York is seeing a property boom again, says Ben Hudson of Hudson Moody (Evening Press, March 23). He said "Now that people are being more sensible over their asking prices, things are picking up.''

In my experience of having sold four houses, three of them through an agent, it was the agent who decided on the asking price after completing the valuation i.e. comparing the property to a previously sold similar property then adding five grand.

Come on Mr Hudson who are you trying to kid? It is not greedy house owners driving property prices (unless it was the York resident quoted in the Press when asked in the street what he thought of the boom, saying "it was great'').

Do these people not realise that they will only benefit if they exchange their bricks and mortar for a tent by the river, not to mention first-time buyers without whom everything grinds to a halt?

Bob Waite,

Windmill Rise,

Holgate, York.

Updated: 09:48 Monday, March 27, 2006