Today’s message to homebuyers and sellers from Tim Russ at the start of a year already clouded by economic uncertainty is keep calm and carry on. Be guided by the home truths that are as trustworthy now as when he founded his estate agency in 1995.

He was motivated to set up his own company on the back of 20 years’ experience working first for Knight Frank & Rutley in London and Ascot where he was manager of the country house department when he left to join Raffety Buckland (now Aitchisons) as boss of the Beaconsfield office.

One of the most experienced estate agents in the industry explains some of the changes he’s encountered in the course of his career which so far spans well over 40 years.

He said: “There was a time before 1973, the year of the UK’s first big property boom, when houses and flats were seen as investments, but hardly as commodities.

“They were mostly regarded as homes that would be paid for by the time their owners retired - providing security in later years and perhaps even the means to move to a bungalow by the coast.

“In the four decades since that first boom, attitudes and expectations have altered a great deal. Retirees are now as likely to want a modern, city centre, lock-and-leave apartment rather than a seaside bungalow.

“The housing market has changed also. It has become big business.

“The post-war generation, the baby boomers, have profited greatly from the waves of boom and bust that followed that first housing bubble.

“It is hard to envisage the subsequent generations taking as much from the property market as their parents. But of course, in property, one never really knows.

“So if you are thinking about moving in 2019 you have choices. Consider them wisely. But also recognise that this is an extraordinary time.

“Nothing is certain. Don’t bank on the killer sale. Do aim for a great purchase. Be realistic. Price, price, price is as important as location, location, location.

“Nobody quite knows where he or she is in this Brexit year.

“But at least everyone should use an established, professional estate agent.”