can anyone comment as to how tough things are currently for estate agents?

I've got a friend who works for an estate agency in Warrington and he claims that the bottom end of the market (i.e. properties below £125k) are still selling very quickly and are still rising in price.
He did however say that properties above £150k are slow moving and the ones which are selling are those who are willing to be flexible with their prices.
He also said that HIPs may have had an adverse effect on the market at a point in time when the industry could have done without it. Apparently some agents charge the earth for hips, but when I moved the pack i got met the legal requirements and didn't cost too much!

If you look at the bbc website they have a property price index and the average for Warrington is £180k. That by itself will mean that stuff well below the average will carry on increasing. Your price of below £150k only covers terraced homes and flats, so anyone with a semi or detached is losing out at the moment.

Guess it's first time buyers and investors grabbing bargains while they can.

I don't think HIPs have affected it too much. Let's face it, a charge of £400 or so for a HIP is nothing compared to the thousands or tens of thousands of pounds spent on Stamp Duty. That is a major reason that we won't be moving home. I'd rather spend that money on an extension here that give it away as tax.