The credit-crunch is not hitting people’s resilience when it comes to selling their homes in Kent – even if it does take a bit longer!

According to county estate agents, Cooke and Co, which has branches in Cliftonville, Ramsgate and Broadstairs, 20 per cent more houses are on their books than in September last year.

The current available properties include 172 in Cliftonville, 155 in Ramsgate and 140 in Broadstairs.

This is the case despite the grim reality of house sales plummeting by up to 40 per cent compared to last year.

Proprietor Damian Cooke blames the decline on a smaller buy-to-let market.

He said: “The market has dried up because of the lack of mortgages available but on the flip side our lettings have quadrupled.

“People still think that Thanet is a good place to live as there is plenty going on. "

Mr Cooke mentioned attractions to the area, included the Turner Centre and the proposed ‘China Gateway’ industrial development, near to Manston Airport, which could create up to 3,000 jobs.

Rob Philp, sales negotiator from the Ramsgate branch of Miles and Barr Estate Agents is optimisitic despite the amount of house sales and properties on the market have halved compared to last year.

Its Ramsgate branch for example, currently has 144 available properties compared with 300 last year. For Dover’s branch there are 117 properties compared to 158 a year ago.

But Mr Philp stressed there was still potential for many home buyers.

He said: “If people want to sell at a low price they can buy at a low price. It’s a great time to sell and people shouldn’t listen to everyone."

Mr Philp also stressed that the stamp duty has had little impact in boosting the market.

He added: “The government should have scrapped the stamp duty all together. That would have had a bigger impact. It’s the banks that need to sort themselves out.

"When they start to lend again it will improve things.”

Cooke and Co and Miles and Barr estate agents said that it took nearly double the time to sell a property than it did a year ago. It used to take six to eight weeks now it could take up to 14 weeks.