The sales outlook is positive this autumn and both Scotland and Northern Ireland are showing a healthy house market. The good news for self-builders and the sale of plots of land is the new Self-Build Loan Fund announced by the Scottish Government. Loans are available for eligible urban or rural self-builders anywhere in the country who are unable to access standard bank lending to support build completion, allowing them access to a traditional mortgage which is used to repay the loan. Whatever the markets are doing, it always pays to use the excellent service you get from real, live people in estate agents’ offices who live and work in the area and know and love the place where they work, rather than the online and impersonal. Happy house hunting and selling.