Summer can make a home look its best, but keeping it viewing-ready while family life carries on is another matter.

The gap between asking and achieved looks alarming this month. Read it closely and it tells a quieter, more useful story.

July’s Hitchin property market shows a mixed picture, with Hitchin Town, Benslow, Bearton, the Poets Estate, Walworth, Purwell and the surrounding villages all seeing rising choice for buyers and more realistic pricing from sellers.

The Government's recent push to modernise the home moving process is aimed at one thing, cutting the delays and fall-throughs that make selling a home so stressful. For sellers in Hertfordshire, the practical answer to that is getting your home Contract Ready, having the information gathered up front rather than scrambling for it later.