Nearly one in five British homeowners are currently planning on selling their house and moving, says a new report from Zurich Insurance.

Rising interest rates and thus more expensive mortgages costs, plus the desire to downscale in later life are two of the major factors influencing this trend.

The study also revealed that the average Briton will own five properties during their lifetime and moves an average of 125 miles each time to find their next perfect location.

Now here’s a damn good invention for pool owners with children!

If you have a holiday home or villa with a pool, and you also have small children, the joy is often outweighed by the worry and risk of keeping your kids safe. However, some bright spark has come up with the ultimate swimming pool alarm to keep kids safe around the pool.

Once activated, if the wireless Life Guard Pool Alarm detects any disturbance underwater, it immediately sends out a piercing 115 decibel alarm, letting you know that something or somebody is in the pool.

I can see this easy-to-install invention being an essential piece of kit for any families owning a holiday villa with a swimming pool.

A recent survey by Alliance & Leicester has shown that selling your house privately with an FSBO website such as Mouse-Move actually leads to a quicker sale than with an estate agent.

Of the 2,384 people polled, Alliance & Leicester found that sellers who sell a house privately make a sale in an average of two months or less while those using the more conventional (estate agency) route to sell their UK property were taking over three months.

In addition, the number of people interviewed who had used a private property sale site had risen from 5% last year to 8% this year, a sure sign that the FSBO trend is definitely on the up, as confirmed by Stephen Leonard, Alliance & Leicester’s director of mortgages:

 ”Research suggests that DIY methods such as using the internet to sell a home are becoming more popular.”

Long live the revolution!!

I’m pleased to announce that lifelong family friend, Don Booker MBE, has joined Mouse Move as motoring writer for our Autos section.

Don became motoring editor of the Barnsley Chronicle after joining them in 1948 and has test driven just about every car you could imagine – plus quite a few you couldn’t!

He was awarded the MBE in the 1995 New Year Honours list for all his work within the Barnsley community.

Don is currently the Membership Secretary of the Northern Group of Motoring Writers.

Don is also the author of A Barnsley Lad, published by Wharncliffe Books, a colourful record of his life from growing up in Dodworth, to his retirement from the post of Editor of the Barnsley Chronicle in 1994.

These days, Don mixes with the celebrity crowd. He grew up with Michael Parkinson, was a regular golf partner of the late Charlie Williams and counts Norman Wisdom as a friend. Despite mingling with the rich and famous, Don still has a remarkable down to earth manner.

It goes without saying that I’m very happy to have him on board!

Finally, after several months of blood, sweat and more than a few tears, I’m proud to announce that - (trumpet fanfare, please) - Mouse Move is up and running.

You might not have heard of it yet, but rest assured, you soon will. Mouse Move is going to be huge, of that I have no doubt. It’s THE place to buy, sell or rent your house, holiday home, car, business or even service.

We’re like a dating service for transactions - match-making buyers with sellers, landlords with tenants, services and products with customers. I know, how sweet! But the best thing is we’re doing it for free at the moment, bless us!

Anybody with a property, vehicle, business or product/service for sale or rent anywhere in the world can advertise it worldwide on Mouse-Move.com absolutely free for the next six months as a special trial offer.

Go on. Give it a whirl. You’ve got nothing to lose.