With 90% of all UK homes for sale listed on Rightmove, their data is substantial and their market opinion authoritative.

Today they report that there are currently 45% more properties coming to market than in July last year. New instructions outnumber actual buyer mortgage approvals significantly and unsold properties on agents' books have jumped 25% in the first six months of 2010.

Accordingly they say, asking prices dropped 0.6% in June. This is the first decline this year and reflects the shifting balance between sellers and buyers to what is now even further a buyers' market.

Accurate and honest pricing is not just sensible now, it's crucial if you want to achieve any interest in your home at all. Over optimism in this respect is so 2007.

Miles Shipside, Rightmove's Commercial Director says: “The tradition of testing the water at a higher figure before reducing at a later date will backfire in areas of excess supply, as over-ambitious sellers will have to cut back even more as they chase prices downwards.”

According to Rightmove, the UK's largest property portal, there are 863 homes for sale in Brentwood currently. Some of these are multi agency listings and so the real figure is nearer 700 but that's still a lot of choice to be had.

Rightmove said in its latest market commentary release two weeks ago that there is now more available stock for sale with estate agents than at any time since January 2008. An average of 74 homes per agent UK wide.

There are 33 houses being marketed above £1million locally. The most expensive house available for sale in Brentwood is priced at £2.2 million.

The cheapest property for sale in Brentwood is a shared ownership one bedroom apartment in Beckett House, at a contrasting £65,250 for 45%.

The average Brentwood, Shenfield and Ingatestone property price paid over the past three years? £322,357 (Source: Zoopla)

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors reports today on its latest Housing Market Survey.

In it, its members state that their optimism over future price rise sustainability has fallen to that of July last year. Stock of properties increased by 8.1% in June, the fastest pace of new instructions to market since May 2007. Sales were up by only 0.8%. That's some imbalance.

Buyer interest fell for the first time since January it says.

What does it all mean? Well, coupled with the Halifax reporting price falls of 0.6% and 0.5% in June and May respectively and Rightmove confirming increased amounts of available homes for sale and a continuing rationing of mortgages, albeit better than previously, it appears that for now at least, prices have peaked.

A drop in value in respect of your own property equally applies to the one that you buy too, so it's all relative of course, unless you are selling only and not buying on. In that case, sell now.