Local reports suggest that buyer demand in Scotland remains strong and consequently house prices are holding steady - and may even be rising in many areas.

John MacRae, chairman of the Aberdeen Solicitors Property Centre, says: "After September 2001, we had annual increases of between 13% and 16%. What has been happening in 2005 has been a slowdown in that growth.

"This has affected the upper end of the market in Aberdeen and surrounding areas. Although there is still a good demand, the rate of increase has slowed down to single figures." However, at the so-called bottom end, which MacRae defines as one and two-bedroom flats, prices are still surging ahead as they were this time last year.