According to recent reports, an increasing number of middle-class homeowners are looking to downsize as they are no longer able to afford their current properties.

Research by Property Portfolio Rescue has said that they have seen the number of enquiries doubling in the past year, with the fastest growing category in homes that are worth over half a million. This category is currently at levels over double what they were this time last year.

It appears that selling these houses is no mean feat – although there are still many people interested in buying, people are finding it difficult to get a mortgage on these sorts of properties thanks to the large deposits and income ratios required. This means that many homes sit on the market for over 6 months before being sold – with around 7 percent of properties languishing on the market for over a year.

Home-swapping is increasingly becoming a popular option. According to VivaStreet.co.uk, there has been an increase of 200% over this first three months of 2009 compared to the first quarter of 2008 in people offering their homes for swap.

Popularity: 9% [?]