Make hay while the sun shines – that’s the advice to sellers from an estate agent with more than 30 years’ experience of riding the vagaries of the house market.

“Right now just might turn out to be a better time than later in the year,” warns chartered surveyor Tim Russ.

“There’s a great deal for sellers to be happy about at the moment,” he maintains.

“But how long this will last is anyone’s guess.”

The threat of catching a deadly virus caused a good many homeowners to reassess their lifestyle priorities judging by the number of inquiries to the estate agency with eight offices spread across Bucks and south Oxfordshire.

“Larger houses have suddenly become more popular,” says Tim Russ. “Many buyers we are seeing are looking for dedicated work space not just for one person but also for two or more people.

“Many don’t travel into London more than once, possibly twice a week.”

Top of the pops on Tim Russ’s books at the moment are out-of-town properties with a garden and enough space inside for more than a couple of generations to co-exist as one big happy family.

“How long this unexpected result of Covid-19 will last is impossible to predict,” says the estate agent who opened his first office in Bucks over 20 years ago.

He makes several points to make homeowners inclined to sell up and join the flight from town to country consider possible pitfalls.

He points out: “First, urban living has wonderful advantages and this outward movement may not last.

“Second we don’t yet know the full impact of increased unemployment: it could well affect buyer numbers later in the year.

“The third point, and the elephant in the room, is once again Brexit. When Covid-19 has ceded its front-page status in the news, the Brexit negotiations will surely fill the vacuum.

“At the same time the US general election will be hotting up to be perhaps the most divisive and globally important in modern history. There may be an autumn lull in the market while all these issues are resolved.

“Let the seller beware.

“What does this mean in practice? It means make hay while the sun shines.”

In layman’s language, if you plan to move, aim for sooner rather than later. Go while the going’s good.

More property news:

Estate agent Nigel Briggs has closed his office in Beaconsfield Old Town.

His agency had been based at The Old Estate Office at Aylesbury End since January 1, 2008. When the lease came to an end this year Nigel decided not to renew it because “the rent now [is] just too high.”

This week the agent was hopeful he had found another venue for his business in the Old Town.

In the meantime calls to his old number (01494 671099) reach him.

The Old Estate Office is a local landmark.

In the 1800s it was the Town Lock Up where ne’er do wells who’d appeared before the beak at the courtroom in the parlour of the Saracens Head pub opposite were sent to reflect on the error of their ways.

After the new police station in the Old Town was built in 1870, the lock up became surplus to requirements. The building is now grade II listed.

It has had a chequered history.

Following its spell as the local jail, it was turned into a warehouse for the Old Town grocer.

When the grocer made alternative arrangements, it was transformed into a meeting place for the girl guides, after which it became the estate office for the Hall Barn Estate. For the most recent 12 years, the building standing in the middle of the road at Aylesbury End in the Old Town has also been home to the estate agent Nigel Briggs. What now? Watch this space.