boats on the moorings, but in about six weeks, those harbours will look emptier, colder and less attractive.

Over the last decade or more, it seems the country house has become a little less sought after than it once was. Many buyers have decided they want city living, with schools and restaurants within walking distance, and perhaps somewhere smaller to ‘lock and leave’ right on the water’s edge with the associated lifestyle.

At the time of writing there is no UK property market, plain and simple. It almost seems bizarre to say those words, but estate agents are unable to place new listings for sale or conduct viewings on existing ones.

No, I’m not referring to your kitchen or bathroom, but the archaic process involved in buying or selling property in England and Wales.

It is possible to file your tax return online in an hour. It is possible to register or tax a car online in minutes. The same goes for TV licences, booking flights, and all manner of other chores. Google (other search engines are available!) will help you find out anything you want in seconds, whereas it wasn’t all that long ago you had to make trip down to the local library and spend a morning deep in books.

Since its creation in 2000, the Rightmove website has had a massive impact on the UK property market and dramatically changed the way buyers carry out their property search. Before this, buyers had to telephone estate agents or physically walk into their offices to obtain details of suitable properties for sale.

In the last ten years great strides have been made in the insulation of new homes. Indeed the same goes for older properties where grants were even available for retro-fitting insulation. We have been educated that super-insulation is good, because it cuts down on the precious energy needed to heat our homes. And less energy means fewer CO2 emissions.

At the turn of the millennium, second home buyers seemed to arrive in Cornwall in ever increasing numbers. This was fuelled by a ‘bull’ stock market, and the City bonuses that soon found their way down in to the far south west prime-coastal property market.  This second home boom continued largely for a decade, or until the effects of the financial crisis were felt in Cornwall between 2007 and 2010

Over the last 25 years working as an agent, I have learned that the prime property market is a finely balanced thing.  There may not be hundreds of buyers around for those unique creekside cottages and country estates, but it must be remembered that neither are there (ever) hundreds of such properties available for sale, or even in existence in a given location.  So, when sentiment turns, and there is even the slightest uptick in the numbers of likely buyers, this same limited supply can causes sale prices to jump quite quickly, and in large chunks.