A snapshot of activity from a leading independent estate agency in London shows that confidence may be returning to the ordinary property marketplace but the key is getting the asking price right.

A report focusing on August from Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward across eight areas of London indicates that new mortgage deals are helping to improve market confidence, buyers with large deposits are in a strong position and let-to-buy purchasers are taking advantage of market conditions.

'House prices have come down across the board and as a result, we are seeing a slight increase in activity. It also helped that a number of new mortgage deals were launched in August which added to this increase in activity and confidence,' said Danny Hardy, Sales Manager of the company's Battersea branch.

He said the general opinion is that the market will improve further as buyers return from their summer holidays. Also let-to-buy is becoming more common. 'Many of these types of buyers are able to take advantage of the equity in their own homes, lower sales prices and potential higher rental values generated by would-be buyers opting to rent, to enable them to move home,' he added.

One key is for sellers to ask a realistic price in the current market. 'The market will always be determined by the price that a buyer is willing to pay for a property. Our correctly priced properties are selling. For example, we recently sold a two bedroom house near Bromley South station in need of refurbishment - the vendors were realistic with the