Philip James, of Strutt & Parker, looks ahead to what is in store for the housing market this autumn.

With summer officially over, and after a troublesome August on a number of fronts, many commentators and house buyers are turning their attention to what the autumn market has in store; with conflicting headlines on the housing market bouncing back yet house prices falling: what is the true picture?

After two weeks of trading in September I can say that the market is holding up remarkably well. There's a fresh impetus in new applicants in the market and viewings are up 13% as compared to the previous month of August. This indicates there are definitely new buyers in the market now after the traditional quiet holiday period when house buying is not a priority for many.

At a time when there is a lot being written about the housing market it is very positive to see that in the back to school week we have already seen an increase in buyers getting back on track, thinking about moving house- we are launching numerous houses this autumn so the selling season has started extremely well.

There is no doubt that with continuing bad news in the newspapers there is nervousness and lack of confidence in the market place. However, there are many indications that there are a lot of people wishing to move house - what is holding them back is either lack of confidence or, in many cases price.

We seem to be experiencing a zombie market: neither dead nor alive.

But be warned, over eager agents coupled with unrealistic vendor price perceptions in a competitive market have caused a huge over pricing problem that still needs to be addressed.

I would say that up to 50% of existing properties stuck on the market are still probably 20% over priced. In stark contrast to this, houses coming on at the correct price with potential problems ironed out are selling.

There are many people out there who want to get on with their lives and buy the right property for them.

The key issue for the autumn market will all be about realistic prices - whether it be new to the market or re-balancing the price of existing stock. At the right price there are buyers out there.