Horror! The average price of property over the whole of England and Wales fell by 0.1 per cent last month.

The housing boom is over (The Argus, Property, May 28)

Think for a moment. If a property is worth £175,000 (low for Brighton) then 0.1 per cent is £175.

The front door needing a coat of paint could well account for a property fetching £175 less than it might have done.

Furthermore, as bus fares have gone up, a property where a bus ride is necessary to get to a station or the city centre could well fetch £175 less than one where only a short walk is needed.

Such generalisations do nothing to show what is really happening in the property market, they only serve to create unnecessary gloom and despondency - which might, over a period of at least several months, lead to a genuine reduction in property values.

-Ivor L Challis, Brighton