Across the UK and here in Yateley, the property market remains surprisingly active despite the issues at home and abroad. House prices are steady, buyers are still being selective, and the market itself is evolving.

For some homebuyers, the kitchen is the deal maker. For others, it is the number of bedrooms, the school catchment or the distance to the railway station. Yet for a sizeable group of buyers, the garden matters just as much as the house itself. Across Bicester and its surrounding villages, there are 654 homes with large gardens.

For much of the last two decades, bungalows have quietly slipped out of fashion. Overshadowed by those glossy new build developments, three storey townhouses and open plan ‘modern living’, they became seen by many as somewhere only your granny lives rather than an aspirational home move.

If you are a homeowner or landlord in Blackwater and thinking about selling in the coming months, one question tends to rise above all others. How long is this going to take?